HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

When the New Jersey Nets acquired Troy Murphy from the Indiana Pacers as part of a four-team trade, it seemed to be a great move for both Murphy and the Nets. New Jersey had missed out on Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer and Amar’e Stoudemire, the other prime front court free agents, and Murphy was the best of the remaining available options. Murphy may be a significant step down from the aforementioned front court forces, but has been a double-double guy for much of his career and gave the Pacers nearly 15 points and better than 10 rebounds per game over the last two seasons. His ability to stretch the floor with the three-ball makes him a rare breed of power forward, much like a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki.

For some reason, however, things didn’t click with new Nets head coach Avery Johnson. A starter for most of his career, Murphy has seen little more than spot duty for the Nets, and he’s having the worst year of his career as a result. Murphy scratches his head about it, saying Johnson has never given him a reason for his lack of playing time, and Johnson won’t answer questions about Murphy’s playing time whenever the local media has the temerity to inquire about it. It comes as no surprise, then, to learn that Murphy may be on the verge of a buyout after the Nets failed to move him as part of the three-team trade involving the Denver Nuggets and the Detroit Pistons.

The Nets would still prefer to trade Murphy, whose $12 million contract expires at the end of the season, and as such represents a low-risk, high-reward situation for any team that would acquire him. There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t be a double-double guy for another team, but if he weren’t, his contract would come off the books on July 1st anyway.

There are quite a few rumors circulating this morning about where Murphy might land, with Orlando, San Antonio and Dallas leading the pack, according to one report from ESPN. The Orlando Magic are still looking for a big to add depth to the front court, and while Murphy isn’t much of a center, his skill set would fit in very well with what the Magic run. The Spurs wouldn’t mind adding another power forward to give Tim Duncan additional time on the sidelines in preparation for what could be a long postseason run, and the Mavericks, for all of their depth at other positions, don’t have a good solution behind Dirk Nowitzki.

One way or the other, it seems Murphy will find his way into the playoffs for the first time, and there is little doubt he can help a playoff team. He and Avery Johnson have just agreed to disagree, and it’s in the best interest of both parties if the Nets help Murphy find playing time and a consistent role somewhere else.

Fatigue No Longer An Issue For Gasol

December was not an easy month for Pau Gasol. Having spent the first quarter of the season at center, and logging nearly 40 minutes per game, Gasol all but ran out of gas before injured starter Andrew Bynum finally returned to the lineup. After a stellar November, in which Gasol averaged 20.3 points and 12.3 rebounds while shooting 54% from the field, his numbers and efficiency dropped off in December as the heavy minutes took their toll. Now, with Bynum back in the groove, Gasol is down to around 35 minutes per game and getting his second wind, as he discusses in this exclusive interview with HOOPSWORLD:

Miami’s X-Factor?

The Miami HEAT grabbed most of the big headlines last summer as they snared three of the biggest names in free agency in (keeping) Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Still, no matter how good your top three players are, it takes five to start a basketball game and at least eight to really compete for a championship. With that in mind, one of the HEAT’s biggest moves was adding sharpshooter Mike Miller, who was expected to be a big part of their attack from Day One. Unfortunately, an injury took Miller out of the lineup almost immediately, and it’s taken him a while to get back on the court. Now back for 10 games, Miller is starting to feel comfortable in his new situation.

The HEAT were able to hit their stride for a time without Miller, though injuries have now set them back a bit. Sooner or later, though, the HEAT are going to need him to step up and become an impact player for their team.

"I hope that eventually I’ll have a major impact, but we have a lot of talent on this team," says Miller. " When I was hurt they were playing great without me, so it’s just a patience game for me right now. I have to stay patient and wait for my number to be called and then perform."

"As basketball players, you want to win, and the people who support us in Miami want us to win right away," says Miller. " Outside of that, everyone expects us to win, so there’s some pressure there, but obviously that’s what we signed up for. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, we didn’t want it to be easy, and now we’ve got to make the most of it."

With expectations come a great deal of media attention, as evidenced by ESPN’s decision to hire an entire team of beat writers to catalogue the HEAT’s every move. Of course, most of that hype is focused around James, Wade and Bosh, leaving little room for the supporting cast . . .and that’s just fine with Miller.

"Some people don’t like to have the attention, anyway," he points out. "For myself, I’ve been in the league a long time, I know who I am and I know who I’m not. I’m just happy to be in this situation, and I look forward to getting healthy and getting to play."

Miller is playing on his fifth team in 11 NBA seasons, but he has never been classified as a "villain" before. Being a member of the HEAT presents him with this new experience, which he sees as a way to make each game more meaningful.

"Its fun, but it’s also a challenge. Every arena you go into it’s packed and no one wants you to win, so there’s a lot against us. But that brings everybody closer together and makes every game more exciting."

Of course, there is a downside to life in the NBA, whether a player is on a championship team or not. For Miller, moving across the country every couple of years certainly takes a toll.

"Everybody talks about how great our lives are, but changing teams and traveling all the time makes it tough sometimes. You have kids and a family and you’re away from them a lot. It makes it difficult, but at the same time, we have a pretty good life, too."