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Can Utah Jazz rookie Erik Murphy break the curse of the #33 Jersey?

Few men have tried to claim her, fewer still have tamed her . . . I'm talking about the Utah Jazz #33 jersey.

Mike Harris was the last to try, but we saw what became of his fate . . .
Mike Harris was the last to try, but we saw what became of his fate . . .
Jonathan Daniel

Sports are full of superstitions. Few greater than jersey numbers. Sure, there are some powers that science can't explain -- like the power a man and his goat has against a baseball franchise in Chicago for example. Another power that cannot be explained is the strangeness that has directed this Utah Jazz team this season. In true tank oddity fashion the team has just released Andris Biedrins in favor of theoretical stretch big Erik Murphy. Murphy, who last played for Chicago (thanks Cubs curse) is moving onto the curse of the #33 jersey for the Jazz.

What's so special about the #33 Jersey? Why is it cursed? Some of the best NBA players have worn #33, like Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. No such luck in Utah. It's cursed not because some great legends used to wear that over their chests. No, it's cursed because only the worst Jazz players have worn it.

Bringing Murphy over is that Ghostbusters "crossing the streams" moment where you try something -- anything -- in order to defeat the super natural. In this case, it's to defeat a season that should be dedicated to the tank, but somehow isn't.

That's where #33 comes in.

Check out who has come and gone -- and what they did while they were here:

Player First Seas G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG
1 Ken Boyd 1975 1 6 4.2 3.2 0.8 0.3 0.5 0.0
2 Jim McElroy 1976 4 277 27.5 11.5 2.4 4.0 1.1 0.3
3 Mack Calvin 1980 1 48 16.1 6.4 1.8 2.8 0.6 0.0
4 Tom Boswell 1980 2 99 18.3 7.8 4.0 1.3 0.3 0.3
5 Greg Deane 1980 1 7 6.9 1.4 0.9 0.9 0.0 0.0
6 Mel Bennett 1981 1 28 11.2 3.8 3.3 0.5 0.1 0.4
7 Howard Wood 1982 1 42 8.1 3.4 1.5 0.2 0.2 0.1
8 Fred Roberts 1985 2 110 12.2 6.1 2.1 0.8 0.2 0.1
9 Scott Roth 1988 2 42 6.5 2.5 0.9 0.5 0.4 0.0
10 Walter Palmer 1991 1 28 3.0 1.4 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1
11 Bob Thornton 1992 1 2 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
12 Aaron Williams 1994 1 6 2.0 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.0
13 Chris King 1999 1 8 5.3 0.5 1.4 0.1 0.3 0.1
14 Mike Harris 2013 1 20 11.3 4.2 1.7 0.3 0.8 0.4
15 Erik Murphy 2014

Can Murphy break the curse and be one of the only good players to wear this number? Or will Murphy contribute to the tank and help us lose otherwise winnable games?