NBA Draft 2013: Chicago Bulls Select Erik Murphy
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bulls haven’t been able to get anything going under their current roster and while they wait for Derrick Rose to come back and Nikola Mirotic to come from overseas, they’re making a few draft picks that they hope can step up and be a part of a bench mob that Jerry Reisndorf is comfortable paying for. So with the 49th overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Erik Murphy from Florida.
In picking Murphy the Bulls grabbed another forward after spending the No. 20 pick on a forward as well. But where Snell is going to start, Murphy is likely headed to the Summer League where he’ll fight for a chance to make the roster.
He has a nice chance given how cheap Bulls management is and Murphy’s rookie contract is very much in Reisndorf’s price range. That being said though, Murphy managed to make a name for himself at Florida and he could find a way onto the Bulls final roster.
The bottom line comes down to his skills and if Tom Thibodeau likes what he sees when he gets a closer look. He’s obviously not going to be an impact player right away and may never be more than a role player. But if there’s a coach in the NBA that can suck every last drop of talent out of a player it’s Thibdoeau and he doesn’t take guys unless he thinks he can use them in some way on his final roster.