BREAKING NEWS : CURRY A KNICK !

From NY Daily News on the bottom

KEEPER: Contrary to reports, the Knicks insist that they will keep Davis on the roster. The power forward, who will be 37 when the season starts, played for Brown in Indiana.

The Knicks traded a protected draft pick and two No. 1 picks to Chicago. The Bulls also have the option to switch first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007.

of course they are saying that. neither team wants a potential "joe smith" type problem on their hands

you won't hear anyone from either organization saying AD will go back to the bulls. when the 30 days pass though...

"fucking hell" was my first thought....

..But if this is the trade:

Curry for Sweetney, Thomas, Jackson, 1st round pick and 2 2nd round picks

Im all for it.

- Chicago trade a disgruntled Curry
- Tyson Chandler starts at Center
- Michael Sweetney has a lot of potential
- Tim Thomas, despite his age, is still good for 15+PPG
- TT's contract, if im correct expires at seasons end
- Jermaine Jackson, whoever that is, will add to depth
- As Jae said, New York are now New York, so the draft picks have a high chance of being Lottery
- Chi-Town will finish up with a shitload of caproom.

And i believe that if Antonio Davis comes back to the Bulls, we (CHI) pick up a steal.

davis will come back to the bulls. under the new cba, "gary payton" move requires davis to be on the knicks for 30 days then of course he'll have to clear waivers to get on the bulls

then the bulls could use LLE or vet exception to net him

If that comes to pass, then I feel a bit better about the trade.

Here's an interesting perspective over this subject:

By John Hollinger
ESPN Insider
Archive

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Risk and reward. That's what most NBA deals come down to when long-term contracts are involved -- how much risk a team is taking in adding a large contract, compared to the potential benefit if the player lives up to his billing.

And the Knicks' trade for Eddy Curry on Tuesday, like nearly every other deal Isiah Thomas has made since coming to the Big Apple, is a classic example of the risk and reward being completely skewed.

Eddy Curry's currently standing in the middle of nowhere.
Mind you, this could work. If Curry's heart situation is deemed a low-enough risk that the Knicks' doctors allow him to play, and if Curry shows up in shape and plays hard, and if New York's doctors are right and Chicago's are wrong and the heart doesn't subsequently become a problem, and if the Knicks are right about Curry's potential for improvement, and if all that allows the Knicks to have a winning record and reduce the value of the draft choice they gave Chicago, then by all means, the trade works out for New York.

Certainly, there's some upside Curry could explore.

"I've seen Curry play against Shaq and Yao Ming and do very well," said Jamal Crawford, Curry's teammate in Chicago and now again in New York. "It's gonna be scary how good he can be because Coach Brown is going to get the best out of him."

Even without new Knicks coach Larry Brown getting the best out of him, Curry was pretty good last season. He averaged more than 22.3 points per 40 minutes while shooting 53.8 pecent from the floor, so if he had been able to stay on the court longer he would have been one of basketball's highest-scoring big men.

Like Crawford, Brown's former players in Detroit vouched for Curry's skills.

"Elden [Campbell] and all of them told me he's as tough to guard in the post as anyone you can think of," said Brown. "Most kids now, they don't want to be post player, but he's a true, pure low post presence."

On the other hand, the Knicks are paying Curry as though he's an elite center, and right now he's not. It's great to say that Larry Brown will slap Curry into shape, but some of his performance numbers are deeply worrying.

Take rebounding, for instance.

"I always judge rebounding on rebounds per minutes," Brown said Wednesday, offering an ex-Piston as a prominent example. "Ben [Wallace] got a rebound every three minutes." (Brown's right: It was one every 2.96 minutes last season.)

I judge rebounders that way too, and let's just say Curry is no Ben Wallace.

Last season's rate of 7.4 rebounds per 40 minutes was pathetic for a starting NBA center -- barely half of Big Ben's rate and 66th of the 70 centers who played at least 500 minutes last season. (While we're sharing good news, Jerome James was 59th. I guess $100 million doesn't buy what it used to.)

If anything, Curry's rate is likely to diminish further this season. The Bulls forced as many missed shots as any pro team last season and also missed plenty of their own, resulting in six more missed shots in their games than in those of the Knicks. Since one can't get a rebound unless a shot is missed, it seems there will be fewer caroms available for Curry in the Big Apple.

Brown is aware of Curry's shortcomings in this area but hopes he can fix them.

"Looking at his numbers, he hasn't rebounded like you'd expect an athlete like him to do," Brown said. "But I think his basketball is way in front of him. With young kids it takes time."

Unfortunately, there is little historical basis for that last sentiment. Rebounding tends to peak at a young age, when the player still has lots of spring in his step, and varies very little from year to year.

In fact, rebound rates are perhaps basketball's most resilient stat: The same players show up at the top and bottom of the charts year after year. And Eddy Curry is a "bottom" guy.

Let's humor the Knicks anyway. For argument's sake, let's suppose Curry did become an elite center under Brown's watch. While Curry's six-year, $60 million deal is generous, it includes an opt-out in after the fourth season that would put him back on the open market -- an opt-out he would almost certainly use if he lived up to the potential the Knicks are raving about.

Meanwhile, compare Curry's deal to that of former Knick Michael Sweetney. He was due to be paid his rookie contract for two more seasons, after which the Knicks would have been able to keep him as a restricted free agent if they so chose. Over the next six years, he was likely to cost the Knicks much, much less than the $60 million owed Curry, and he was virtually guaranteed to be a Knick for the duration of it as long as the team was interested in keeping him.

In fact, one of the more amazing subplots to this summer was New York's continued insistence on trading Sweetney. He was included in nearly every offer (including one for the demonstrably inferior Kwame Brown) despite being one of the Knicks' most productive players a year ago at age 22. His per-game averages don't jump off the page because he's been in a playing-time crunch, but Sweetney is a vastly better player than most NBA followers seem to realize.

While Sweetney didn't score as much as Curry a year ago -- 17.2 points per 40 minutes compared to Curry's 22.3 -- he matched Curry in shooting percentage (53.1 percent) and absolutely destroyed him on the glass. Sweetney yanked down 11.1 rebounds per 40 minutes, compared to Curry's 7.4.

Overall, based on Player Efficiency Rating (PER), my per-minute rating of a player's statistical production, Curry and Sweetney were virtually identical last season. One can argue Curry's size gives him more upside, but it's hardly a home run -- especially considering the two players are the same age.

Curry vs. Sweetney, 2004-05
Pts/40 Reb/40 FG% PER
Eddy Curry 22.3 7.4 53.8 16.22
Mike Sweetney 17.2 11.1 53.1 16.35




And for that minor difference in ability, the Knicks are paying a great deal of money, taking on a slew of risk and giving up a whole mess of other considerations. Though they can probably live without Tim Thomas, it's worrisome that the Knicks are giving up multiple draft picks. New York loses the better of its pick or San Antonio's in 2006 (I wonder which one it will be), and also agreed to swap picks with the Bulls in 2007 if Chicago wishes.

Read that again, because the downside risk here is enormous. The Knicks effectively doubled down their bet by including the draft choices. The worse Curry does, the worse the Knicks will do. And the worse the Knicks do, the more valuable the 2006 draft pick becomes. Additionally, the right to swap picks in 2007 changes from a non-consideration to a potentially enormous addendum to the deal.

I'm sure the Knicks feel they're managing their risk, in two ways:

First, they have a team of doctors looking at Curry's health data to determine whether he's fit to play. Isiah must have said "I have tremendous confidence in our medical team" about 12 times in a 20-minute press conference on Tuesday night. He said the Knicks' doctors had reviewed the situation "from afar" and talked to some of Curry's doctors before executing the trade.

Second, the Knicks put some language in Curry's contract that gives them an escape hatch if the heart condition renders him unable to play.

However, Curry's contract isn't insured, as far as we know. (Thomas deflected questions about insurance, which I presume means the contract is just as uninsurable as it was three days ago.) That doesn't necessarily affect the Knicks on the court, but it does make Curry impossible to trade at virtually any point in the future. No matter what Eddy does in New York, the Knicks are stuck with him. With a coach who wants to trade his players about once every three weeks, that could make for interesting theater.

Thus, the Knicks didn't just give up Michael Sweetney and Tim Thomas. They also gave up an insurable contract, multiple draft choices, and the increased risk of a free-agent departure -- all to pay more money for a player the Knicks essentially already had in Sweetney: a high percentage-shooting big man who is in less-than-ideal shape and struggles on defense.

But it seems that Curry's perceived potential has blinded the Knicks to all the potential pitfalls.

"Every 15 to 20 years a guy comes along with this size and this type of agility and skill," Thomas gushed.

He is technically correct, I suppose: He didn't say "this type of skill or better," and, hey, it's been exactly 20 years since the Clippers took Benoit Benjamin with the third overall pick.

Unfortunately, Knicks fans have seen this movie before -- Isiah's making a move that could add two wins this year but is likely to cost them 10 or 15 a couple years down the road. On its face, acquiring Curry wasn't a bad idea. The problem was the execution. New York took on so many additional risks to make the deal that the potential rewards simply don't justify the deal. And in the salary cap era, as the Knicks have repeatedly shown us, that's a disastrous mistake, regardless of the team's budget.

Unfortunately, Knicks fans have seen this movie before -- Isiah's making a move that could add two wins this year but is likely to cost them 10 or 15 a couple years down the road. On its face, acquiring Curry wasn't a bad idea. The problem was the execution. New York took on so many additional risks to make the deal that the potential rewards simply don't justify the deal. And in the salary cap era, as the Knicks have repeatedly shown us, that's a disastrous mistake, regardless of the team's budget.

That's why I hate this deal. Too big of a risk, and I HATE trading draft picks. Isiah f-d this team for the next decade, and I'm furious about it. I've been telling you guys for years, short-sighted management is why this franchise hasn't won sh!t since 1973. I'm starting to give up - thanks to this current regime, I have zero enthusiasm about the Knicks.

davis will come back to the bulls. under the new cba, "gary payton" move requires davis to be on the knicks for 30 days then of course he'll have to clear waivers to get on the bulls

That's not entirely correct. The Knicks can waive him any time, and once he clears waivers, he can sign with the Bulls again after a waiting period, which is 20 days during the offseason and 30 days during the season. He does not have to remain a member of the Knicks for that period.

ot: should i make an official bulls thread? lol

ok thanks for clarifying that, johnny knox..

btw you have a link to that bit of info?

knicks have until 6pm today to declare whether curry passed the physical.

a lot of speculation flying around the net that he may have failed....

ot: should i make an official bulls thread? lol

We've got one somewhere.

Curry passes physical, joins Knicks
Associated Press
National Basketball Association News Wire

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Eddy Curry was glad to be a basketball player again and not a patient.

Curry officially joined the New York Knicks on Friday after a team of doctors hired by the club cleared him to play. An NBA cardiologist also reviewed the test results and signed off on Curry's return to practice.

"I'm more worried about breaking a finger," Curry said. "I'm not worried about my heart."

Curry was traded to the Knicks by the Chicago Bulls earlier this week, more than six months after the 22-year-old center had an irregular heartbeat that caused him to miss the final 13 games of last season and the playoffs.

Bulls general manager John Paxson asked Curry to take a DNA test, something the player refused, he said, because it would not be completely accurate.

New York didn't demand Curry take a DNA test as Chicago had. The Bulls wanted the genetic screening to determine whether Curry is susceptible to a potentially fatal heart problem, a request Curry balked at, saying it violated his privacy.

Curry said he would have taken a DNA test for his own peace of mind. But "I wouldn't do it for them," he said.

The 6-foot-11 center, who spent his first four NBA seasons with the Bulls, took the court Friday evening and practiced with his new team at the College of Charleston.

"Go Eddy," Knicks coach Larry Brown shouted as Curry drove the lane in a four-on-four drill and tipped in a missed shot.

Curry went through several five-man full court drills, looking a little out of shape.

"Right now, I'm extremely happy," he said.

Along with Curry, Chicago sent veteran center Antonio Davis to New York for forwards Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson along with a conditional first-round draft pick in 2006, two future second-round selections and the option of exchanging picks with New York at a later draft.

Dr. Lisa Callahan, New York's director of player care, said federal patient privacy rules prevented the team from disclosing specifics about Curry's results.

When asked directly if there was something wrong with his heart, Curry answered, "No."

Knicks president Isiah Thomas said research the team had done on Curry's situation showed he was worth the risk. More than a half dozen doctors worked on Curry. Thomas said the medical tests proved Curry's good health.

"It really didn't come down to soul searching because you're dealing with a healthy player," Thomas said.

Curry joins a revamped front line for New York, which includes 6-11 rookie Channing Frye out of Arizona and 7-1 Jerome James, who spent the past four seasons with Seattle.

"I'm thrilled (Curry) is with us," said Brown, the Hall of Fame coach who is starting his first season in New York. "He's not in the kind of shape he's going to be in, but I know how hard he works."

After three sluggish years, Curry, who came to the NBA directly from high school, had broken through to lead the Bulls in scoring last season with a 16.1 average. He played a major role as Chicago won 47 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1998 -- when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led them to their sixth NBA title.

Curry, who went to Thornwood H.S. in South Holland, Ill., said it was difficult at first to learn the team he grew up rooting for wanted him gone.

"But it was a breath of fresh air to know the Knicks wanted me," Curry said.

"It's over with now," he said. "I'm just glad this part of my life is behind me."

ok, thanks andrew. when i could be bothered, ill dig it up.

this is going to be one helluva running team with ty-chan startin at the C. i woulda liked to see him play more PF because i still hope for his potential (as a deep-range, say 18-20 feet, PF). with the direction he's goin in right now, although benefiting the team, offensively strictly in the paint and dunking on the break (where's the VERSATILTIY!?). hope he puts on more weight this season (about 235 last year, hoping in the 245-250 range of pure muscle).

i like meat-and-potatoes michael sweetney, despite his small stature. he's still pretty damn wide and i like the idea that he's a poor man's brand.

"i know he's a hardworking player" is the greatest quote ever. eddy curry, mr. 7 foot near 300lbs player with no more than 6 rpg, a hardworker.. HAHAHAHA

Curry officially passed his physical. hoorah Knicks.

Who's going to rebound, on that Knicks team?

Who's going to rebound, on that Knicks team?

Who's going to play D ? On that roster I like only the young players who won't see any court time anytime soon - Ariza, Nate, Lee and Frye (although I haven't seen him play yet, he does seem like a good, hardworking fella.). Other than those, I hate their entire team. Curry? Fat, lazy underachiever. James? Ditto. Richardson? Loose cannon who can't defend. In the same category are his co-guards, Crawford and Marbury. God, I hate them.

Unfortunately, Knicks fans have seen this movie before -- Isiah's making a move that could add two wins this year but is likely to cost them 10 or 15 a couple years down the road. On its face, acquiring Curry wasn't a bad idea. The problem was the execution. New York took on so many additional risks to make the deal that the potential rewards simply don't justify the deal. And in the salary cap era, as the Knicks have repeatedly shown us, that's a disastrous mistake, regardless of the team's budget.

That's why I hate this deal. Too big of a risk, and I HATE trading draft picks. Isiah f-d this team for the next decade, and I'm furious about it. I've been telling you guys for years, short-sighted management is why this franchise hasn't won sh!t since 1973. I'm starting to give up - thanks to this current regime, I have zero enthusiasm about the Knicks.

Same on this end.

Ihate this trade for the Knicks. Too risky and they're not getting much from it even if it pans out. Shoulda kept what they had. And I had the draft picks going too.

What also sucks is he's untradeable now.

Bulls fans should love this trade.

knicks been taking headaches away from the bulls and turn them into untradables. First crawford and now Curry. Knicks gave away too much in my opinion. Sweetney+picks is curry value.

that's strange. almost all of the knicks fan on real gm like the trade and call john hollinger a knick "hater"

i'm glad this whole ordeal is over with. the whole curry thing has been a painful, strung out process that is now new york's problem to do deal with

the stakes got even higher every time the bulls vs knicks faceoff

i still hope curry takes that DNA test for himself privately. i read about the horror/saw replays of hank gathers collapsing on the court.

that's strange. almost all of the knicks fan on real gm like the trade and call john hollinger a knick "hater"
.

Hollinger's telling it like it is. Thse so-called Knicks fans better get off the pipe.

Hollinger's telling it like it is. Thse so-called Knicks fans better get off the pipe.

Lmao.

As i said, as a Bulls fan, i like the trade. Of course i'd prefer if Curry wanted to stay, but meh.

that's strange. almost all of the knicks fan on real gm like the trade and call john hollinger a knick "hater"
.

Hollinger's telling it like it is. Thse so-called Knicks fans better get off the pipe.

but these 'knick' fans are pretty experienced, intelligent posters. i guess being a homer has its drawbacks

we'll see what happens

but these 'knick' fans are pretty experienced, intelligent posters. i guess being a homer has its drawbacks

we'll see what happens

Those fans sound like they have blinders on, or they must be very young.

Even if Brown whips Curry into a defensive-playing, rebounding machine, his health is still an issue. I've seen the Knicks get burned too many times over the past 30 years signing cats with health risks.

more likely the blinders...

who wins more games this year?

knicks or bulls?

more likely the blinders...

who wins more games this year?

knicks or bulls?

The main guys are still on the team so my answer is the Bulls! they are only missing Curry which was a valuable asset last season. If Chandler develops some offensive skills, Curry won't be missed at all. Furthermore, Gordon, Deng and Hinrich are a year older and wiser.