Curry expects to play tonight when Knicks face Spurs
Last Updated: 2:27 PM, March 10, 2010
Posted: 2:19 AM, March 10, 2010
Comments: 26
PrintTonight, Eddy Curry will be feeling some butterflies. Because it's been a while since he even has been active for a game, let alone played in one.
With 19 games to go, the Knicks' perpetually injured big man is set to return to action in San Antonio tonight.
Curry hasn't played since Dec. 17, missing 38 straight games, thanks in part to coach Mike D'Antoni's decision not to play him but mainly to the left knee surgery Curry underwent in January.
"Feeling pretty good. Just go out there [tonight] and see what I can do," Curry said after practice yesterday. "[I'm] a little bit nervous. I haven't played in so long. But I'm looking forward to the opportunity."
Curry is averaging just 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes this season, and it's pretty much an unknown what he can offer now. When D'Antoni was asked yesterday what his expectation was on what Curry could give the Knicks and also how much he would look to play him, the coach replied, "No idea and no idea."
"With a lot of these guys, we'll just kind of feel it out and see how he goes and he'll tell me and I'll look at it," D'Antoni said. "I do want to play him and keep amping up the minutes a little bit. But I would imagine the first week or so is going to be kind of rocky, and we'll have to go from there."
Said David Lee, "He's strong as hell in the paint. There's no doubt about
that. He's getting his timing back with catching and finishing and things like that. And those are things that'll come. But anytime you're a big body like he is inside and you have as quick feet as he does, the only thing that's going to be a little bit short is probably cardio, but he can pick that up in a few games."
Curry has only played in seven games this season, and they haven't even been all consecutive. He missed the season's first 10 games with a torn right plantaris muscle, then came back to play four straight games in November. But a sore left knee sent him to the sidelines after that, and he didn't play again until Dec. 11 when he played three more times. So, no, Curry has not played in the 2010 calendar year yet.
D'Antoni called it "a good chance [for Curry] to start anew and get him back on track," and Curry hopes to have the remainder of the season be a springboard.
"I'm just looking at it as an opportunity to go out there and get some games in and try to go into the summer with some kind of momentum," he said. "It's all about me just trying to get some kind of rhythm."
While Curry expects to play tonight, Tracy McGrady remains questionable. He sat out Monday's game due to soreness and fatigue, and he participated in yesterday's warm-ups but not the full practice. D'Antoni wasn't sure if McGrady would be available tonight.
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Comments (26)
Post Your Commentrenegadeknicks63
03/11/2010 5:03 AM
EDDY out again , right calf tightened up. The man can not play through pain.
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
03/11/2010 2:52 AM
Rumor has it that Eddie Air marburned sneakers suffered a double blow out during warmups which caused Eddie to skid into the 4 row while taking out several seats. Luckily, no one was hurt in this accident.
Eddie Curry then sat on the bench. Goes and gets his happy mealsss, supersized of course, at half time.
SinKnick
03/10/2010 11:11 PM
I win, I win......
DNP Coach's Decision.
No Eddy tonight, but Darko got 12 boards for the T-Wolves. Oh and the Knicks got outrebounded by 21,
"We don't need no stink' center" Mike D'Antoni
mnowick
03/10/2010 11:06 PM
So right SinKnick...more of the same downright illogical, nonsensical behavior from D'Antoni, et al. Curry vs San Antonio - DNP. How do they expect to evaluate his worth, much less let other teams evaluate it, if he doesn't play. Is the coach such an egomaniqac that he can't see the value in getting as much playing time out of a player with so many question marks surrounding him, who is under contract for next season, when the remaining games are meaningless?
Donnie Walsh
03/10/2010 4:32 PM
Hopefully Eddy stays healthy til the end of the season and doesn't put on weight in the off season.
I don't see how Walsh would even think of buying his contract out since we could leverage some draft picks out of moving his contract to a desparate team.
D'Anphoni would play my Uncle Leo at this point.
Hopefully somebody in mgmt has a clue for next season.
Whether we get Lebron, Wade or Bust - I believe we can still put together a strong, competitive, defense oriented winning team if we sign, trade for and draft the right players with the right chemistry.
But its going take a Coach like Jeff Van Gundy to steer the ship in the right direction.
And both Walsh and D'Anphoni are in complete denial.
renegadeknicks63
03/10/2010 3:39 PM
Nate Robinson has scored 6,0 and 5 points in his last three games.
jeml
03/10/2010 11:55 AM
What side of the court should this guy stand ?
jeml
03/10/2010 11:54 AM
What side of the court should this guy stand ?