http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4501615 Sources: Murray to sign $1.99M deal Comment Email Print Share By Marc Stein ESPN.com Archive Free-agent guard Flip Murray has reached an agreement in principle to join the Charlotte Bobcats, according to NBA front-office sources. Murray and the Bobcats have a one-year deal at the NBA's bi-annual exception of $1.99 million, with a formal signing forthcoming as early as Friday, sources said. Murray's agent, Mark Termini, confirmed the deal when reached Thursday night by ESPN.com. After averaging 12.2 points last season as an off-the-bench spark for the Atlanta Hawks, Murray also received interest earlier this month from the Denver Nuggets. But luxury-tax concerns prompted the Nuggets, who on Wednesday traded for Houston's James White, to limit their offer to the $1.1 million veteran minimum. Murray has been regarded as one of the NBA's better sixth men after breaking out in the 2003-04 season as a fill-in for the injured Ray Allen in Seattle, averaging 23.9 points over an 11-game stretch. The signing of Murray further cements Charlotte's backcourt after Wednesday's signing of restricted free agent Raymond Felton to a one-year, $5.5 million qualifying offer and potentially gives the Bobcats' second unit some needed punch after they finished last in the league in scoring last season. Felton will become an unrestricted free agent in July after he and the Bobcats could not strike a long-term deal. He averaged 14.2 points and 6.7 assists last season, retaining his spot in the starting lineup even after Charlotte drafted D.J. Augustin. Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.
I've always wondered why Flip Murray never latches on to a team full-time. The guy's a proven scorer in this league, but he seems to be a late-season addition every season.
He doesn't latch on because he's a bad, bad, bad basketball player. A couple hot scoring games a year is enough to get some team to bite on him, but once they see that he's inefficient and completely lacks a basketball IQ about 75% of the time they throw him on the scrap heap.
Hmm. Denver must be a little disappointed. Believe they were holding some money out for Flip, and as a result, lost out on McCants. The Bobcats do need scoring punch, though, and if Flip can do anything, he can score. I am shocked McCants didn't end up a Bobcat though. He had been training up there for awhile.
I don't think the Nugget's were interested in McCants at all. At least they didn't have substantial interest big enough to even offer a training-camp invite. Surely McCants would hav gone to Denver if he was offered an opportunity there as they need a SG much more than we do. Now Denvers gonna sign Wally Szczerbiak and sign him to vet min.
