Eddy ain't ready

Somewhere between mid-August -- when Eddy Curry was apparently running full-court against other players and looking ready for the season -- and about two weeks ago Eddy Curry's comeback went in reverse.

After Curry missed all but one practice of training camp last week with a calf injury, the Knicks decided to shut him down and put him back on his own regimen and on his own timetable.

Translated: after three months of training, Curry still isn't ready to play basketball.

"While he did a lot this summer, he's not ready to go out there and play at NBA speed," Donnie Walsh said at practice today. "We're going to take longer to get him out there, because every time he comes out on the floor, he pulls a muscle." (Thanks to Barbara Barker, who covered practice today)

Walsh insisted it was no longer a weight issue, but more about conditioning. When, you have to wonder, does it become an issue with a player not living up to the basic requirements of his professional contract?

Though most fans are quick to mention it, don't expect the Knicks to pursue this any time soon. The "failure to perform" fight is a rare one and if this team never took Jerome James to task for his sumo fitness standards, then you can't expect they'll go after Eddy at this point. There is still time to get him back into shape and on the court this season.

And, quite frankly, all this shows is Curry was in far worse shape at the end of last season than any of us even knew.

But I can understand the issue that immediately concerns most fans: how do you convince someone to take him in exchange for an expiring contract to clear his $11.2M off the 2010-11 cap?

Right now, that'll be a greater miracle than getting the Bulls to take Big Jerome.

Posted by McK1:

Posted by EwingsGlass:

Posted by sebstar:

he's angling to try to void his contract.

The Don.

There is no clause in Eddy's contract that would allow it to be voided based upon weight, health or otherwise.

void for being physically unable to perform. something similar to what the Blazers did with Miles

Posted by nixluva:

When Curry is finally gone we can put this entire period of Knick history behind us! I'm so tired of the vestiges of the last regime and so ready to move on to bigger and better things for this franchise. It's fatiguing to keep going thru this every season. I just want to concentrate on the guys who will actually be in the 9-10 man rotation. Who cares at this point what Curry does, cuz this just put a nice cap on his untradeable status. No GM in his right mind would take this guy for any reason. 2011 can't get here soon enough.

Posted by sebstar:

Posted by nixluva:

When Curry is finally gone we can put this entire period of Knick history behind us! I'm so tired of the vestiges of the last regime and so ready to move on to bigger and better things for this franchise. It's fatiguing to keep going thru this every season. I just want to concentrate on the guys who will actually be in the 9-10 man rotation. Who cares at this point what Curry does, cuz this just put a nice cap on his untradeable status. No GM in his right mind would take this guy for any reason. 2011 can't get here soon enough.

Funny. I'm still fairly optimistic that Curry can contribute this season.

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by orangeblobman:

Now he will have at least two conditioning sessions a day supervised by the Knicks' staff.
connections

"When he can get out here and do it without pulling something, we'll bring him back," Walsh said. "I don't know how long it will take. I do know they will work him twice a day, maybe even three times."

that's pretty funny by walsh, you can just tell he's had enough.

but the two a day conditioning sessions will get him in shape, guaranteed. he just needs a fire lit under his ass.

Its a damn shame...all professional contracts should automatically be fitted with a clause to void the contract if they arent in shape...I mean what else is the contract for??? Taking the money and eat and piss it away without producing should be an automatic void...