Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson, who decided to trade Curry after the 22-year-old center refused to take a DNA test, told SI.com that the team initially became concerned about Curry's health last October, five months before he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. "It was during a conditioning drill, and Eddy complained of chest pain and lightheadedness," Paxson said. "We took him to the hospital." According to Paxson, a thorough examination failed to find a cause for Curry's symptoms.

Curry remained healthy until March 30, when he complained of chest pain and was later diagnosed to have heart arrhythmia. A leading cardiologist eventually advised the Bulls to have Curry take a DNA test that could determine if he is genetically predisposed to a potentially fatal heart condition. Doctors feared that Curry had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that contributed to the deaths of basketball players Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers. Curry declined to take the DNA test and was later traded with Antonio Davis to the Knics for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson. The deal became finalized after Knicks doctors cleared Curry to play. The Knicks did not ask Curry to take a DNA test.

Paxson says that a thorough examination at that time yielded no explanation for Curry's symptoms. The 6-foot-11, 285-pound center went on to average a career-high 16.1 points for the Bulls until March 30, when he complained of symptoms that were diagnosed as heart arrhythmia. "Eddy told our trainer that he had felt the same way two nights earlier during a game against Memphis," says Paxson.

No one realized it then, but Paxson viewed the heavily-publicized incident in March as strike two. He did not dare risk strike three.

Based on the best medical advice the Bulls say they could find, Paxson decided to bench Curry for the remainder of the season, even though Curry surely could have made a pivotal impact on Chicago's six-game loss to Washington in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bulls spent the ensuing three months investigating Curry's health. "Three years ago, Eddy told the Chicago newspapers that his mother had had a mild heart attack," Paxson says. "Later we asked him about it, and he said that no, it wasn't true. Of course, we were not able to [confirm] that kind of information."

Medical experts told Paxson that Curry needed to undergo a DNA test to show whether or not he was predisposed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the same heart disease that was linked to the tragic deaths of Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers while they were playing basketball.

"In all likelihood Eddy doesn't have it (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)," acknowledges Paxson.

But one can understand why Paxson was so cautious about letting Curry wear a Bulls uniform again. Based on last season's scares with Curry, as well as everything he was learning about heart disease, Paxson could not bear the responsibility of permitting Curry to play so long as there was the slightest doubt that playing the game could end his life. Paxson says that he and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf were in full agreement on this issue: A DNA test showing that Curry was predisposed to a fatal disease, in concert with the two episodes of last season, would have been enough to prohibit Curry from playing for the Bulls again.

Posted by BlueSeats:

Well, at this point I'll simply assume that the article that said Gathers and Lewis died from arrhythmia was wrong.

But I do still suspect that Eddy is being medicated and routinely monitored for his condition (and he has that "athletes heart" thing too, right?) so it's not at all inconceivable he, and the franchise, are spooked by the whole thing. And if he's feeling lightheaded, even if just from poor conditioning, what does that do to everyone's psyche?

It's a bad scene. Until this guy comes into camp fit as a fiddle he's gonna be a mess regardless of his heart condition. The problem is, will his heart condition keep him from going all out in his workouts? Is it all an uninterruptible vicious circle?

Posted by BlueSeats:

Well, at this point I'll simply assume that the article that said Gathers and Lewis died from arrhythmia was wrong.

But I do still suspect that Eddy is being medicated and routinely monitored for his condition (and he has that "athletes heart" thing too, right?) so it's not at all inconceivable he, and the franchise, are spooked by the whole thing. And if he's feeling lightheaded, even if just from poor conditioning, what does that do to everyone's psyche?

It's a bad scene. Until this guy comes into camp fit as a fiddle he's gonna be a mess regardless of his heart condition. The problem is, will his heart condition keep him from going all out in his workouts? Is it all an uninterruptible vicious circle?