Curry’s Big, But Could Easily Disappear From NY

First, a moment of silence for that exercise ball Eddy Curry sat on and broke. And for Curry himself. That’s got a Horton Hatches the Egg quality of pathos to it, especially since it came on the same day he was effectively excluded from the starting line-up. Not to get all R. Kelly here, but I feel like Eddy needs a hug from all of us, and a few angels, and the entire Dolan clan.↵
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↵That said, of all the black sheep the Knicks are looking to make disappear, the despondent Curry might be in the best position. From Knick Knacks:↵↵⇥He averaged 19 1/2 points and seven rebounds just two years ago not long after Isiah Thomas and by-then-deposed Larry Brown labeled him a “franchise player.” He’ll make a (by NBA standards) a respectable $9.7 million this year and is due $21.7 million over the next two years, although he can opt out of his contract before each of them.↵↵Marbury and his gigantic salary are going to wither and die somewhere near the back of the rotation, receiving just enough minutes to keep him from eating human flesh on national television. Then, all that money comes off the books, and New York’s a free agent player for the ages. Randolph’s currently penciled into D’Antoni’s first five, alongside David Lee. His three years of guaranteed max money are a tough sell, so they’re stuck with him. Yet as much of a joke as Z-Bo’s become, there’s a lot of talent there -- at least when it comes to inside offense and rebounding -- that a good coach could salvage. And maybe even make work in the sub-Suns plan Mike D’s working with.↵
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↵Curry is a big dude who plays small, although he did have one year that should’ve earned him All-Star status. But the $9 million or so he’s due is a player option. As noted above, that’s just not that bad for a serviceable center. Franchise player? All-around colssus? No, but put in the right frontcourt, Curry can still do damage. Chances are, he’ll disappear a lot more quickly and quietly than Marbury or Randolph, even if he’s the one currently looking the most foolish. Benching that kind of salary isn’t the end of the world; other teams might bite; and if Curry’s miserable, he can always opt out.↵
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↵BTW My tears have yet to dry.↵