Boston Celtics Sign Troy Murphy for the rest of the season
The Boston Celtics have signed Troy Murphy for rest of the season. The highly coveted forward, who was pursued by the like of Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and the Orlando Magic after he was
waived off by the Golden State Warriors had chosen Boston on March 1. The real race was between the Heat and the Celts though and Murphy admitted that he had an agonizing 48 hours to make the decision.
Explaining why he chose Celtics, Murphy told the media.
“Watching both teams, I fit in better with the way Boston plays, the way they spread the floor, and you know I just like the way that they play”.
He further added his commitment towards the new team he will be playing for, “I've never been really apart from a team for an extended period of time, so I couldn't really tell you," he said. "(It's) pretty crazy. I'm just looking
forward to getting here and moving forward towards the future”.
The 6’10 power forward, who has played in more games (639) than any other active player without appearing in the playoffs, started his professional career with the Golden State Warriors in 2001 when Warriors picked him as 14th
overall in NBA draft.
Murphy started slowly, but soon picked the pace in the next season, averaging 11.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Consequently he was voted the second best Most Improved player. He stayed at the Golden State until 2007.
Murphy was then traded to Indiana Pacers in 2007. He played next three seasons with the Pacers before coming into New Jersey. He joined New Jersey Nets in 2010. He only played 18 games for the Nets averaging 3.6 points and 4.2
rebounds per game. The Warriors again acquired Murphy’s services in 2011 but soon this relationship ended when Murphy and Warriors signed a buyout agreement last week on Sunday.
Celtics now test the abilities of Troy Murphy who is currently averaging 11.8 points, and 8.5 rebounds per game. His presence will boost an already power packed roster including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics were quite busy in the last weeks’ trade deadline, when they successfully completed the trade with Oklahoma City Thunder. They sent center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City and received Nenad Krstic in return.
Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers is very optimistic about having Troy Murphy in his line-up. For Murphy though, the trade signifies an all together new beginning, one in which he has a realistic chance of getting deep into the play-off
season. With Kendrick Perkins already settled in Oklahoma City and the the O’Neal’s out due to injury, he might get a quick chance to prove his worth.
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