CCT: Murphy adjusts by adding bulk
Robin Miller
Murphy adjusts by adding bulk
Warriors' plan calls for the power forward to play at center sometimes
By Matt Steinmetz
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
LONG BEACH - Throughout Troy Murphy's rookie season -- the one that
started with a bang but seemed to end with a shrug of the shoulders --
Warriors coaches and management maintained they liked him as a player.
They said they liked his work ethic, his ability to knock down the
perimeter jumper and his general feel for the game. So if they liked him
so much, why are they asking him to become a different player?
Last season, the Warriors considered Murphy a power forward, with the
long view of having him evolve into someone who also could play small
forward. This season, the Warriors still think of Murphy as a power
forward, but the plan is to play him some at center.
Murphy is doing his part to work with the Warriors on their latest
scheme, which was born partly out of the drafting of Mike Dunleavy, a
small forward, and partly out of the sometimes extended ineffectiveness
of the team's pivot players.
"I really don't care where they play me," said Murphy, who has bulked up
noticeably and now carries 245 pounds on his 6-foot-11 frame. "They can
play me at point guard if they want. Hey, I'll do whatever they have in
store for me."
The subtle shift in the Murphy game plan began at the end of the season,
when he began working out daily with Warriors strength and conditioning
coach Mark Grabow. It continued when the Warriors drafted Dunleavy in
June, which the team said will lead to Antawn Jamison's becoming the
team's starting power forward. And it plays out again tonight, when
Murphy will take the floor for the Warriors' summer league team against
the Dallas Mavericks.
Murphy is playing alongside Dallas' Wang Zhizhi, who is not the most
physical of players. That means Murphy is doing the heavy banging
against the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers' Mark Madsen and Phoenix's
Alton Ford and Jake Voskuhl.
"Any player who is looking to get onto the floor, when that player can
play multiple positions, it enhances his chances of playing," Warriors
general manager Garry St. Jean said. "It's possible he could play some
center, and I don't know that you could have said that at the end of the
season. He's gone to work."
Murphy doesn't look entirely comfortable in his new role, but he did
show big-time improvement from the Warriors' first game to their second.
In his first game, Murphy picked up six fouls -- mostly while guarding
Madsen and Jelani McCoy -- in only 18 minutes. Lucky for him, summer
league rules allow a player who accumulates six or more fouls to
continue playing.
Against Phoenix on Thursday, Murphy held his own against Ford, a
6-foot-9, 275-pound bruiser. Ford was one of the few Suns players who
struggled from the field, going only 4-for-12, in Phoenix's 149-126 victory.
"Last year, I would have been backed in and backed in until I was under
the basket," said Murphy, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per
game his rookie season. "Now, I can absorb a hit and still get out and
contest a shot."
Murphy looked to be in solid form at the offensive end, scoring 29
points on 11-of-18 from the field -- including making his only 3-point
attempt. He also had nine rebounds, although only one came after the
first quarter. He doesn't subscribe to the theory that bulking up will
adversely affect his shot.
"It's actually helping increase my range," he said. "It's helped it
because I'm getting my legs into my shot. I think the shot will be flat
much less than it was. Now, I can shoot the 3, which I couldn't do last
year."
NOTE: The Warriors announced on Friday they had signed rookie guard Jiri
Welsch, whom they acquired in a June 26 draft day deal with
Philadelphia. Welsch signed a three-year contract worth approximately $4
million, with the Warriors having the option of picking up the fourth year.