Warriors Rankings: Troy Murphy, PF #18

So how does the Warriors own Troy Murphy rank with respect to the other starting Power Forwards in the league?

Last season Troy averaged almost 11 boards a game

How does his fun score stack up to the rest? Check out our rankings. Make sure to post your thoughts.


RANK- Player- (Fun Score)

1. Kevin Garnett (Fun Score=10)
Let's just say KG would have a ring or two by now if Kevin McHale wasn't one of the dumbest NBA front office personnel. KG routinely gets over 22ppg, 13rpg, 5apg, 1.5steals, and 1.5blocks. It can take Mike Dunleavy 5 games to get those totals!


2. Tim Duncan (-3)
Every time I'm battling a little insomnia I turn on the TV set and find a Spurs game. If only Tim lived up to his last name and was a ferocious dunker. But honestly- there is very little to fault Duncan for. He's got the all around game, the rings, and the attitude. He's also a nightmare for the NBA TV ratings. His passing isn't up to KG's but he's a better shot blocker. If Tim was a little more fun, he'd be #1.


3. Amare Stoudemire (9)
Let's just say Steve Nash would have 1 less MVP trophy if it wasn't for Amare. It's too bad the kid is out till most likely the All Star break. It's great for the Warriors, but too bad for NBA fans. Amare's a little one dimensional right now. You know he's going right and he's going to dunk on you. The problem is you can't stop him. Being one dimensional ain't all that bad, if no one can stop that dimension. The Warriors (especially Adonal Foyle, Troy Murphy, and Ike Diogu) secretly have to be jumping for joy that Amare's out till probably the All Star break. Guarding this man and getting dunked on every few minutes is NOT fun.


4. Jermaine O'Neal (6)
This baby-faced big man is a difference maker on both sides of the ball. Even with all the chaos that happened last year in Detroit (see Worst Fans in the League) he averaged 24ppg.


5. Chris Webber (10)
And yes I realize it's not 2002, but CWebb still has plenty of game. Less than 7 months ago CDubb dropped 3 triple doubles in 5 games. Jim O'Brien foolishly misused Webber last season after the trade and now look where he's at. CWebb- Spree- Timmie- Mullin. What could have been?


6. Elton Brand (5)
One word- Solid. Good defense and steady offense. A little undersized at his spot, but the man ranks among the top PF's in the game.


7. Dirk Nowitski (6)
Before you excited about how low Dirk is ranked, think about this. If you score 25 points, but give up 35 you're not helping your team out.


8. Rasheed Wallace (7)
One of the top defending big men in the league. Sheed's got post up moves and a jumper. The man oddly disappears for stretches of games. It's almost like he needs a Tech to get into the game or else it's just "Both teams played hard."


9. Antawn Jamison (8)
Remember those back-to-back 50 point games? Jamison can score on almost anyone with some of the strangest shot-puts, scoops, rolls, etc that we've ever seen. Problem is almost anyone can score on him. His 3 point shot is respectable now too. I have to say- I really do miss his goofy smile and bushy eyebrows. Dunleavy + Foyle + Fisher for Jamison anyone? Probably not, but I can dream.


10. Pau Gasol (7)
Spanish Fly's got plenty of game. We'll see this year if he finally steps up his game to the next level. I remember a few years back at the Coliseum when Fantasy Junkie and I were watching a Warriors-Grizzlies game and a group in the stands were holding up Spainish flags and cheering Pau on big time- every bucket, every block, every move. Serious props for representing.


11. Kenyon Martin (8)
KMart is one of the league's top defenders. He can guard some 2's too. Antoine Walker's worst nightmare. His offensive skills don't justify his huge contract though.


12. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (6)
As solid as this Cal product has been, he's never seen the playoffs. Still 'Reef has game.


13. Chris Bosh (6)
A potential superstar waiting to happen?


14. Omeka Okafor (6)
He'll be a solid pro (a la Elton Brand) for years to come.



15. Dwight Howard (6)
Like Bosh- a potential superstar waiting to happen?


16. Carlos Boozer (10)
Boozer is consistent, but over-paid and a so-so defender. But the big question-- why such a high fun score? Remember JRich doing the Off the Heazy on Boozer a few years back in the Rookie-Sophomore game? That was fun.



17. Zack Randolph (3)
Considering where he was drafted, Randolph was a steal for the Blazers. The big man has an array of post up moves. His defense leaves a lot to be desired though.


18. Troy Murphy (7)
I'll admit when the Warriors called his name back on draft day 2001 I screamed "Noooooooooo!" I feared that Murphy was another big, slow white guy in the mode of Todd Fuller. I wanted the Warriors to take Jamaal Tinsley.

Several years later, Troy is one of our favorite Warriors. Every summer he's worked hard on something and improved it big time. First it was his rebounding, then it was his mid-range jumper, and last season it was his 3 point shot. TMurphy is now the Warriors best spot up 3 point shooter. What will he come back with this season? Defense? Some more post up moves?

Even though he's the most workman-like Warrior, his defense leaves a lot to be desired. His lateral movement is incredibly poor on D. Faster players routinely blow by him. Maybe it was rehabbing from all the injuries, but this is definitely an area for Murphy to work on.

This year I expect Troy to move up ahead of Boozer and Randolph. He's not an elite PF, but he can be a very good PF.

Remember that throwdown on Rasheed his rookie season and the following Technical for his stare down? That was fun.


19. Drew Gooden (5)
This Bay Area kid is solid. He can rebound and play defense. Still a little raw offensively, but he has time to improve.


20. Stromile Swift (5)
Was it the lack of minutes or lack of dedication? Swift was supposed to be a superstar and with Shareef back in the day take the Grizzlies far into the playoffs. Things didn't exactly happen according to plan.



21. Mike Sweetney (3)
Probably too slow and undersized to be a top PF, but he makes for a great 6th or 7th man.


22. P.J. Brown (2)
Still a good defender near the later years of his career.


23. Antonio Davis (2)
Not sure if he'll suit up for the Knicks, but the man makes a good role player.



24. Udonis Haslem (2)
An overachiever and a hard worker.


25. Al Jefferson (2)
Al gets a lot of hype. Not sure why though since he hasn't done that much yet. We're not saying that he can't blow up, but this looks like a case of East Coast bias.


26. Al Harrington (1)
Not even the best Al among PF's in the league.



27. Jason Collins (1)
This half of the Stanford twins has carved out a solid career. He's probably better suited to be a backup though.


28. Kwame Brown (0)
Compared to Kwame going #1 St. Jean looks like a genius for nabbing JRich with the #5 pick in that draft. Best part is Kwame will be stinking up the front line of the hated LA Fakers for the next few seasons.


29. Nick Collison (0)
Moving on like the Sonics will be in the next year or two at this position.


30. Joe Smith (-10)
This guy seems a little familiar. I can't quite place what the connection is. It's just painful thinking about the past (see Don't Bust Out! and 1995 Draft- We're #1!!)