Whose this years Troy Murphy?
javale mcgee wont theres too many people up front.... but like prashanta says gallinari if he stays healty and gets minutes could average mid teens..
by the way troy murphy has had better seasons than last years... he just took his game outside and became a lil more effecient
I wouldn't say Murphy came out of nowhere, I think he's always been a pretty solid power forward in the NBA. he had two similar seasons statistic wise while he was in Golden State (04-05 and 05-06). the only distinct difference between last season and those other two seasons are the number of 3 pointers made, but even so he;s always been a pretty good shooter throughout his whole career.
Sheltwon said Murphy is slow, however, that is an understatement. The man simply cannot move on defense where he's a huge liability in terms of guarding anyone. If I had to grade his defensive skills on a scale of 1-10, with ten being the highest, I would give him a one.
Murphy's big redeeming factor is his ability to rebound. Although he's virtually a complete liability when it comes to guarding people, he is one of the best defensive power forward rebounders in the league. So the big question with him is whether or not his outstanding rebounding skills outweigh his other limitations.
You forgot that the guy is a really good shooter. He would look great next to a dominate down low force and would help to spread the floor. Though I would not say he came out of nowhere. I agree with Sheltwon that his numbers slipped and he got back to where he was. I really don't see how he is as good of a rebounder as he is though, but again I could never believe that Antoine Walker was as good of a rebounder as he was considering the amount of time that he spent away from the basket on both ends of the floor. I guess some guys just have a nose for the ball.
Doubledribbler, you're right. Even though I didn't mention it in my last post, Murphy is a very good shooter for a power forward. That makes his performance on defense even more frustrating.
If you combine his ability to shoot and open the floor, along with his outstanding defensive rebounding, if Murphy could somehow manage some semblance of defense, he could be an elite player. On that scale of 1-10 that I mentioned earlier, if he were only a 5 on defense [instead of a one], he would be a formidable player. Unfortunately his defense is so bad that he's a serious liability because he has zero lateral movement.
DoubleDribbler, thankfully rebounding is an aspect of one's game that is quantifiable. I just checked the 2008-2009 stats, and if I read them correctly, Murphy was the 2nd leading rebounder in the league behind Dwight Howard.
And since I feel rebounding is so critical, that would make Murphy an extremely valuable player, but only if he played some semblance of defense.
I can't believe that stat. Who in the world would take the time to track something like that? Nonetheless, I agree with Iguodala9, he has no lateral quickness so he cannot create his own shot on the perimeter. However, down low, Murphy does have a few post moves.
Murphy's lateral quickness definately is a huge liability for him on defense, but put him on the block against a back to the basket player, and he isn't terrible. He's big, strong, and very hard to move. He is a liability playing a quicker powerforward on the perimiter, but he can be tolerable on the block. He averaged 10 defensive rebounds per game too, on the block against a slower powerforward or center he is ok.
JoeWolf1, I disagree with your low post assessment of Murphy, I think he's simply atrocious in every phase of defense. That's why I gave him only a one on a scale of 1-10.
On the other hand, you're so right about his defensive rebounding. It's that dichotomy that makes Troy Murphy so frustrating for his coaches. On one hand he's a major liability, but on the flip side, he's probably one of the five best defensive rebounders in the league. And as I say so often, rebounding is critical because you cannot win without the ball.
I know what you mean, rtbt, I guess I still consider defensive rebounding and boxing out as a phase of defense which was where I was basing my evaluation on. He is slow, but if he's down on the block and his defender misses the shot, the chances are Murphy is gonna get and not an offensive player. I guess that to me is still a part of defense. It is a weird skill set to have, I can't think of another player past or presence who was like that.
JoeWolf1, that was a fantastic point and I agree completely! Boxing out and rebounding really is part of defense and a critical one at that.
I was concentrating solely on the aspect of one on one defense where Troy Murphy ranks near the top [or is that the bottom?] with Jason Kapono and Dirk N., guys who literally play zero one on one defense. However, once you factor in the importance of blocking out and rebounding, Murphy really should be given a higher rating than one on a scale of 1-10.
You dont have to be quick to be a great rebounder, but if your not a freak athlete or very explosive, you have to have a wide body to rebound in the NBA. Look at Kevin Love, Paul Milsap etc...they have big frames and limited explosiveness and are elite rebounders.
Yeah, but a lot of those wide bodies are good defenders too, or at least decent. I'm personally a fan of the 6'7'' 250 pound power foward who just works his ass of on D and gets 10 rpg, but Murphy despite the fact he pulls down 12 rpg isn't one of those guys at all.
Danilo Gallianri
DeAndre Jordan (if given the minutes..)
JaVale McGee
Sean Williams
Robin Lopez
Not sure if any of these will dominate this season, but if given the chance i think they'll all have better statistical seasons than anyone expected
Someone to come out of nowhere (and I mean nowhere, don't say anthony randolph, everyone knows about him) and dominate the statistics.