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Imagine being a literary agent who discovers three soon-to-be, best-selling authors in one day. Or a talent scout visited one morning by struggling wannabe actors named Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Kevin Spacey. Or an NBA team that selects three future starters from the same draft. Or …
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Richardson and Arenas give the Warriors one of the league's most athletic backcourts ... Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images |
Whether fortuitous drafting, keen scouting, or both, the Warriors couldn’t be more pleased with their selections from two summers ago, while the second-year trio has had the benefit of navigating its way through the NBA together.
“It’s been great having somebody to talk to about through the tough times,” said Murphy, who shares the same agent as Richardson and Arenas. “A lot of veteran teams don’t have a lot of young players you relate with.”
A year and a half later, that trio has started every game this season for the Warriors, with all three ranking in the top 10 in scoring among second-year players. The threesome is averaging 43.2 points, 19.5 rebounds and 10.8 assists.
“These three guys have a big impact in our team and the success we are having just because of their different abilities,” said assistant coach Tom Sterner.
Those myriad abilities got all three selected for the Sophomore team in the got milk? Rookie Challenge on All-Star Saturday, marking the third time in the game’s nine-year history that one organization has had three players selected to the same team.
The Lakers placed rookies Kobe Bryant, Travis Knight and Derek Fisher on the Western Conference team in Cleveland in 1997. A year later in New York, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Brevin Knight and Cedric Henderson represented Cleveland on the Eastern Conference team. (Note: The first Rookies vs. Sophomores game was played in 1998.)
“That was great news, with Gilbert and Troy being on there with me,” said Richardson, the lone member of the Warriors to participate in the All-Star festivities last season. “We’re really pretty close to each other, and I’m excited for them to be there with me. We’re going to have a good time.”
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... while Murphy gives them a tenacious rebounder. Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images |
What a difference an offseason and 17 pounds of added muscle make. Now, Murphy is one of the league’s top rebounders, something that doesn’t surprise him.
“I was a good rebounder in college, so it was just a matter of me getting stronger,” said Murphy.
Inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, Murphy currently is the lone player in the league who has improved both his scoring and rebounding averages by at least five per game from last season. The 6-11 player is among the league leaders in double-doubles with 18, after posting only three in his rookie season. He is averaging 11.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. Murphy’s strong play has made the Antawn Jamison-at-the-four experiment over.
“A year ago, from what we were hearing, Murph was a non-factor, and now he’s a huge factor,” said Sterner, who, along with rookie coach Eric Musselman, is in his first year at Golden State. “He’s one of those guys we worry about being able to keep him in the game.
“Troy just comes out every night and he is truly a warrior. For the most part you know what you are going to get.”
The Warriors also know what they are going to get from Arenas: a box score full of statistics. Golden State’s Mr. Do Everything is averaging a 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He is one of only seven players in the league averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, joining Kobe Bryant, Steve Francis, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Chris Webber. Not bad company for a second-round draft pick.
“He’s one of those rare guys who can make a mistake and then in a split second cover it up and make a mistake into a good play,” said Sterner. “That’s a gift.”
Arenas’ numbers are also a product of a tireless work ethic. The Arizona product is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the league’s biggest gym rats. On non-game days, Arenas often goes home for a nap after practice only to return to the gym later in the day.
“We all have a key to the gym, but I use mine a lot,” said Arenas.
While Murphy and Arenas have exceeded expectations, Richardson started slowly, following up his NBA All-Rookie First Team selection with .333 field goal and three-point field goal percentages in this season’s first month. For December, however, the 22-year-old shot .461 and .500, respectively.
“I expected to play better, but I’m still learning the NBA game,” said Richardson. “I’m going to have up-an-down games, but the main thing is to go out there and compete and continue to do things I’m good at like playing defense and rebounding.”
Despite his slow start, Richardson is averaging 15.5 points and is connecting on 42 percent of his three-point attempts, ranking ninth, an impressive feat considering he plays shooting guard, a position populated by the likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Finley.
“Guys come out every night looking to go at him because he can jump over the top of you and he can shoot the ball well from the outside,” said Sterner. “When teams come at him, they are going to come at his defense because they want to get him off the floor. They know what kind of damage he can do offensively.”
The damage the triumvirate is doing this season had its genesis in the summer months following the 2001 draft when the three new teammates worked out together in Southern California. Those sessions continued last summer at the Warriors’ workout facilities in Oakland.
“We pretty much stayed around the Bay Area, and we worked out every day, lifting weights, doing shooting drills and playing pickup,” said Richardson. “I think the chemistry between us is great and the future of this team is great.”
In the meantime, Richardson and his teammates have to plan a trip to Atlanta. 
