Article: JRich and Troy Murphy may be on the block

This may be a pipedream, but since our biggest needs are an athletic SG, who can defend and shoot, and a PF who can rebound and shoot, it would be great if the Rockets can somehow land JRich and Troy Murphy from the Warriors.
I haven't had a chance to crunch the numbers, bit try to imagine next year's starting five of Rafer, JRich, Yao, TMurphy and T-Mac!


http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/15/SPGP6HOD3L1.DTL

Troubles to the core: Will Warriors break up the trio?
Production hasn't met all expectations for 3 starters who dominate the payroll
- Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy are the professed "core" of the Warriors. Have been since signing $173 million worth of contract extensions, and still are, according to Chris Mullin.

Year 2 of their reign as everyday starters, however, has dissolved into a mess worse than Year 1. The Warriors returned to practice Tuesday with a 26-37 record after their 1-4 road trip, and the playoffs they targeted are a distant fantasy.

As Richardson noted this past weekend, it's time to play spoiler again. Time to practice for the future with "the guys that are going to be here."

And that may or may not include themselves.

"I could see the core sticking together and being very successful," Mullin says. "I could see something else happening. This is the NBA."

This is the NBA, in which success is based on wins and losses. And through nearly two seasons as three-fifths of the Warriors' starting lineup -- the last alongside Baron Davis -- Richardson, Murphy and Dunleavy have posted a 60-85 mark.

This is the NBA, in which production is often based on statistics. And though Davis was acquired to be the point man and elevate the core to new heights, those statistics have had a habit of betraying them all.

Numbers have never been among Dunleavy's best friends, and this season has been especially rough. His points (10.2), rebounds (4.7), assists (2.7), steals (.79) and minutes (30.4) are all down, and so are his starts.

Murphy is the virtual opposite, the ultimate numbers guy who can have trouble being an all-around factor. Take away his rookie year and his injury-plagued third season, and he's averaged a double-double while being among the league's top rebounders.

He's added a 3-point shot and flashes of an inside game since entering the league. Former teammate Antawn Jamison even predicts that Murphy will be an All-Star one day. But put Murphy alongside Dunleavy and Adonal Foyle in the frontcourt, and something seems to be off.

Richardson is the only Warrior to be spot-on of late, but even he isn't immune to the numbers trap. He averaged 32 points, hit 51 percent of his shots -- 48 percent from long distance -- and set two career highs in points on this past road trip. And yet, the Warriors lost games to Minnesota, Atlanta, Charlotte and Orlando.

Remember when Dunleavy flung his jersey into the stands during a rare show of anger last season? He said it was a culmination of three years of his frustration with the Warriors, but it was also a visual metaphor for all that has haunted Golden State.

The talent is there; the wins are not.

And as the Warriors head for their 12th straight season without making the playoffs, their once-designated core sounds more and more as if it's preparing for a shakeup this summer.

"I'd be surprised," Murphy said about all three returning. "I mean, you hear your name in a lot of rumors, things like that."

Said Richardson: "I can't even tell you. That's up to management."

It's up to Mullin, and so far, the Warriors' vice president has made it a point to keep the trio intact. He signed Richardson and Murphy to extensions two Novembers ago to prevent them from testing the free- agent market and he did the same with Dunleavy this past season.

With each deal, Mullin lauded his players' individual talents, spoke of their improvement, and how they would continue to progress as a part of the Warriors' "core."

Dunleavy says his biggest strides in four years have come on the defensive end, where he was pushed around as a rookie before his body grew stronger. Murphy has focused on rebounding and adding to his offensive repertoire.

All Richardson heard his first two seasons was that he couldn't shoot, so he spent his summers shooting jumpers and fadeaways from all over the court. Then critics said he couldn't dribble or defend, so he's spent the last two summers working on ball-handling and defense.

"Keep on going down the list, come back and prove them wrong," said Richardson, who has increased his scoring and shooting percentage every year.

"Hopefully, that's what you're going to get with these young guys," coach Mike Montgomery added. "That they continue to get better, understand, mature ... and start to take the challenge of being the players they are.

"J.R.? I think he's starting to understand. He plays both ends. He's willing to take responsibility for not making plays. It's been good to see. Everybody has noticed that."

Still, Mullin believes the Warriors can be a major player this summer with their accrued talent and he likes how his trade chips compare with other teams' around the league. He has proven talent and intriguing youngsters in Andris Biedrins and rookies Monta Ellis and Ike Diogu.

Though Mullin would prefer that the Warriors weren't distracted by trade rumors, he knows it's impossible.

"That's part of the business," Mullin said. "I know it sounds so cliched, but the players know that. I know that. Do we want their heads straight and fresh as much as we can so they go out and perform? Yes. Am I going to extinguish everything? No, I can guarantee you I'm not ...

"You always want to put yourselves in a position where you can win with what you have and develop, and have that success not only now, but for years to come. Or if something becomes viable, that you can be legitimately in that as well."

For the Warriors to be legitimate trade partners, everyone on their roster must be in play. Be it the rookies, the veterans, Davis (who has three years at $49 million), or the once-designated core of Richardson, Murphy and Dunleavy.

And they know it, like it or not.

"I'd like to see us stick together and do well because we've struggled for four years -- five years for them," Dunleavy said. "We haven't been to the playoffs and it's been frustrating. But at the end, whatever this team needs to do to get to that level -- to do our best -- we got to do what we got to do ... Most importantly, I'd like to see it work out (for the team), and I think they would tell you the same thing."

"We've been teammates for a long time," Richardson added. "But it's pretty much up to the individual player if they want to be here or not. It's up to management if they think they're part of us becoming successful.

"I'm just going to work on my game. You never know -- it might be me that has to go."

 

I disagree in regards to JRich. I'm out here in the bay area and have been following him since the Warriors drafted him. The guy can flat out play! He's gotten better each year and he's not a one-dimensional player.

As for Baron...forget it! He's hurt all the time.