fishmike
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SWEETNEY 'HURT' BY TRADE
By MARC BERMAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email Archives Print Reprint November 30, 2005 -- Michael Sweetney said he was "hurt" when the Knicks traded him to the Bulls, but understood Isiah Thomas' thinking. Chicago's new starting power forward is a grinder, a ferocious offensive rebounder. But he'll never be able to make up for his lack of size for a big man.
"Eddy Curry is a 7-footer and the Knicks have been wanting a center for a long time," Sweetney told The Post in a phone interview from Chicago. "It's obvious I'm not a center. He's a heckuva player. His size will help the team a lot. I'm only 6-7, 6-8. You can't pass on that."
To date, Sweetney is having the better season than the main player he was traded for, averaging 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23 minutes. Just as Curry (12.6, 6.5) injured his strained calf last week, Sweetney was promoted. He's been starting the past four games heading into tonight's Garden return.
"Eighty percent of the games, he's been phenomenal," Larry Brown said. "He's a post presence, rebounds the ball."
Sweetney's doggedness under the boards made him popular at the Garden.
"It's crossed my mind when they call my name in the starting lineup if I'll be booed or cheered," Sweetney said.
The former Georgetown star, selected ninth in the 2003 NBA Draft by former GM Scott Layden, is not out to prove tonight that Thomas blew it.
"If you go in and do that, playing for personal reasons, then you're not trying to win the game," Sweetney said. "I'm just going to play basketball."
Weight was an issue when Sweetney arrived to Bulls training camp. Coach Scott Skiles said Sweetney had "ways to go" to get in shape, and the player took a subtle shot at the Knicks' conditioning program.
"It wasn't a serious weight issue," Sweetney said. "They wanted me to be in shape to play 30 minutes. I was in shape to play 15, 20."
After the charter plane landed at the Knicks' training camp home in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 3, the eve of camp, Sweetney got a call from his agent that Thomas was finalizing the Curry trade. It became official that night.
"I was hurt," Sweetney said. "Nobody likes change. I was comfortable in New York. It was a big adjustment."
Before leaving Charleston, Thomas visited Sweetney's hotel room.
"He sat down and we had a talk, told me to go out and play hard," Sweetney said. "It was a nice conversation. It made me feel a lot better. He could've just sent me on my way." ------------------
I'm glad about that last part. Sweets was my favorite player for many of the same reasons Frye and Crawford are. They just go out and play and have a humble approach. Good to see Isiah showing he cares. We wont get Sweets back but if we ever could I would jump at the chance.
"winning is more fun... then fun is fun" -Thibs
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