On Thursday night, Erik Murphy landed with a 2013-14 NBA title contender.
The Chicago Bulls selected the former Gators power forward with the 49th pick in the second round of the NBA Draft.
“Obviously, it’s a great organization. Great coaches, great people here,” Murphy said during Chicago’s’ introductory press conference Monday.
“It’s in a great sports city, so it’s just an honor to be here honestly.”
Murphy joins All-Star center Joakim Noah, who won two national titles with Florida from 2005-07.
Murphy said a fired-up Noah called him after the draft was completed.
“He was real excited, as was I. We were just talking back and forth,” Murphy said.
“Obviously, it’s nice to know a guy on the team.”
Because Chicago retired Scottie Pippen’s No. 33, Murphy will wear No. 31 with the Bulls instead of the number he wore with the Gators. He will begin workouts this week and will play on the Chicago’s NBA summer league squad, starting July 13 in Las Vegas.
He is the 35th Florida player to be selected in the history of the draft and 17th player drafted during coach Billy Donovan’s 17-year tenure at Florida.
Murphy was the only Gator selected in this year’s draft. Former UF guards Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario, two of Florida’s top three scorers in 2012-13, went undrafted Thursday. Neither has signed with an NBA team.
The 6-foot-10 Murphy fills Chigaco’s need for a forward who can stretch the floor. He showcased his perimeter game last season, shooting 45.3 percent from behind the arc and leading the Southeastern Conference in three-point shooting percentage (.473) during league play. He averaged 12.2 points per game – second most for Florida.
In 2012-13, Chicago shot 35.3 percent from downtown – 20th in the NBA.
“One of the things we were trying to do is improve our ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter,” Chicago general manager Gar Forman said.
“We really haven’t had a guy who’s a stretch four. And we think as [Murphy] continues to progress, he’ll give us an ability to space the floor.”
The Bulls selected New Mexico forward Tony Snell with the 20th overall pick Thursday night. Murphy joins Noah, Snell, power forwards Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and small forward Luol Deng in the frontcourt.
According to multiple reports, the Bulls are also expected to re-sign backup center Nazr Mohammed.
Last season, the Chicago Bulls went 45-37 and fell to the NBA champion Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games.
Tyus back in Israel: Former Gators forward Alex Tyus signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the club announced Monday.
The 25-year-old Tyus returns to Israel, where he played his first season overseas with Maccabi Ashdod in 2011-12.
Last year, Tyus played for Pallancanestro Cantu in Italy – a Euroleague squad – where he averaged 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 10 contests. He helped Cantu win the Italian Basketball Supercup in 2012-13.
Tyus averaged 11.1 points and 6.4 rebounds during his three seasons as a starter at Florida. As a senior in 2010-11, he helped lead the Gators to their first of three consecutive Elite Eight appearances.
Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org.
Former UF forward Erik Murphy (left) and Tony Snell pose during a Chicago Bulls’ press conference on Monday. Chicago selected both players in the NBA Draft on Thursday.
