MEMPHIS — On Sunday, Troy Murphy was an important part of a Nets victory.
Yesterday, he was back trying to decipher when or if he would play again, a limbo situation he said he can’t accept.
“Not even close. I have not accepted it, not at all,” said Murphy, who has no idea of his status for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies. “This is not a role I’m accustomed to, and nor do I expect it to continue. I do not accept it at all.”
He might not have to deal with it much longer because on any given day, Murphy could be traded, possibly as part of a package for Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony.
“I know it’s a business. My name’s been in there before, it’ll be in there again,” Murphy said of the ongoing rumors swirling around the Nets and Anthony, a blockbuster deal that Nets brass continues to feel very confident could become reality — and soon. “I really have no idea [if he’ll be traded]. I can only control what I can control.”
He doesn’t control his playing time.
“Everybody knows his minutes have been sporadic, and we know the reasons why. But he’s been ready to play,” coach Avery Johnson said.
After being inactive or not playing in 11 of 18 games, Murphy played 22 minutes, scored eight points and was part of a bench-led 89-82 victory over the Hawks on Sunday. Johnson played Murphy and rookie forward Derrick Favors together in the fourth quarter.
Murphy does not know what the future holds, but he has been a good soldier.
“Ultimate pro. In all my years, I’ve never seen a guy handle it better,” Nets general manager Billy King said.
“Avery, myself, we’ve been in constant communication with Troy, his agent, on where we stand, where things are,” King noted. “The best thing, I think, from our standpoint and Troy’s standpoint, is communication. There’s no gray area in where we are.”
Sounds as if Murphy has been told better days are ahead, likely elsewhere.
Murphy, whose season was derailed by a back injury, is in the final season of an $11.9 million contract, a deal that makes him desirable in a trade. The Nets, with as many as six first-round picks in the next three drafts, are in continuing talks with Denver. No team is better equipped to meet the Nuggets’ demands than the Nets.
League sources insist the Nets are exploring every conceivable avenue to put together a deal for Anthony, including finding other teams to get involved. In a recent developments, the Magic essentially left the field by moving Vince Carter’s contract.
Anthony over the weekend said he would sign an extension wherever he goes. The Nets never would make a deal for him without knowing he is locked up. Each day, the confidence of Nets brass grows.
The Nets repeatedly have shown their overwhelmingly desperate need for a closer of Anthony’s stature. The deal would start with at least two, probably three first-round picks and Favors. Then factor in other possible scenarios, including Murphy’s expiring contract and Devin Harris (Nets would have to get a point guard back).
It’s feasible. If the Nets and Nuggets come to a basic agreement, then the recruiting begins. The Nets would use the lure of Brooklyn, the global vision of owner Mikhail Prokhorov — all the selling points they tried on LeBron James. It didn’t work then. But the Nets believe Anthony is a far different case.
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Quinton Ross (bruised lower back) went for exam yesterday, but Johnson indicated he is leaning toward keeping Sunday’s starting lineup, including Travis Outlaw at small forward, intact for at least another game.