Curry Hype is a Bit Premature

You can’t help but be amused and somewhat confused at all the nice things that are being written about Eddy Curry, the Knicks promising yet far-from-a-finished product center. As the accolades roll in about the great season Curry is having and how the trade with Chicago last year was the steal of the century, I have to keep looking at the standings to make sure I’m reading it right.

The Knicks are 32-45, correct? If you add last season’s 23 wins that gives them 55 wins over two seasons with Eddy Curry as their starting center. I know, I know, it’s all Larry Brown’s fault.

It was only fitting that Patrick Ewing was seated courtside for Monday’s game at a time when the media frenzy surrounding Curry’s improved play has reached absurd proportions. When the Knicks were winning 55 games in one season with Ewing controlling the paint, old No. 33 was viewed as a failure, a guy that couldn’t lead the Knicks to a title. Has the bar really been lowered this much? So much for New York being a tough town. The press is softer than the Knicks defense.

Shouldn’t Eddy Curry have to appear in his first-ever playoff game before he is talked about as the second coming of Shaq? Do Knick fans really want Curry to go home this summer and believe that his season has been a smashing success?

You can take individual stats from players on every losing team and make a case for a certain player having a terrific season. Someone is going to put up good numbers for a bad team.

I’m not here to diminish what Curry has accomplished this season. He is playing starter's minutes on a nightly basis for the first time in his career. When he gets deep post position he can be almost Shaq-like. You won’t find a more accommodating and well-mannered player in the Knicks locker room. It is impossible not to root for the guy.

But the way people are writing about him you would think the Mt. Rushmore of centers goes something like this: Russell, Chamberlain, Jabbar, Shaq and Curry. For Curry to be an All-Star quality center, he needs to become more of a factor on the defensive end and give the Knicks more of a rebounding presence.

Now is the time to demand more from Curry and insist that he build on his finest season in the NBA. This will be huge summer for him. He needs to improve his conditioning, add a 10-foot jumper to his offensive repertoire and work on becoming a better defensive player. And he needs playoff experience more than being an All-Star.

We’ll all know when Curry has arrived as an elite center. That will be the day when he leads to the Knicks to a 50-plus win season and still gets knocked for not doing enough. It may not be fair but if Patrick Ewing was judged that way, shouldn’t Curry? Or have our standards really fallen that dramatically?

Posted by MS:

Tim Thomas = Eddy Curry = JR Rider

I have seen the same thing from a number of players with off the charts skills that just don't care enough about the game to improve the way the should, and that includes playing hard.

Posted by Bippity10:

I agree with everything you said Nixluva but I have to ask you. Is it wise to build your franchise around a guy that has no motor? Your leader should have the biggest motor, no?

Posted by Bippity10:

I agree with everything you said Nixluva but I have to ask you. Is it wise to build your franchise around a guy that has no motor? Your leader should have the biggest motor, no?

Posted by bigbeast:

Posted by Bippity10:

I agree with everything you said Nixluva but I have to ask you. Is it wise to build your franchise around a guy that has no motor? Your leader should have the biggest motor, no?

Whats wrong with building with Curry. Is he the type of player you build around? No! But you can definitely build a winning team with him.

Posted by islesfan:

Posted by bigbeast:

Posted by Bippity10:

I agree with everything you said Nixluva but I have to ask you. Is it wise to build your franchise around a guy that has no motor? Your leader should have the biggest motor, no?

Whats wrong with building with Curry. Is he the type of player you build around? No! But you can definitely build a winning team with him.

"With" Curry? Maybe, although unless he decides that defense and rebounding are just as important as his 19 points per game, I seriously doubt you can build a winning team with him. By "winning" I mean being favored to make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs at a minimum. Interior defense and rebounding are just too important for winning teams. It's shocking at how often Curry gets dunked on by smaller players. There isn't a single player in the NBA that is intimidated by Curry when they take it to the basket.

I agree with you that Eddy Curry is not the kind of player that you build a franchise around as it's cornerstone.

Posted by Michael6835:

here is my rant.

Curry is young, he is only 24-25 and he is just now coming into his game, realizing his potential. He was drafted out of highschool (age 18) and because he has been in the league 6yrs, people write him off as a waste, possibly damaged goods. Everyone matures and grows at different times, for some it takes a change in scenery, a team willing to take a chance on you, believing in you, etc. I look at him in a different light, many of his critics say 6yrs same crap, I say he has 6yrs of NBA experience under his belt. He played for a demanding coach with the Bulls and now he is playing for a coach who is asking him to step up and be the franchise. Last season was a wash, no one had a good year and he came into the situation out of shape and with tons of speculation. Fast forward to this season, he finally starts to blossom and show signs of dominance in the paint. Pardon my expression when I say, I think the fan base *** backwards in their thinking. The moment a guy starts to finally show signs of improvement, we are ready to tear him down and trade him, discrediting all of the accomplishments. Furthermore, everyone is so sure that these future draft picks of Oden and Ty Thomas will amount to superstars is beyond me. I hear statements like, if Ty Thomas continues to develop or if Oden comes in and develops. Everyone else is given the benefit of the doubt to "develop" their game, Curry is not. Look at Billups, how many teams did he play for before he found his game and home with the Pistons ? Curry is half way there, he will never be a prime time shot blocker like Mutombo, Mourning, etc. I am not blind, I do think he needs to improve his defense and rebounding along with becoming a smarter passer on offense. The difference in my thinking is that I believe he can and will improve while others are ready to jump ship. We could possibly have the next prime time guy right in our own backyard, and everyone is willing to just throw it away. I say put Ewing on the coaching squad and have him work with Curry.
My .02 cents