NBA.com: Eric Murdock Bio

A speedy guard with a knack for stealing the ball and hitting the long jumper, Eric Murdock had several seasons as an effective point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks. He was traded to Vancouver early in the 1995-96 season and played briefly for Denver the following season before he was waived on November 26, 1996. After playing the remainder of 1996-97 in Italy, Murdock was signed by the Miami Heat and played a valuable role as a backup point guard behind Tim Hardaway in 1997-98. He signed with New Jersey as a free agent but played in just 15 games in 1998-99, missing most of the season due to an injured left knee. A four-year player at Providence, Murdock broke a host of school records, including career steals (376, also an NCAA record), most points in conference games in a season (435, also a Big East record), most points in a game (48, another Big East record) and most free throws in a season (238). He was an honorable mention selection to The Sporting News All-America squad as a sophomore and junior and a consensus Second Team choice as a senior. His 2,021 career points ranked second all-time in Friars history. The Utah Jazz selected Murdock with the 21st overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. Joining a backcourt that boasted John Stockton and Jeff Malone, Murdock appeared in only 50 games for a Jazz club that went 55-27. At season's end he was dealt along with Blue Edwards to the Milwaukee Bucks for Jay Humphries and Larry Krystkowiak. Murdock had a breakthrough season in 1992-93. Emerging from Stockton's shadow, he became an immediate starter for the Bucks, appearing in 79 games, ranking third on the club in scoring, and leading the team in assists. He also placed seventh in the NBA in steals. Murdock improved in 1993-94, boosting his scoring average and free throw accuracy. He was the league's fifth-best steal artist that year, averaging 2.40 thefts. Murdock also developed a taste for long-range shooting, placing sixth in the league in three-point field goal percentage and finishing fifth in the NBA Long Distance Shootout. A year later Murdock wound up splitting the starting point guard duties with Lee Mayberry but still logged the majority of minutes at the position. His numbers dipped a bit, but the Bucks were on the rise. Boosted by the arrival of rookie Glenn Robinson and the continued improvement of the team's other young players, the Bucks won 13 more games than they had the previous season. Early in the 1995-96 season Murdock was traded to Vancouver along with Eric Mobley for Benoit Benjamin. He appeared in 64 games for the Grizzlies, making 14 starts, and was among the team leaders in assists and the league leaders in steals. After the season, however, Vancouver renounced his rights and he became a free agent. Murdock played well in training camp to win a spot on the Denver roster, but appeared in just 12 games before he was released on Nov. 26. He spent the remainder of the season playing in Italy. Signed as a free agent by Miami on September 10, 1997, Murdock was a valuable backup point guard for the Heat. He was the only Miami player to appear in all 82 games and he ranked third on the club in assists and steals. Murdock signed with the New Jersey Nets as a free agent on January 21, 1999 but made just 15 appearances for the Nets in 1998-99. He missed three games due to a strained left groin and the final 32 games of the season because of cartilage damage in his left knee.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Notched 16 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds in a 98-93 win over New Jersey on 1/29 Registered 11 points and 5 steals in a 104-98 loss in Sacramento on 1/18 Totaled 16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals in an 89-85 victory in Minnesota on 11/17

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 3/12 due to cartilage damage in his left knee Recorded season and game-high 23 points (11-19 FG), adding 6 assists against the Portland Trail Blazers on 2/24 Registered 13 points, 5 steals and 4 assists in a 97-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons on 2/16

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Scored 10 points, in 14 minutes, in a 109-77 victory over the Houston Rockets on 3/29 Totaled 12 points and 8 assists against the Detroit Pistons on 3/16 Registered 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a 116-95 win over the Torontor Raptors on 2/15 Posted 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, in 14 minutes, against the L.A. Lakers on 1/17 Recorded 14 points (6-11 FG) and 6 rebounds against the Washington Wizards on 12/17 Scored 16 points, in 21 minutes, in a 105-97 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 12/8 Scored 11 of his 17 points in the 4th quarter, adding 3 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 94-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on 12/3 Totaled 14 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT), 6 rebounds and 3 assists in an 84-60 victory over the Orlando Magic on 11/26 Registered 17 points, 3 assists and 3 steals against the Charlotte Hornets on 11/3

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Murdock earned a spot with Denver by playing well during training camp, but his stay was brief. He played in 12 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.0 assists in 9.5 minutes, before being waived on Nov. 26. He scored seven points three times and had six assists twice during his brief stint with the Nuggets.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Murdock began the year with Milwaukee and played in nine games, averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 assists with the Bucks before being traded on Nov. 27, 1995 to Vancouver along with Eric Mobley for Benoit Benjamin. At Vancouver, Murdock played in 64 games and made 14 starts, averaging 9.1 points, 4.6 assists and 2.02 steals per game for the Grizzlies. He led the teams in steals and ranked second in assists. Overall, his season averages were 8.9 points, 4.5 assists and 1.85 steals per game, the latter ranking seventh in the NBA. Murdock has season highs of 20 points against Dallas on March 1, 13 assists at Minnesota on March 17 and a team-record six steals against Houston on March 10. Vancouver renounced its rights to Murdock on July 16, 1996.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
A full-time starter for the previous two seasons, Murdock found himself coming off the bench for most of the 1994-95 campaign. As a result, he posted his lowest scoring, assists, and steals averages since joining the Milwaukee Bucks in 1992. Murdock missed the first seven games of the year because of an eye injury he suffered in the preseason opener. When he returned, he played behind Lee Mayberry for his first 20 games, eventually regaining the starting job against the Utah Jazz on January 3. He remained in that role for 32 contests, only to return to the bench for the season's final 23 outings. Murdock recorded solid numbers in his 32 starting assignments, contributing 14.3 points and 7.0 assists per game. For the year, his average of 6.4 assists per game ranked 17th in the league. His biggest night as a playmaker came against the defending NBA-champion Houston Rockets on January 24, when he handed out a season-high 14 assists. Six weeks later, on March 7, he scored a season-best 29 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. In that game he tied a club record with 6 three-pointers. Murdock also led the Bucks with 1.51 steals per game, which tied for 24th in the NBA.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
As one of the cornerstones of Bucks Coach Mike Dunleavy's rebuilding effort in Milwaukee, Murdock continued to emerge as one of the NBA's best young point guards. He established new career highs in scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (6.7 apg), leading the club in both categories. He also ranked among the league leaders in steals and three-point shooting. Murdock's 2.40 steals per game placed fifth in the NBA, while his .411 three-point percentage ranked sixth. On April 2 against the Washington Bullets he notched a career-best 9 steals, the second-highest total in the NBA in 1993-94. Among Murdock's season highlights was a December 13 game against the Suns at Phoenix in which he logged a season-high 15 assists. He had a pair of 32-point nights-on December 15 against the Kings at Sacramento and on March 15 against the Heat at Miami. Murdock also participated in the Long Distance Shootout at the NBA All-Star Weekend at midseason, finishing fifth.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Knowing Murdock would never get a chance to bloom as a point guard in Utah, the Jazz mercifully traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks after the 1991-92 season. After playing sparingly in relief at Utah, Murdock started in 78 of his 79 appearances for the Bucks, logging 30.8 minutes per game. He led the Bucks in assists (7.6 apg) and steals (2.20 per game) while ranking third on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg). His assists total of 603 is the third highest in club history. Murdock led Milwaukee in assists 33 times. He set a career high with 17 assists against the Suns at Phoenix on March 26-the most by a Milwaukee player since Lester Conner's 18 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 23, 1991. He had 21 games of 10 or more assists and finished seventh in the NBA in steals. He recorded a career-best 6 steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 5. He also established career highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings on December 22, equaling the Bucks' best rebounding effort for the year.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
Eric Murdock finished a sensational career at Providence College as a Second-Team All-America selection and the NCAA's all-time steals leader, with 376. The Utah Jazz selected him in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft, but the dynamic point guard had a rude introduction to the professional ranks. Playing behind NBA assists leader John Stockton and journeyman point guard Delaney Rudd, Murdock saw action in only 50 games as a rookie, playing 9.6 minutes per contest and averaging 4.1 points and 1.8 assists. He scored a season-high 12 points twice-against the Detroit Pistons on November 15 and versus the Houston Rockets on February 21. He appeared in three playoff games during Utah's march to the Western Conference Finals, scoring 8 points in 11 total minutes.