Toure

Murry

The Heat reportedly showed interest in Murry, but he opted to join New York after an impressive showing at Summer League. Mike Woodson has praised his decision-making and defensive abilities, but there aren’t enough minutes available in the Knicks’ backcourt for Murry to have fantasy relevance.

Murry had a nice summer league and the combo guard showed a full array of skills. He’s a decent defender, but the deck is still stacked against him to contribute with the club. The team has plenty of backcourt depth, so they’re likely a little more inclined to keep a big man after training camp.

A few days’ rest may be in store for Beno, which likely leaves the Knicks with Raymond Felton and Toure’ Murry to hold down the PG spot vs. the Heat. Miami has backcourt problems of their own with Mario Chalmers questionable to play due to a sore Achilles.

Coach Mike Woodson doesn’t expect to have Felton available for the three-game Texas trip, so that timetable wouldn’t have Felton returning until January 7th at the earliest. With Pablo Prigioni also expected to miss the trip, Beno Udrih and Toure’ Murry will continue to split point guard duties for the next week.

The Knicks first game after their Texas trip is on January 7th against the Pistons, so Prigioni will be out of the lineup until at least then. With Raymond Felton also missing the road trip, Beno Udrih and Toure’ Murry will take turns manning the point and frustrating fantasy owners who are trying to milk value out of this situation.

He is expected to miss the three-game road trip, so this is not a surprise. Felton is having the worst year of his career and is not worth stashing in standard leagues until he can turn it around. The Knicks could make it interesting and play Toure Murry more, but Beno Udrih figures to get the start against Tony Parker.

Prigioni remarked, “I don’t know if it’s tonight or tomorrow but I’m happy how I feel now.” While Thursday’s game is a hope for Prigioni, he is not expected to play against the Pacers, making Friday’s game against the Clippers more likely for his return. Prigioni’s fantasy value will be low as long as Raymond Felton is healthy, but his return should cut into any remaining value that Beno Udrih and Toure Murray had left.

Murry was sent to the D-League on Wednesday in order to get more practice time, and will rejoin the Knicks on Thursday. The rookie has played well in spurts, but his playing time (9.1 minutes per game during January) severely limits his fantasy potential unless there are some injuries in front of him.

Beno Udrih and Toure’ Murry are holding down the PG position with Felton and Pablo Prigioni (toe) sidelined, and both injured guards remain iffy to play at San Antonio.

The veteran guard has been diagnosed with knee inflammation but even at full health his fantasy outlook is dim, as a healthy Raymond Felton will force Udrih to compete with Toure’ Murry for backup PG minutes.