One has to wonder just what happened to make Murphy so expendable, he wasn't even getting a front-row seat on his own bench. All we know is the Bulls waived him on Thursday after averaging 0.3 points and 2.6 minutes in 24 games. Familiar names like Ronnie Brewer and Mike James have been rumored to take the spot Murphy has vacated, but for now, it's worth looking a player who hadn't seen game action since recording a field goal and assist in a two-minute stint in the aforementioned Rockets game.
I knew when the Bulls drafted Murphy that he wasn't going to see much time this season. Rookies don't get many opportunities with Tom Thibodeau, although the exception in Tony Snell has done all right for an end-of-rotation player. However, not even lasting a full year with the team that drafted him makes you wonder if he was ready for the big show yet. Here's what I wrote after his selection was made:
The rookie more likely to be riding the bench this year is Erik Murphy, who just finished his senior season at Florida. In fact, don't be surprised if he's not even on the roster come Opening Night. He has connections in Finland, which could mean he plays overseas this year instead of the NBA. On the other hand, it's been rare for the Bulls not to sign even second-round picks in the last decade, so my money is on him playing here.
A 6-10 power forward with a great 3-point shot, comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki come to mind. He has also shown to improve as a rebounder and defender after building up his playing weight to 240. Since the Bulls already drafted a shooter in Snell and have an All-Star defender and rebounder in Joakim Noah, Murphy is more likely to see the floor during garbage minutes, at least during his first season. In the meantime, he can work on his weaknesses, which include a lack of speed for NBA players at his position and being weak as a defender and rebounder despite building his strength. At the very least, he'll get to observe firsthand what it takes to become a tenured, productive player in this league. If he's lucky, he'll be able to do the same. You can only do so much with your body though.
A lot of this seems to ring true even now. A coach like Thibodeau is always going to look for players who can defend first and it's likely Murphy wasn't showing his commander a whole lot of that. One could argue that Jimmer Fredette's signing meant the Bulls weren't confident in the rookie's abilities there either. The D-League or playing in Finland might have, in fact, been a better option for him and I wouldn't be surprised if one of those destinations was next. His experience here can indeed let him know how players survive in the NBA for so long. With that in mind, he has something to shoot for and if the right things fall into place, he'll return to the league a better player and person.
Meanwhile, this should cause Gar Forman and John Paxson to search for answers. Two of their last three draft picks were traded (Marquis Teague) or waived (Murphy) this season alone, so that raises questions as to how well they evaluate draft talent. It doesn't help that Thibodeau won't play them regular minutes, but cutting ties with raw talent has to indicate a bigger problem. For all the talk about landing a big free agent this offseason, there should be just as much about finding good, young players out of college to build around. It's why I would suggest trading up in this year's draft to get a shot at Doug McDermott, whose talent and winning background fit perfectly with the Bulls' mold. Even if it means giving up both of your other first-round picks and one of your bench players, it's a move I would highly recommend.
Now's the time to focus less on Murphy and more on how to beat the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. The Bulls usually have a short memory of these things except when one of their bigger guns is no longer available for whatever reason (injury, trade, etc.). Murphy's absence won't bother them, but somewhere down the line, management's decisions might.
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