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Curry: The Right Ingredient for the Knicks
By Tommy Beer
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Oct 6, 2005, 07:59

On September 20th, 2000 the Knicks traded Patrick Ewing, bringing an end to an era of excellence. That is where this story begins…


In the preceding season, Patrick's final year with the team, the Knicks finished with a 50-32 record and made it to the Eastern Conference finals. That season was the 13th straight year they made the playoffs. It was the 12th straight year they posted a winning record.


The year after Ewing skipped town, the Knicks lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Raptors. In the next four subsequent seasons, the Knicks failed to finish at or above .500. They made the playoffs just once (when they were 39-43 in 2004) and were swept out of the first round by the Nets. I will take a few moments now to run down a few of the illustrious names of individuals who have masqueraded as centers for the Knicks during these "post-Patrick" dark ages: Luc Longley, Felton Spencer, Travis Knight, Michael Doleac, Othella Harrington, Dikembe Mutombo, Vin Baker, Nazr Mohammed, Cezary Trybanski, Jackie Butler and last but certainly not least, Bruno Sundov.

Knicks fans, meet Eddy Curry. Make no mistake; Eddy Curry is no Patrick Ewing. He will never be the rebounder Patrick was. He will never patrol the paint the way Patrick did. In most Knicks fans heart's there will never be another Patrick Ewing. But the Knicks don't expect another Pat Ewing, they just don't want another Felton Spencer.


In the NBA, quality big men are as rare as rational thoughts by Dennis Rodman. Due to their scarcity, centers are extremely valuable. Look at the last 15 NBA champions. They all have one thing in common; either they had a dominant center and strong frontline or they had Michael Jordan. For this reason, you will see teams draft stiffs like Rafael Araujo as the eighth overall pick in the draft. Teams will throw $73 million at guys like Erick Dampier. The Knicks themselves grossly overpaid for Jerome James earlier this summer. Ask NBA GM's and they will tell you, size does matter.


Eddy Curry is one of the most skilled big men in the NBA. He measures 6 feet 11 inches, weighing in at 285 pounds. He is quick and deceptively strong, which makes him a beast in the low-post. He can score with either hand. He has a nice jump hook and compliments that with a decent face-up game. Keep in mind, Eddy is only 22 and has yet to fully blossom as a player.
Needless to say, Curry's game is far from perfect. He doesn't rebound nearly well enough for a center. For his career, he has averaged under 5 rebounds a game. Last season, in 28.7 minuets per game, Eddy only pulled down 5.4 boards. That is a full two rebounds less than Jason Kidd. And while Eddy is a good one-on-one defender, his help defense is poor. Far too often he picks up needless fouls away from the basket.


All things considered, the Knicks are a better team than they were 48 hours ago. Of course the biggest question mark of all is Eddy's health. Then again, if Eddy were 100% there is no way a team that is capped-out like the Knicks would have a shot at one of the most promising young centers in the game. When a team is in salary-cap hell, as the Knicks have been since the Scott Layden regime, management has to take risks. In the NBA, conventional wisdom suggests that you roll the dice on big men.


Basically, the Knicks are getting Curry for mere cents on the dollar. They are giving up a package of Tim Thomas, Mike Sweetney, and Jermaine Jackson. The Knicks will also send the Bulls a first-round draft pick in 2006, and their second-round picks in 2007 and 2009. The first-round pick will be either the Knicks' or the San Antonio Spurs', whichever is higher. The Bulls also have the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007. Tim Thomas was in the last year of his deal and the Knicks had no intention of resigning him. In fact, it helps loosen up the logjam the Knicks have on the perimeter. This will allow Q to start at the three, with Trevor Ariza seeing more minutes off the bench. And with Q likely starting at the small forward, Jamal Crawford (one of Eddy Curry's best friends) can retain his starting job. Sweetney was a great guy but the Knicks are teeming with undersized power forwards. As far as the draft picks are concerned, with Eddy in the mix, the Knicks should certainly be able to secure a playoff spot next season. They may even be co-favorites, along with the Nets, to win the Atlantic right now. Furthermore, this draft class is shaping up to be one of the weakest in recent history. One other way to look at the deal is like this: Curry has been in the league for four years. If he had spent those 4 years in college and was eligible for the draft this past June, chances are he would have gone #1. Curry has that type of talent and upside, and those are the type of players you take a risk on.

In addition, according to some prominent physicians, the concerns over the health of Curry's heart have been blown out of proportion. Many of America's preeminent cardiologists have given Curry a clean bill of health and cleared him to return to court. Mark Estes is one such doctor. He was part of the "Dream Team" that diagnosed Reggie Lewis and told the Celtics star that he should NOT play when Lewis had heart issues back in the early 90's. Obviously he is well versed in such matters. There are a handful of other cardiologists that feel that doctor Barry Maron, who has maintained that Paxson forced Eddy to take the DNA test, is acting far too conservatively in this matter. Ultimately, the Knicks will trust their doctors when they get Curry in person for his physical. (Coincidentally, the Knicks were able to squeeze a first round pick out of Phoenix in the Kurt Thomas trade - the pick used to select Nate Robinson - because of insurance issues pertaining to Q Richarson's back.)

At the end of the day, it was a trade Isiah had to make. Opportunities to add a 22-year-old center with all-star potential to your roster are few and far between. The fact that Isiah didn't give up all that much, made his decision that much easier. The Knicks once-proud franchise has been a laughing stock since 2001, or 1 A.P. (after Patrick). Is trading for Eddy Curry a gamble. Yes? But Knicks fans that came of age during Patrick's prime know the importance of a stud center.

On October 4, 2005 the Knicks traded for Eddy Curry. That is where this new story begins…


http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_14463.shtml

[Edited by - joec32033 on 10-07-2005 02:46 AM]

Important Part-Scroll to bold

October 7, 2005 -- CHARLESTON, S.C. — Tonight likely will be the night for Eddy Curry.

Bending on the side of caution, the Knicks would not clear Curry to practice yesterday, continuing to review results of heart tests taken in Manhattan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But indications are Curry will get a clean bill of health today and suit up for today's 5 p.m. practice at the College of Charleston, making Monday's trade with the Bulls finally official.

Isiah Thomas said he's "hopeful" Curry will practice tonight, his first NBA workout since March when the Bulls shut him down, claiming he had an irregular heartbeat.

Curry sat behind a basket and watched yesterday's Knicks practice.

"We're still waiting for some tests to come back," Thomas said. "Because of the Jewish holiday, there was a slowdown in the process in getting some doctors available."

Thomas said the Bulls still need to send them medical documents and didn't rule out Curry needing more testing. The deadline to make the deal is 6 p.m. today, but that could be extended, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.

"I still feel we don't know everything yet," Thomas said. "There's still a lot that's yet to be learned. Until all tests are conclusive, we can make a better decision."

Working out with Tim Grover in Chicago, Curry's conditioning at practice is an issue.

"He's worked hard every day," Thomas said. "He hasn't taken a day off. But he hasn't played live basketball. You can't simulate that."

Suggestions the Knicks were being loose by not making him take a DNA test are off base. The Bulls claim Curry's refusal prompted the trade, though the center's threat not to play this season probably was a factor, too.

An L.A. geneticist recommended to the Bulls that Curry take the DNA test to ensure he's not a candidate to suffer a fatal attack, as former Loyola-Marymount player Hank Gathers did. However, the geneticist is part of a fund-raising group to raise money for DNA testing.

Most doctors, including the Knicks' medical staff, reject a DNA test is necessary. Still, Larry Brown said he'll be thinking about it tonight.

"With Dice [Antonio McDyess] all last year, I had a hard time breathing," Brown said, referring to the Pistons forward's comeback from knee surgeries. "Every time they jump, I get nervous."

There's a small chance Curry could need heart surgery similar to the one former Knick Vin Baker underwent in June 2004, recommended by Knicks director of medical care Dr. Lisa Callahan.

Last training camp, Thomas reassigned longtime Knicks doctor Norman Scott, replacing him with Callahan to oversee the medical staff. Scott was an orthopedist.

Callahan hired several heart specialists to review Curry's tests.

Few centers can generate the buzz Curry has.

"Sky's the limit for him," Knicks assistant Mark Aguirre told The Post. "He can be the best the center in the league if he wants."

Curry, who averaged 16.2 points last season, never has lived outside Chicago.

Former Bulls teammate/buddy Jamal Crawford said, "He spent his whole life in Chicago. He's ready to step away from that. We used to come [to Manhattan] in the summer and hang out. He always loved New York."

Brown will hold one practice today because three players (Jerome James, Quentin Richardson and Stephon Marbury) have strained left hamstrings and missed yesterday's workouts.

[Edited by - joec32033 on 10-07-2005 02:46 AM]

That was very informative (Hoopsworld article). That tidbit about Reggie Lewis was a jewel. I didn't know that.