Eddy Curry Not Holding Up His End

It’s been a really, really rough year for Knicks center Eddy Curry, so much so that he’s been given a pass for standing in the way of the Knicks. Rather than rehash too many wrenching details, suffice it to say that he’s earned the right to be left alone by the team and press. Especially since, before that, D’Antoni had effectively stashed him away in the nebulous zone of injury limbo that was a wink-wink, nod-nod agreement that he didn’t fit in.↵
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↵Both Walsh and D’Antoni have made numerous statements suggesting, however charitably, that if Curry just runs and tries he could add something incredible to the Knicks. Or, translation, make himself appealing to other teams, who have doubts about his conditioning issues and work ethic. But again, no one had really been piling on Curry, even though his future in the league is pretty much up in the air at this point.↵
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Now, though, the New York Daily News reveals that, indeed, Curry’s not really holding up his end of this public relations bargain:↵↵⇥The Knicks have grown increasingly frustrated with Curry’s work habits. According to a source, Curry met with D’Antoni last month and promised to begin working out regularly, but on numerous occasions, Curry failed to participate in pregame workouts. Although Curry has told friends he would welcome a trade, Tuesday he pledged his loyalty to the Knicks.↵⇥
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↵⇥“I’m concerned with getting healthy and being ready to go next season,” he said. “Hopefully it is with the Knicks, but if it’s not, I’ll be ready to go with somebody else.”↵↵But see, Curry’s missing the underlying dynamic here. He could’ve spent all season being torn to shreds by the press, with little or no protection from the organization. It hasn’t gone down that way because only a total jerk would go after Curry at this point in his life. But there has been an unspoken compact here: the Knicks shield Curry, make all public statements generally rosy, and convince the press to back off, in exchange for him getting himself together in some very basic ways. Cynically, Curry’s tragedies have allowed him to dodge the spotlight and focus on figuring out his professional future ... except he hasn’t.↵
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↵There have been mentions of him playing in the summer league, but with Curry’s contract having a player option this summer, and teams stingier than ever, looks for D’Antoni to hire some kind of fancy assistant whose sole job is to turn Eddy Curry back into a sale-able commodity (even if he can ultimately plead a mismatch of style). Or if Curry’s still going to have lingering emotional disturbances that make it hard for him to fall in line and salvage his career, maybe he should forgo that player option and take some time for himself.↵