Eddy Curry Trade a March Flop

[Jeffx]

This is why real Knick fans want to slit their wrists. I wish Isiah & Dolan would f-n die.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baske ... 1796c.html

[H Rock]

Why is he still around? I mean, really, he's a disgrace.

[cyanide]

Ouch.

Well, the Knicks management are just trying to save face by saying that Curry's gonna be great in the future.

Heh.

[benji]

Yeah, they say that. But Curry hasn't really improved in his entire career. He's the same player he was as a rookie, just a bit more seasoned. His turnover rate and assist rates are both worse now than they were in his rookie season, his free throw percentage is the second worst of his career, his total shooting isn't any higher than his second season. He's having the best rebounding year of his career by a hair over his rookie season. The guy's shooting slightly better, but turning it over more and passing it less while using more possessions. Otherwise he's the same guy as in his rookie year.

He could make another huge leap considering he's only 23...but after five years of not really showing any progress...I don't exactly have high hopes.

[cyanide]

He could make another huge leap considering he's only 23...but after five years of not really showing any progress...I don't exactly have high hopes.

a la Kwame Brown. That guy was a pile of steaming shit the last time I saw him play.

[Fenix]

Yes, but nobody called Curry a faggot or made him cry. He's just fucking lazy.

[cklitsie]

Yes, but nobody called Curry a faggot or made him cry. He's just fucking lazy.

Well, nobody famous called him that.

[maes]

Curry will never be a star, he's a classic case of the pacing difference.

In school, even Div I, players are used to one game a week with maybe 50-60 points. In the NBA you're playing non-stop every day, 48 minutes of hard running. And for big guys, everybody is just as big so they can't just put their hands up and grab a board, you have to jump and sprint on every play.

His total lack of rebounding ability really shows that. Guards rebound more than he does. He obviously has skill, he can score with good efficiency, but he's athletically not capable of running in the NBA. I predict he'll be a Tractor Traylor type player, used in small minutes as a backup C.

He's the total opposite of Dwight Howard. Howard is grabbing an obscene amount of rebounds even though his own coaches say he's not that good at rebounding fundamentals...it's just showing that the NBA pace is too easy for him.

[Fenix]

Curry is not athletically capable? Oh, he has more than enough agility and overall athleticism to do plenty in the pros, he just doesn't wanna. Why? Because he's a FAT, LAZY FUCK.

[Jeffx]

I predict he'll be a Tractor Traylor type player, used in small minutes as a backup C.

Isiah gave up a chance to get Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah for a backup C who's fat, lazy & can't rebound or play defense - potential my ass. So why the f--- does Dolan give Isiah a vote of confidence? Knicks are a f-n laughingstock.

If Thomas winds up playing for the Bulls, I'm going on a shooting spree at MSG.

[air gordon]

conditioning seems to be Curry's biggest problem

remember he wasn't allowed to play basketball this past offseason and you have to factor in the adjustment he's (and everyone else has) had to make to Larry Brown and his system

i'd still give him an offseason to get + preseason under Brown before i close the proverbial door on Curry

a lot of hype going around about Thomas. a tall guy that can jump out of the gym but with not much offensive skill. I think Maceo Baston is still playing overseas

[Andrew]

Even though I had my doubts about the trade, it hasn't worked out too badly for Chicago and the pick is a really nice bonus. I'm inclined to use it as an example to sing John Paxson's praises but one has to wonder how much credit you can give him. After all, with Thomas there is a certain "taking candy from a baby" element to the deal.

I'm kind of hesitant to suggest Curry won't get any better, lest I look like the jaded fan of the former team hoping he'll fall now he's no longer playing for my favourite club and flip-flop on the opinions I've expressed about him in the past. I do believe he still has some potential and could get to a higher level but I find it difficult to believe he'll become the next big thing at centre as many of us were hoping when the Bulls drafted him.

Yes, but nobody called Curry a faggot or made him cry. He's just fucking lazy.

Kwame can't keep using that excuse forever. If he's let that incident destroy his whole career, then I think it's safe to say he doesn't have the mentality to be a great professional athlete.

[Mazzocchi]

Knicks probally COULD have the number one pick but you know

[Andrew]

In all fairness to Isiah though, the situation isn't unprecedented. After all, a similar deal allowed the Lakers to grab Utah's first overall pick in 1979 and snare Magic Johnson. Mind you, Gail Goodrich was held in higher esteem than Eddy Curry is, so it's not entirely the same.

[Axel]

Why such dislike for Curry? Granted he isn't great, but a lot of teams would kill to have a center like him, including the team that dealt him. Sure his rebound numbers aren't exceptional, but he is shooting the ball at 55%... second in the league. How much f'cking more proficient does he need to be? His turnovers are a problem, I'll concede that... but I don't believe that is entirely his fault. The Knicks are pretty dysfunctional as it is, and the team itself turns the ball over more than any other in the league. 14 ppg isn't shabby for a big man only getting 26 mpg. He'd be averaging at least 18 points per, and 8 rebounds if he got 35 mpg or so.

He could be better, but I think considering the lack of talent at the center position throughout the league, he's better than the majority.

[Andrew]

That high shooting percentage is coming off dunks though. I know, the same knock could be made on Shaquille O'Neal throughout his career but the argument loses weight when he's averaging over 25 ppg.

I don't know that the Bulls want him back badly, at least with the price tag he comes with. He's being paid a lot of money for someone with questionable conditioning and potential he may never fulfil.

[Axel]

Aren't high percentage shots what you want from your center? How can you fault him for that?

[Andrew]

Because if the only high percentage shots he's converting on regularly are dunks (of which he averages around two per game) then that 55% isn't as impressive as it would first seem. Some stats were brought up during one of the discussions in the roster patch section (I don't have them handy at the moment) regarding Curry's field goal attempts. I'm not suggesting 55% is a bad percentage, just that it's a little deceptive.

There's also the lacklustre approach to defense and rebounding, his conditioning and work ethic though as AG pointed out, this past offseason he was at a disadvantage as far as restrictions placed upon him because of the health concerns. These are fair criticisms to make; let's not confuse reasonable criticism with hate or dislike.

He's definitely not a bad player but he's got a big contract and some big question marks as well. That makes him a less appealing prospect and I suppose to an extend a target for criticism, though his play is not above criticism so it's hardly unjustified.

[Axel]

Why is he still around? I mean, really, he's a disgrace.

a la Kwame Brown. That guy was a pile of steaming shit the last time I saw him play.

Isiah gave up a chance to get Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah for a backup C who's fat, lazy & can't rebound or play defense - potential my ass.

I'd say the above are prime examples of hate and dislike.

As for the argument on Shaq, I think it is a fair one. Shaq was averaging 40 mpg in several seasons, and though I don't feel Curry is near the same plateau as Shaq, I do think his offensive numbers would be more comprable. He's not great on defense, but when the entire team is bad defensively, the center tends to have less success.

Obviously, he isn't great, but to say Isaiah made a bad move is facetious (in this case at least). None of these prospects are proven at the professional level, and very well could flop like many others. You can argue that he is not playing up to contract (which i will agree on), but neither is the rest of the team (Jerome James being one big flop).

[Andrew]

I think it's a fair enough call to say it was a bad move. The team is doing no better, Curry hasn't shown much improvement (if any, aside from slight statistical raises in a couple of areas) and could very well never be the player the Knicks want him to be, plus the team has given up the best chance it would've had this offseason to improve their team (a pick that is basically guaranteed top five at this juncture).

Who knows, two, three years down the road things could be very different as a result of the Curry deal and it could be hailed as the greatest move in Knicks history. But for now all we can judge the deal upon is what it's done for the Knicks so far and the position it's placed them in for the immediate future. Curry isn't inept so it's not a terrible deal but it's definitely not a good one for the Knicks.

Now, you can't blame all the Knicks' woes on Curry, no question that's unfair. But again, the knock on the deal is that it didn't make the Knicks any better and cost them a really important commodity, that being the first round pick. A commodity that's made even more important and valuable by the fact the Knicks are one of the worst teams in the league ensuring that pick is going to be high. One saving grace (as the article mentions) is that there's no LeBron or Shaq or other immediate impact player perceived to be a franchise saving individual. But it's still a blown opportunity at improving the team and starting some sort of youth movement and New York has little to show for it.

[[L3]1101]

I think what Isiah was thinking was that he hired Brown, and with Curry he thought his team might be making a run for the playoffs this year. So basically he THOUGHT, he was trading a low draft pick and a couple of underachieving players for Curry who had some potential, after all he had a great season with Bulls that year. But little did he know how terrible the season was gonna turn out.

But oh boy, i'm excited for the bulls. They are gonna have a great offseason. They are gonna have a very high draft pick and tons of caps to sign FAs.

[air gordon]

i agree with Axel. Curry is one of the few true post players so of course he's going to get many high % scoring opportunities. and he just doesn't dunk all the time. you know, andrew, he likes to get good position to set up that little baby hook up of his. plus he's gotten 'smarter' by taking less jump shots

[benji]

Shaq was averaging 40 mpg in several seasons

Well, once. And 39+ minutes twice. But no others over his rookie year.

Yeah, Curry is 11th in shooting percentage and 14th in eFG. But he's also 179th out of 184 in turnovers. No player has fewer possessions result in assists.

He only shoots 53% on non-dunk inside shots however. 25% of his attempts are dunks, as Andrew said 1.9 dunks a game. He's getting almost an entire possession per 40 min more than last year, but he's scoring two fewer points.

He's not worth the contract he's got when compared to someone like Mehmet Okur...but Adonal Foyle on the other hand...and yeah he's a top 15 center, but he's hasn't ever been better than that other big guy Larry wouldn't play before he got injured for the season. (Interestingly, his rebound and usage rates are almost identical to Curry's, though he gets three times the assists and 45% fewer turnovers. Making him more useful despite the lower shooting percentage.)

He's gotta buck the first five years of his career and turn into a Ewing calibur player to turn this team around...but no, it's not as bad of deal as the Jerome James, Steve Francis or Quentin Richardson ones. Or hiring Larry Brown.

[Masilo]

Why such dislike for Curry? Granted he isn't great, but a lot of teams would kill to have a center like him, including the team that dealt him. Sure his rebound numbers aren't exceptional, but he is shooting the ball at 55%... second in the league. How much f'cking more proficient does he need to be? His turnovers are a problem, I'll concede that... but I don't believe that is entirely his fault. The Knicks are pretty dysfunctional as it is, and the team itself turns the ball over more than any other in the league. 14 ppg isn't shabby for a big man only getting 26 mpg. He'd be averaging at least 18 points per, and 8 rebounds if he got 35 mpg or so.

He could be better, but I think considering the lack of talent at the center position throughout the league, he's better than the majority.

He'd also be averaging 4.6 fouls per game.

Furthermore, Eddy Curry is a weak defender and frontcourts score on him almost as much or even more as he does on them. It isn't entirely his fault, right, as there is no dominant defensive power forward beside him and as some of the worst defenders in the league (Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson) make it easy for opponent guards to rain threes on the Knicks or to drive to the basket to humiliate Curry.

Opponents average .462 on field goals and .383 on threes. Pathetic team and individual defense by all Knicks.

[J@3]

I'd take Kwame Brown over Eddy Curry in a heartbeat. Even if he can't score 14 per game, he can play D. when he choses to.