"Troy Murphy has been mostly a spectator since the Nets opened training camp 11 days ago, but the Sparta native did more than watch Monday. Murphy, hampered by a strained groin, went through most of practice for the first time. He was pulled out for the final 15 minutes, but it was more precautionary than anything. "Nothing happened," Murphy said. "They pulled the plug on me. I feel good." The Nets, who play a preseason game against the 76ers tonight in Roanoke, Va., need to see their lineup with Murphy. He's expected to be the starting power forward, even after rookie Derrick Favors' impressive 14-point, nine-rebound performance Sunday against Maccabi Haifa. The plan has been to play Murphy, one of the NBA's best rebounders, the bulk of the minutes and bring Favors along slowly. In practice, physical veteran Kris Humphries has been the first-team power forward. But Favors has shown improvement on both ends of the floor and should be in the rotation, provided he's not traded as part of a deal for Carmelo Anthony. "When Murphy comes back, if he can't be that 30-minute guy for us, if he has to play 22 minutes early on the get through this issue and depending on how the rookie's cooking, we still have Humphries," coach Avery Johnson said." http://www.northjersey.com/sports/p...Murphy_s_getting_in_the_mix_for_the_Nets.html
