Curry could fit Riley's plans with Heat
Sam Smith | On Pro Basketball
February 18, 2008
NEW ORLEANS

Pat Riley is too quiet.

Yes, the news came over the weekend that he's a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Yes, he made that big Shaquille O'Neal trade with Phoenix, which no one thought was possible. (O'Neal's Suns debut, by the way, looks to be Wednesday at home against Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, the latter of whom Shaq dubbed Benedict Arnold. This is suddenly the premier game of the second half of the season, but I digress.)

But if you tell me Riley is building a team around Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion, I tell you that you don't know Riley and you don't know NBA history. Pat "Small Ball" Riley? I don't think so.

Despite what they say in Miami, the consensus is the Heat will let Marion's deal expire after next season and head for a big man like Elton Brand, a free agent after next season whom Riley tried to sign as a free agent in 2003.

Here is Riley's history: He made his reputation coaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles. He sat out a year and then went to the Knicks to coach Patrick Ewing. He didn't even get his first Miami suntan before he traded for Alonzo Mourning. Then he swooped in and traded Lamar Odom, among others, for O'Neal.

Riley needs a big post-up presence. He doesn't really see the game otherwise, and the truth is, rarely has a team succeeded without one. The Suns' trade for O'Neal shows they believe it too.

So what about Eddy Curry?

It seems his time in New York is coming to an end. Knicks coach and President Isiah Thomas talked last week about the phasing out of big men in the NBA. And while Thomas pursued Curry and Zach Randolph, Thomas has always seen the game through a guard's eyes.

For the first time in a long time, the Knicks could be ready to subtract payroll. With Stephon Marbury entering the last season of his contract, the Knicks actually would be under the salary cap—my computer threatened to self-destruct if I ever wrote that before now—after next season with Curry off their ledger. The expiring contracts of Jason Williams and Ricky Davis could help make that happen.

If Thomas keeps his job, rebuilding the Knicks into a quicker team under the cap would be one of the most attractive situations in the NBA. That would likely mean getting rid of Curry and the team-killing Randolph, who said predictably last week: "What we're doing now ain't working. We need to do something."

Meanwhile, what other coach would believe he could motivate and put Curry in position to succeed better than Riley? How much could it possibly cost? Curry is only 25.

Riley isn't patient enough to wait two years for his team to develop, and he needs a big center. Curry could be that player.

Posted by NYKBocker:

Jamal and Curry is enough for Padre Riles to gamble his first round pick away. He gets 2 starters for 1 pick. Volume over potential is a good gamble.

Posted by TrueBlue:

There should be a written rule to not post anything Sam Smith writes on any forum and if done penalties should be enforced.

Top 3 worst beat writer of any sport easily, therefore no need to discuss any Curry/Miami scenario unless we hear from a more credible writer.

Posted by TMS:

first of all, as long as Zach's contract is on our books there is no way we would be under the cap after next season even after Marbury & Malik's contracts expire & we unload Curry for an expiring, because D Lee needs to be resigned & he's going to command at least $6-7 mil per if not more, not to mention all the other roster spots that will need to be filled on the team... so Sam Smith is dead wrong on that one... he needs to check his figures before writing up his news articles.

Why let factual information get in the way of a good story? It's the Sam Smith way.