Posted by nixluva:

I can see the usual suspects are all out in force to predict doom and gloom. Why shouldn't Curry be in the same or better shape this year? From all reports he never really took time off. I don't think that we should expect that Curry is gonna come in skinny and ripped. He's not that kind of guy. Even if he did lose all his body fat, he'd still be massively built. Just like Shaq isn't some skinny dude like KG. You can't expect him to look like that.

As for the defense getting worse cuz we've got Zach and Curry, just tell what kind of D we had with Curry and Frye. Zach won't be any worse than Frye's stiff behind was. Frye could block a shot once in a while, but he wasn't the most agile and quick footed guy on D. I'd say that at least Zach won't get boxed out on the boards and that is also a part of DEFENSE.

How do you think opposing bigs will feel having to deal with Zach and Curry for 48 mins? You think that might wear them down a bit? YEAH, that's a big plus in our favor. Unless you haven't been paying attention Both Curry and Zach are adept at drawing contact. That's 15 FTA's a game between the 2 of them. And when they're tired of dealing with them we've still got Lee, an even better rebounder.

Surely you've read things like this all Summer:

But I'm hearing Curry has showed off a new dimension to his game: an outside J. Nate says that Eddy is doing so comfortably within a scrimmage. A little catch-and-shoot. A pop-out. A little Patrick Ewing-style.
We know Eddy has a nice touch. He's not the quickest guy, but he moves well for a big man. Despite his three-point bomb that beat Milwaukee late in the season (Still waiting for someone to tell me why the Bucks had players defending the empty paint on that play), clearly this is a part of his game Curry needed to develop and he said he would. Of course I haven't been present to see it, so I'm just relaying what I've heard. But it's encouraging news. For Curry and Randolph to work, Eddy needs to be able to go high-post and hit a few 15-footers.
Just as long as he doesn't start falling in love with it.
At these workouts, just about all of the regulars have been present at one time or another: Curry, Robinson, Marbury, Crawford, Richardson, Lee, Balkman, Collins, Chandler, etc. Word is sometimes Isiah has even jumped into the fray.

July 13, 2007:

I checked on Curry and I know he's been working out. He has a pretty elaborate home gym that the Knicks helped him set up and he regularly checks in with strength coach Greg Brittenham, who designed an offseason regimen specifically for him. Curry has also worked with renown fitness guru Tim Grover of Attack Athletics in Chicago. Grover has worked with many NBA players, including Michael Jordan. Quentin Richardson, who also lives in Chicago during the offseason, said Curry is working hard. "He'll be ready," Q said. Anyone listening to the broadcast last night heard Mark Aguirre say he's gone to Chicago to work out with Eddy and said "he's farther along than he was last year."
I will give Curry the respect that I trust he's taking his career serious enough to put in the offseason work. He promised his wife an anniversary trip. The guy is gone all season long, so I think it's fair to give his wife precedence in the summer. My wife would have preferred that I didn't have to go to Vegas, either!

[Edited by - nixluva on 09-28-2007 11:53 PM]

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by highfivesucka:

He looks the same as years past in that picture. It's good enough to me I guess that he just has at least maintained the same weight over the summer. When Elite says he would like to see Eddy in "great shape", he means his weight in his Chicago days. If Eddy came into camp looking like this, can you imagine how much more mobile and unstoppable he would be:

Great shape definitely doesn't mean his Chicago days. He was simply not in awful NBA shape then. This is what a big guy in great shape looks like and is what Eddy should be striving for. Look at his left arm.

Posted by nixluva:

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by highfivesucka:

He looks the same as years past in that picture. It's good enough to me I guess that he just has at least maintained the same weight over the summer. When Elite says he would like to see Eddy in "great shape", he means his weight in his Chicago days. If Eddy came into camp looking like this, can you imagine how much more mobile and unstoppable he would be:

Great shape definitely doesn't mean his Chicago days. He was simply not in awful NBA shape then. This is what a big guy in great shape looks like and is what Eddy should be striving for. Look at his left arm.

You're comparing him to the greatest Center of the last 20 years. I mean sure i'd like to hope he could get himself into that kind of shape, but Shaq is an unreal physical talent. There's never been a man Shaq's size with his speed, agility and explosive leaping ability. Shaq is a freak of nature. Curry doesn't have the same level of explosiveness even when he was in his best shape. I think he would be better tho with a bit less fat, but not having seen him without his shirt on, it's hard to say just how much of him is fat and how much is muscle. Hopefully he really took his diet seriously.

Besides having great core strength doesn't always translate into looking like a body builder. The large muscle groups which give you the bulk of your strength can be fully developed. While there are ancillary smaller muscles that when developed make you look good, but don't really factor much into raw strength. If you've ever seen power lifters they're extremely strong in every funtional way, but haven't worked on every area of the muscles so that the shape of the muscle is asthetically pleasing to the eye. That along with having a super low body fat %, makes you look stronger, but doesn't really mean that you're stronger than some guy who may have a bit of fat but is rock solid underneath.

Posted by Elite:

#1 - Zach Randolph is just flat out a much better version of Eddy Curry, in all ways. So if Eddy is slacking, he really should get benched asap for Lee and move Zach to center who will almost certainly outplay Eddy on most nights.

Posted by misterearl:

Verbatum


"I say trade him now while his value is decent cuz i could see him entering into Steve Francis "Untradable" land very soon."

Elite - pardon the interruption but...your post did not read like a person hoping the best for Eddy Curry. I must need better glasses. C'mon if you really feel in your heart he'll be a bust this season don't retreat. Stand by your opinion.

Hey, you started the thread dude...