Offering a sound resolve but understanding the complex reality of open-heart surgery, 22-year-old Ronny Turiaf chuckled, cried and assessed the turns that life can take.

A week ago, the 6-foot-10 forward from Gonzaga signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after he was selected No. 37 in last month's draft. But he faces surgery to repair an enlarged aortic root, a condition that could have taken his life and will cost him at least one season as he recuperates.

"I definitely will be back on the court," Turiaf said yesterday. "That's my way of thinking right now. I'm going to try everything that I can to beat it. I beat a lot by myself, since I was 14 years old, trying to make a living for my family, trying to provide financial support for them. Today is just another setback.

"I will give my heart and soul to my family and to people that I care about," he said, laughing briefly at the words he chose. "I'm going to beat this stuff up."

Turiaf, who will undergo surgery in four to six weeks, was both strong and scared. He pulled up the top of his T-shirt to dry his eyes at one point. He cursed mildly when asked if he was worried.

"I'm scared of dying," he said. "This is a big thing. I heard that they're going to cut my sternum up and do all kinds of stuff. I'm like, 'Wow, this is scary.' But I have faith. The doctors are the best. I'm scared, but I just want to open my eyes after surgery."

Turiaf said he has not felt symptoms or discomfort related to his condition.

"I don't feel tired, you don't see me with a lack of energy," he said. "I'm always feeling good. I'm like, 'Geez, can I just take some medicine or something?' But no, you can't. This is just the way my heart is. I guess I have just too big of a heart."

The aortic root is the beginning part of the aorta, the body's largest artery. The diameter of Turiaf's aorta is 5.6 centimeters, about 50 percent larger than normal, which increases the possibility of a rupture.

Turiaf's contract had one guaranteed year and would have paid him a total of about $1 million if the Lakers had picked up the option for his second season.

As it stands, the Lakers consider his contract to be void because it was contingent upon passing a physical. The Lakers are offering to pay for medical expenses that, barring complications, will surpass $100,000. A ruling from the league will determine if they can pay for a player's expenses without a contract.

Of Turiaf, Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth said, "He went through routine physicals each year. There was never anything that raised a flag or caused an alarm."

Notes

• Memphis agreed to trade guard Bonzi Wells to Sacramento for guard Bobby Jackson in a three-team deal also involving Utah, according to media reports.

The trade, which cannot be finalized until Thursday, also would send Greg Ostertag from Sacramento back to Utah, where he spent nine of his first 10 seasons.

The Jazz would send 7-footer Curtis Borchardt — a graduate of Eastlake High School in Sammamish — and guards Kirk Snyder and Raul Lopez to Memphis. Borchardt, 24, played college ball at Stanford.

• Free agents will be able to sign their new contracts Thursday, six days later than originally planned.

• While Larry Brown pondered the pros and cons of coaching the Knicks, standout guard Stephon Marbury endorsed the prospect of his former Olympic coach taking over in New York.

Brown and Knicks president Isiah Thomas met for four hours Thursday night, a session the Knicks described yesterday as "positive." Marbury and Brown clashed at times at last summer's Olympics, where the U.S. team lost three games and finished a disappointing third.

• Keyon Dooling, who played for the Miami Heat last season, said he agreed to terms on a three-year deal believed to be worth nearly $10 million with Orlando, where the 25-year-old probably will have a chance to become the Magic's starting point guard.