Curry Problem?
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rvhoss
Posts: 24943 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 11/2/2004 Member: #777 Switzerland |
4/12/2006 9:45 AM
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknix124699485apr12,0,2971127.story?coll=ny-knicks-print
When will Eddy go fourth? When he satisfies Brown Curry must improve rebounding, 'D' to play more in final quarter BY GREG LOGAN Newsday Staff Writer April 12, 2006 Is 23-year-old Eddy Curry still one of the Knicks' young kids, or is the 6-11 center a veteran whose upside is growing more limited as he nears the end of his fifth NBA season? The answer to that question might go a long way toward determining what kind of upside the Knicks have in the near future. Coach Larry Brown has labeled Curry "the franchise" while trying to build an inside-out attack around his skills in the low post, but he also has expressed frustration with Curry's lack of rebounding and shot-blocking. Lately, that has translated into a number of fourth quarters spent on the bench for Curry, so when he got into the game for just under seven minutes in the final period of the Knicks' 101-82 loss Monday night in Indiana, it ranked as a small upset. "Oh yeah, that was weird," Curry said, joking at his own expense. "He put me out there to see if I had anything left. I tried to play hard and make a difference and tried to take control of the game, but it was a little too late." Curry wasn't laughing in the second quarter when he went in for 2:22 and then was pulled by Brown after giving up two straight offensive rebounds and committing a foul against Pacers backup center Jeff Foster. The look on Curry's face when he came to the bench was as close to anger as the mild-mannered player ever gets, and it took some words from veteran Malik Rose to calm him down. Asked about the incident, Curry tried not to contribute to the controversy over playing time and roles that has dogged the Knicks this season. "Honestly, I'm not trying to get anything started," Curry said. "I'll continue to say that I'm going to go out there and play hard. I'd love to be out on the court more, but Coach has a plan for me." Before the game, Brown reiterated his belief in the importance of Curry's development into a dominant inside presence. "It's vital," Brown said, "because he has the tools. He's so athletic. I talk to him all the time about his priorities have got to be defense and rebounding and being a presence." With the Knicks (22-55) long out of playoff contention, Brown has taken to giving 21-year-old Jackie Butler major fourth-quarter minutes at center. While Curry is in the first season of a seven-year contract worth $56 million, Butler is a minimum-salary player who went undrafted out of high school before Isiah Thomas signed him late last season. Explaining his decision to bench Curry in favor of Butler in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win at Boston, Brown said, "I'm not down on Eddy Curry. I think Eddy Curry is a key to our team, just like all my young kids are keys to our team. But Jackie Butler is important. "You lose all credibility if you take out a kid who's playing good. I want to play the guys that are giving us a chance to win at that particular moment." In a season spent struggling to identify the Knicks' best assets, Brown can't be faulted for experimenting. But ultimately, he has to develop the center who can help the Knicks win the games that really count in the playoffs. all kool aid all the time.
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Curry Problem?