More Eddy Curry News

Bulls open to trading Curry
By Mike McGraw
Daily Herald Sports Writer
Posted Thursday, June 30, 2005

The NBA’s free-agent negotiating period will drag on until July 22.

But the Bulls might have a good feel for Eddy Curry’s future with the team by Friday, when the pursuit of free agents officially begins.

If other NBA teams demonstrate a strong interest in Curry this weekend, the Bulls will take the opportunity to try to trade the 22-year-old center. A team insider confirmed this strategy.

Would trading Curry be a good idea? Well, obviously Curry’s heart condition brings a significant risk. But health issues aside, look at recent NBA history: Six of the last seven championships were won by Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan. The odd title went to Detroit, which had Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Mehmet Okur.

The point is, you win with size in the NBA. With Curry and Tyson Chandler, the Bulls are big enough to cause opponents problems inside, even if those players are not in Shaq or Duncan’s stratosphere.

Keep in mind, general manager John Paxson won’t agree to a trade that makes no sense for the Bulls. But if they can get a decent big man in return, a deal could happen.

Lorenzen Wright? Al Harrington? Jeff Foster? Rasho Nesterovic? Channing Frye? It’s difficult to predict the possibilities.

If there is little to no interest in Curry as a restricted free agent, the Bulls are prepared to make a contract offer, but the dollar amount may be less than Curry’s camp originally hoped for. The Bulls also may try nudging him toward getting a DNA test that might rule out the presence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Curry’s visit to Los Angeles cardiologist Dr. David Cannom today will have little effect on the Bulls’ plans. The team expected him to cautiously return to basketball activity this summer because no doctor he has seen was ready to suggest that Curry never play again.

If he gets the go-ahead from Cannom, Curry likely will begin working out with personal trainer Tim Grover. The key question is whether other NBA teams accept a positive diagnosis from Cannom as a sign that Curry’s health is OK.

There is one other path the Bulls could take, though this one is less likely. Since the salary cap will increase this summer, the Bulls could conceivably renounce Curry, re-sign Chandler and Chris Duhon as planned and still have at least $7 million to $8 million to spend on free agents.

The problem is there aren’t any sure-fire upgrades on the market. The best available centers or power forwards are Cleveland’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Seattle’s Jerome James, Portland’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Memphis’ Stromile Swift and Toronto’s Donyell Marshall.

With the possible exception of Ilgauskas, a two-time all-star, it’s tough to see any of those players as a better fit for the Bulls than Curry.

Summer-league search: The Bulls spent the first 24 hours following Tuesday’s NBA draft recruiting undrafted free agents. They should have some success getting the players they want, since spots on their summer-league squad are wide open.

Center Jared Reiner is the only player from last year’s roster expected to play in the Las Vegas summer league and the Bulls added no draft picks Tuesday.

The Bulls were hoping to get Charlotte’s Eddie Basden, Michigan State’s Alan Anderson, Iowa State’s Jared Homan, along with Will Bynum and Luke Schenscher from Georgia Tech to attend their rookie-free agent camp that begins Saturday.

According to an overseas report, Chinese center Mengke Bateer is planning to be on the Bulls’ summer squad.

A.D. becomes president: Bulls forward Antonio Davis was elected president of the National Basketball Players Association on Tuesday during a meeting in Las Vegas. Davis, who had been vice president of the players union, replaced Michael Curry.

It would be nice if Memphis could deal Wright and get Curry even though I don't see it happening.

With the names listed there the Bulls would be stupid to even consider trading Curry.

He was a huge part of the team this year no doubt, you just don't trade a player like that after a successful season like the Bull had.

The article is a little sensationalist, just being open to a trade is a far cry from shopping a kid around. Being open means if SAS offer Duncan, the Bulls will take it.

yeh agreed lol. mcgraw is a good writer though, must be looking for any material since July 1 is a big FA date

If i had my way (and i did with the draft) id resign Curry and trade him to New Orleans for Jamaal Magliore.

It makes sense in a few ways.....

1. The bulls were surprising late last year and should be able to make a playoff run this year, especially if they get some solid vetrans in the free agent market. Having Magloire on board will bring a more solid and reliable big man for Chicago to make that run.

2. Magloire wants out of NO, even though i think he should stay and will get the shots he wants, and the bulls couldnt get a better big man in return for Curry at this point.

Given that Magloire has been an All-Star id expect NO to get a 1st rounder or something aswell, would be a great move (from a hornets fans perspective) if Magloire is demanding a trade.

Magloire missed most of last season with injuries though. I'd rather the Bulls keep him for now, especially since it seems he might be past the health scare.

Curry had a good year with the bulls. I think he's more of a offense guy than Maglore, but again, Maglore can rebound well. I'd keep Curry. He's young, and beside the heart condition, he's been pretty healthy.

Then again it was a contract year..

I'd not even give Curry out for Yao Ming. That's how important Curry is the the Bulls future.

Something tells me a fair few Bulls fans wouldn't agree with you on that one.

Trading Curry now is a dumb move b/c he's coming off of a major health scare, so his value surely has decreased a lot. It's like the stock market: buy low, sell high- Curry's stock is low right now, so you're not going to get as much in return as you could if he comes back strong and then you trade him.

Trading Curry now is a dumb move b/c he's coming off of a major health scare, so his value surely has decreased a lot. It's like the stock market: buy low, sell high- Curry's stock is low right now, so you're not going to get as much in return as you could if he comes back strong and then you trade him.

And if he doesn't come back strong, you might get nothing at all ...

I think it's in the Bulls interesats to trade. The reason being risk management. Remember Antonio Davis comes out of contract at the end of next season, so the Bulls will have a huge amount of cap room and be in a great position to snag a top free agent. They have the potential to be a top team after that.

However, if Curry doesn't work out, then they're likely to be stuck using that money on getting a replacement for him, and ending up a good but not great team. They should get something for him while they can, and ensure they're in the position to get a player or players who will take the team to the next level at the end of the year, not be struggling to find someone to bring them back to where they were this year.

The Bulls are in a great position and would be absolutely stupid to take the gamble on Curry. Let teams who are in the early rebuilding phase take the risks. When you've got a team that's just made the playoffs, has a young cores that can only get better, and in arguably the best salary cap situation in the league, why on earth would you want to risk it on a guy with questions both medically and metaphorically over his heart?

I think the Bulls realise this, and that's why after earlier you heard nothing but "we intend to resign Curry and Chandler" you're now starting to hear whispers about Curry being dealt. Why do you think the Bulls are so keen not to let him train again, despite medical advice? I believe it's because they're unwilling to risk any chance of him having more problems and blowing his trade value completely. Where there's smoke, there's fire in this case, simply because unlike most trade rumours, this one just makes so much sense. If Curry isn't traded this off-season, the only reason will be inability to secure a suitable deal, not because the Bulls really are keen to keep him.

I see what you're saying, but what about this: if the Bulls get rid of Curry, right away they'll be looking for a player just like him They'll be left with almost no inside scoring (Harrington & Davis are too old to depend on for long, and aren't as good as Curry anyway), and you'll read in the papers about the Bulls looking for a young, athletic big man who can give consistent inside scoring.

Curry's only 22 years old, and while I also am weary over those "questions both medically and metaphorically over his heart," I think he's definitely worth the risk and really want us to keep him.

interesting points but i'd have to disagree, shakes...

And if he doesn't come back strong, you might get nothing at all ...

I think it's in the Bulls interesats to trade. The reason being risk management.

that's why most likely the deal the bulls will offer will be incentive laden and be partially guaranteed & insured. paxson isn't stupid enough to offer him an allen houston-like contract if thats what you're thinking

Remember Antonio Davis comes out of contract at the end of next season, so the Bulls will have a huge amount of cap room and be in a great position to snag a top free agent.

true, they would have the ability to attract a better then average player but not a near max type palyer.

They have the potential to be a top team after that. However, if Curry doesn't work out, then they're likely to be stuck using that money on getting a replacement for him, and ending up a good but not great team. They should get something for him while they can, and ensure they're in the position to get a player or players who will take the team to the next level at the end of the year, not be struggling to find someone to bring them back to where they were this year.

as bullsfan009 mentioned, curry's trade value is at it's lowest. who's going to trade a legit center for curry at this point? no one's going to trade the bulls a player 'who will take the team to the next level" for curry. big eddy's trade value is just about as it was low as it was when memphis came calling with those shitty offers in the beginning of the year. teams will be throwing money at him, but the news of the bulls clearing curry to play closes the door on them letting him walk for nothing

The Bulls are in a great position and would be absolutely stupid to take the gamble on Curry. Let teams who are in the early rebuilding phase take the risks. When you've got a team that's just made the playoffs, has a young cores that can only get better, and in arguably the best salary cap situation in the league, why on earth would you want to risk it on a guy with questions both medically and metaphorically over his heart?

how are they in a great position if they don't have curry? it's quite obvious they overachieved last season and even moreso by taking 2 wins from the wizards without curry and deng. the bulls are a dangerous team when curry is playing, even with his defencies on defense. he opens up everything for the bulls perimeter players from all the attention he gets. and he was getting efficient at passing out of double teams and his defensive rotations

as mentioned earlier, they won't get anything good in a trade and his contract probably won't be a killer anyway. possibly the best they can get is drew gooden (eek!). you then would have to consider making Tyson Chandler a center as it would be 'easier' to find a pf who can score. and tyson may not even be able to make the transition to being a full time center

I think the Bulls realise this, and that's why after earlier you heard nothing but "we intend to resign Curry and Chandler" you're now starting to hear whispers about Curry being dealt. Why do you think the Bulls are so keen not to let him train again, despite medical advice? I believe it's because they're unwilling to risk any chance of him having more problems and blowing his trade value completely. Where there's smoke, there's fire in this case, simply because unlike most trade rumours, this one just makes so much sense. If Curry isn't traded this off-season, the only reason will be inability to secure a suitable deal, not because the Bulls really are keen to keep him.

all the article says is that paxson is covering his bases. he'd be a fool to not leave the door open to offers. maybe he can pull a fast on zeke haha.

and that's quite an outrageous claim to say bulls management won't let him train to maintain his trade value. you're basically implying that the bulls are a selfish, classless organization. c'mon.. we're talking about a team that was willling to jepoardize their chances of winning in the postseason by putting curry on the IR in order to properly assess his health

the team is just doing the smart thing. they've spent 4 years developing the guy and now are just being cautious before they invest a big amount $$ on him.

and curry just recently got cleared by a doctor. this after several of the nation's top doctors couldnt come up with a conclusive diagnosis. these doctors consult with curry about their findings first, then the bulls. not the other way around. if curry were to resume training before this one doctor cleared him, it would be against the doctors recommendations, not the bulls.



the bigger risk is trading curry at this point..

While Curry isn't amazing, even a moderately successful Center is absolute gold in the NBA. See Adonal Foyle's contract. And seeing as how the Bulls have Chandler developing nicely in the PF spot (stop hacking like a kid Tyson, maybe you'll be a starter) it's going to take quite an offer to make trading Curry worth it. The guy would have to be an All-Star at a minimum.

Zydrunas made the All-Star game but Chris Webber didn't.
Primoz Brezec is a starter, Shareef Abdur Rahim isn't.

That's how different the bar is for Centers vs Power Forwards.

OK, put yourself in the imaginary GM of the Bulls.

Imagine a scenario where you want Curry back. I know if I was in that situation, I'd be pushing as hard as possible to get him out on the court before resigning him, to maximise the chances that you find out any health problems before signing him.

Now imagine you don't want Curry back. If I was in that situation I'd keep him off the court, not wanting to risk any problems. Keep him in cotton wool so he can't further damage his trade value.

Which sounds more like what the Bulls are doing to you? The Bulls actions to me say loud and clear that they want to trade him.

After this season they will most certainly have the cap room to offer a max contract, despite what you say. The only players on the books for sure at this point after this year are Deng, Hinrich, Nocioni and Gordon, and they're all on small contracts. Other than Curry and Chandler, the other guys they're looking at bringing back, such as Duhon and Pargo aren't going to get huge offers. Unless they do something massively stupid like offer Chandler and Curry max contracts, they'll have a huge amount of room.

Remember from all reports Curry's being told what a bunch of arseholes the Bulls are by various "friends", so how do you really think he's going to react when the Bulls give him a contrat offer like what you suggest?

So given that, I'd be willing to get less than what Curry might be "worth". I think if the Bulls try that Curry would be mad not to just sign the one year deal and then bolt into unrestricted free agency, where there's enough interest in him that someone will take the risk on him. The Bulls are better off getting something that may not quite be ideal for him now, than nothing a year down the track.

I'm not saying it's an ideal situation. I'd rather he was healthy and the Bulls could offer him a long term deal with no strings attached, since I agree with your assessment that centres are hard to find and Curry, while probably never destined to be a great one, is at least better than most in the league. However I see the Bulls having two choices if they resign him: offer him a secure contract at the huge risk of him becoming unable to play and eating up their cap for years to come, or offer him a contract loaded with get out options, and risk having him pissed off and leaving the Bulls for nothing at the end of the year. Given the Bulls poor track record when they've taken a risk recently (like trading to take unproven high school players), and good track record when they've taken safe options (like drafting proven college players), I think they'd be nuts to take a risk. But that's just me, I'm naturally risk adverse anyway.

PS: I don't think the Bulls are a heartless organisation (witness the way they treated Jay Williams better than many would say he deserved). However, they are still a business, and they have to protect their interests first and foremost.

hmmm i guess his heart condition is more serious than i thought. I thought it was just something that could be healed after some rest. It's gotta be very serious, career ending heart condition, to trade someone like Curry. Too bad, he had a great future.

lol thanks for responding to my post...

Imagine a scenario where you want Curry back. I know if I was in that situation, I'd be pushing as hard as possible to get him out on the court before resigning him, to maximise the chances that you find out any health problems before signing him.

sounds like thats what paxson is doing. i.e- sitting him in the playoffs to see how serious his condition is, taking him to the best doctors, etc

Now imagine you don't want Curry back. If I was in that situation I'd keep him off the court, not wanting to risk any problems. Keep him in cotton wool so he can't further damage his trade value.

this is just one opinion and tremendous speculation. if anything, any team that would possibly trade for him will have him examined by their own team doctors and/or another doctor & probably work him out before they sign off on the trade. and also this would expose you, shakes, as a slimy, non ethical bastard for trying this

Which sounds more like what the Bulls are doing to you? The Bulls actions to me say loud and clear that they want to trade him.

it sounds like to me that paxson is handling this situation the right way. what actions are you referring to? one writer's speculation with no quotes from management

After this season they will most certainly have the cap room to offer a max contract, despite what you say. The only players on the books for sure at this point after this year are Deng, Hinrich, Nocioni and Gordon, and they're all on small contracts. Other than Curry and Chandler, the other guys they're looking at bringing back, such as Duhon and Pargo aren't going to get huge offers. Unless they do something massively stupid like offer Chandler and Curry max contracts, they'll have a huge amount of room.

now that the salary cap is being raised, you may be correct. it's still contingent on what contracts chandler, curry, and duhon get and whether or not the bulls use the MLE on multiple year contracts. my guess is that duhon will get close to a 2 mil salary, and the twin towers will get near max contracts since big men are overpaid, and the MLE will be split between 2 players . additionally, the bulls will be spending some cap on their 1st round pick next year and on other players to fill out the roster

Remember from all reports Curry's being told what a bunch of arseholes the Bulls are by various "friends", so how do you really think he's going to react when the Bulls give him a contrat offer like what you suggest?.

what reports? not the ones from the beginning year from curry's agent? lol. in fact i remember recently in chicago papers where curry was saying he was frustrated about not being able to exercise but was surprised/impressed that the bulls would sit him in the playoffs to properly assess his condition. also he has still maintained his stance of wanting to return/resign with the bulls

and what contract? you mean the one that the chicago tribune is reporting:
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-050701bulls,1,7559925.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines
registration required so i'll hit the main points:

Committed to make every effort to keep Curry in town, the Bulls faxed an initial contract offer to Curry's agent

A league source said the Bulls' initial offer to Curry was expected to be short-term and full of incentives related to weight issues and his recent heart condition.

So given that, I'd be willing to get less than what Curry might be "worth". I think if the Bulls try that Curry would be mad not to just sign the one year deal and then bolt into unrestricted free agency, where there's enough interest in him that someone will take the risk on him. The Bulls are better off getting something that may not quite be ideal for him now, than nothing a year down the track.

where is this one year contract talk coming from? do you mean the qualifying offer? with the new CBA, the bulls will get 22 days to match any contract that a team offers. now that curry has been cleared to workout again and assuming some team offers him a contract today, the bulls will have about a month to evaluate his progress. even moreso the longer another team waits to give him a contract. worse case scenario is that a team offers the max for curry and bulls management aren't pleased with curry's progress so they sign and trade him.

Given the Bulls poor track record when they've taken a risk recently (like trading to take unproven high school players), and good track record when they've taken safe options (like drafting proven college players), I think they'd be nuts to take a risk. But that's just me, I'm naturally risk adverse anyway.

this is insignificant as these moves were made by the previous GM

PS: I don't think the Bulls are a heartless organisation (witness the way they treated Jay Williams better than many would say he deserved). However, they are still a business, and they have to protect their interests first and foremost.

what they are doing now is exactly that. the bulls are a first class organization and have no need for these lowball tactics that you suggest to protect their own business

Looks like Curry's heart condition is not insurable... which will probably disallow him from getting a long term deal...

http://www.suntimes.com/output/bulls/cs ... ull19.html

That doesn't sound quite good, well I hope he doesn't die but keeps on playing

All the best for Eddy Curry