Walsh: Curry May Play Tuesday

by Tommy Dee on November 30th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

Via Zagsblog:

“…GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Knicks president Donnie Walsh said injured center Eddy Curry could potentially play in Tuesday night’s game against Phoenix at Madison Square Garden.

“I think we’ll know something tomorrow [Tuesday],” Walsh told SNY exclusively after practice Monday.

“He got banged in his knee and there was fluid in there so they wanted to give it a couple of days. I think he’s going to try it tomorrow [Tuesday] and then we’ll find out.”

The 6-foot-11 Curry has been inactive for three games with a sore left knee and hasn’t competed since playing about six minutes in a Nov. 24 loss to Los Angeles.

“It’s still a little puffy and swollen and they’re trying to get it down,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “As soon as they get it down, he’ll be able to play.”

Curry could help the Knicks’ interior defense. The team is currently the third-worst defensive team in the NBA.

The Knicks are also hoping to showcase Curry, who played just three games last season, in order to potentially trade him to open up space for the free agents of 2010.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter…”

Notes: D’Antoni was asked if he still was paying attention to what the Suns were (14-3) doing and if he thought they were still “his team”:

“…Alvin (Gentry) is doing a terrific job,” D’Antoni said. “Spreading the floor and shooting threes and running up and down. They are doing a heck of a job…Every coach adds his own touches and I’m suure he has his own stuff. Whatever he’s doing it’s working.”

It’s too easy to say that Gentry is coaching Mike’s system, and the coach was correct in saying that coaches add their own stamp. It’s not a given that coaches who take over a successful system built by the previous coach can have success. Gentry was as well-respected an assistant coach as there is in the NBA, but that didn’t translate to success in Miami, Detroit or the Clippers.

I am not one to say that defense wins championships. To me, it’s the team with the highest point differential. For those of you who love stats, don’t look at anything other than +/- in terms of points scored vs. given up. Here are the top 5 all of whom have 12 wins or more- two of those teams allow more than 102 PPG.

1) Boston- +8.58
2) Lakers +7.87
3) Phoenix +7.47
4) Denver +6.47
5) Dallas +6.29

The Knicks are the third worst with a -7.29 +/- and are shooting 43% from the field.

  • Campbana

    Knicks, Hornets, Rockets trade
    by 2010-NYK on Nov 30, 2009 1:15 AM EST 17 comments

    So Britt Robson, over at Inside the NBA, wrote about his thoughts on the state of the Hornets, and a potential fire sale in New Orleans.

    He surmises that if rookie Darren Collison proves himself a competent floor general, that coupled with him making $12.3 million dollars less then CP3, majority owner George Shinn may be forced to make a move to save money in light of serious financial hardships in one of the smallest markets in the country.

    So his comments got me thinking … how in the heck NY can take advantage of the situation and land CP3 with this roster!

    Running the numbers, it seems that by moving Eddy Curry ($10.5, 2yrs), Wilson Chandler ($1.2, 2yrs + team options) & Cuttino Mobley ($9.5, 1yr), while taking in Chris Paul ($13.5, 4yr) and Emeka Okafor ($10.7, 6yr) this unlikely scenario actually becomes possible under the cap rules.

    New Orleans, while losing a superstar player in CP3, would save $12.563 mill this season because an insurance company is paying Mobley’s contract due to his health condition, and they would save around $43 million dollars over the next 5 years by shedding Okafor’s long term deal for Curry’s short term one.

    Now here comes the 2010 cap space issue!

    New York is currently about $30.315 mill over the $57.7 million dollar cap, that’s a payroll of $88.015 million dollars. Thanks to moves by Donnie Walsh, NY will shed $57,753,943 million dollars, or there abouts. That purging of 7 expiring contracts creates about $30,261,593 million dollars in cap room, which is nice but not enough to sign two $20 million dollar a year players, which is what a Lebron James/Dwayne Wade go for these days.

    Now if NYK did the deal with NO, then that brings in $24.318 million dollars (2 players) while moving $21.255 million (3 players) over to the Hornets. That means NY just subtracted $3.063 million from their cap room, now totaling $27.198 million dollars. Not enough to sign both Lebron and Bosh but hey NY got CP3 in the deal so a pairing of LBJ & CP3 is even better then a pairing of LBJ & CB4.

    Now assuming NY manages this trade with New Orleans, how do they create even more cap room for 2010??? Well with the trade for CP3 a done deal that makes Emeka Okafor the player that must be moved; so with that in mind lets examine the Houston Rockets.

    With the Rockets intent on moving T-Mac’s $22.8 million dollar expiring contract, and in serious need of a center with Yao injured, the Knicks and 27 year old Emeka Okafor (who is always healthy) seem like potential trade partners. New York can move Okafor and Larry Hughes ($13.6mill, 1yr), both players that play good defense, which is something Houston head coach Rick Adelman stresses, and Houston can finally be done with T-Mac and his disruptive presence.

    Now switching T-Mac’s expiring contract for Okafor’s long term deal should raise the Knicks cap space from $27.1 million to about $39.2 million dollars. That kind of cap room is more then enough to land LBJ & CB4.

    I know what you all are thinking. This man is crazy!!! Maybe so! But hey crazier things have happened, just examine the list below vvv

    Crazy Trades

    1. Pau to Lakers for Brown.

    2. 2 Lottery picks traded away for Eddy Curry by Thomas

    3. 2 Lottery picks traded away for Stephon Marbury by Thomas

    4. Kobe Bryant traded on draft night by Charlotte to Lakers

    Crazy stuff happens I tell ya!!!

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    very interesting…but it all depends on Curry.

    how could the hornets justify taking 2 starters and only having chandler to show on the roster?

  • donnie walsh

    Very creative idea. Would have to think theyre gonna want chandler/gallo/ a billion picks to sweeten this from their end

  • LJohnson2k8

    Sounds great and well thought out. I have been wondering if there was a chance that cp3 comes to the knicks in a trade that won’t affect 2010 and lbj. I believe if walsh investigates he may be able to swing a deal and I know cp3 would do anything to play on the knicks and being the Hornets are in cost cutting mode and the rumors that they want to get rid of okafur we would get a rebounding shot blocker with a all star pg to boot.

  • HaS

    I think they’d have Chandler and Curry Tommy.

    In my best Captain Jean-Luc Picard voice “Make it so.” lol

  • LJohnson2k8

    Curry is a lost cause injury prone with a big contract bad combination but I am willing to give up Lee, Chandler, and you nate is gone because cp3 and nate don’t get along.

  • HaS

    Throw in Gallinari, Hill and Douglas if need be.

  • Peso

    Now That’s GM of the year honors if that can get pulled off huh…

    With the latest financial crunch some NBA owners are seeing that scenario seems plausible but I can see a pick going in there somewhere to sweeten it for N.O…

    Good post Campbana!

  • Peso

    Campbana….Just checked trade checker….This scenario won’t work on New Orleans end due to the BYC cap rules…might need another team to be in play to work…

  • dogmanx23

    Nice idea but it would take a lot more then Eddy/Mobley/Chandler to get Paul and Okafor.

    Something like

    Eddy/Mobley/Chandler/Hill/1 or 2 future 1st rd picks

    for

    Okafor/Paul/Bobby Brown/Devin Brown

    This works out tried it on ESPN trade Machine.

    Then move Okafor and try to get some young talent back or a pick. If its just expiring contracts add Jeffries to that trade.

  • donnie walsh

    Gallinari
    Chandler
    Mobley
    Darko
    2 future first rounders

    for

    Paul Okafor

    they could probably do better, but this works with the cap

  • JASONHAYES

    GM of the century! For the Knicks organization, if Donnie pulled that off. He would be legend!

  • donnie walsh

    The idea they’d take curry is just crazy though. They can probably get better talent back from every other team in the league. I reeeaaalllly doubt we could give them an overweight/ constantly injured player making 11mil next year. I figure theyd want a combination of expiring/young players/ picks

  • dogmanx23

    3 way trade that could work.

    Eddy/Mobley/Chandler/Hill/1 or 2 future 1st rd picks to NO

    Paul/D.Brown/B.Brown NY, Claxton/ D. George/ S. Curry or A. Randolph to NY

    Okafor to GS

    Claxton and George don’t even get used in GS and this would give them the big they always wanted. So its Curry or Randolph for Okafor.

  • http://myspace.com/willhanza Will H

    A Chris Paul fire-sale will draw all-comers. Most teams would cut off their left leg to land him. I like the idea and I think there is truth i being able to help the Hornets cost save. I do think other teams could offer so much more.

  • JLS125

    I’m not sure in this situation that NO feels that they can get any cheap talent back. I think it’ll probably be a money dump especially considering how much Okafor makes. They probably thought that they had a window of opportunity to compete for a championship when they made the trade for Okafor. However, with the GM in place as coach I think he’s assessed that the team isn’t improving and may have reached its peak. NO doesn’t have deep pockets and anyone who wants CP3 and/or Okafor is going to have to be able to take on the contracts and return contracts that expire relatively quickly. I’m interested to see if they get anything close to the combination of cap space, talent and picks that they would love to find in a trade partner.

  • Realist_Knick_Fan

    Don’t they have to trade Mobley’s contract in the next few days for the other team to get the benefit you think the other team would receive???

    Just ask yourself – if the Knicks had Chris Paul – and we were offered Eddy Curry, Wilson Chandler, and Cutino Mobley – Chris Paul the best PG in the game and a guy you have a foundation building block – would you make this deal if you are the Knicks?

    Come on – this is not a video game – this is Chris Paul we are talking about. It makes no sense other than a Knicks’ fan trying to get out from under the Eddy Curry contract. Here’s something we need to realistically learn – Eddy Curry is not going anywhere until after the 2010 FA frenzy and next season when he becomes an expiring contract. The best chance to deal Eddy Curry will be next year.

    And I love that the crazy trades involve two of IT’s beauties and the other by the only GM who can challenge IT for worst GM – Chris Wallace of Memphis. Classic.

  • Realist_Knick_Fan

    All that would need to happen – if Paul is put on the market – would be for the Kings to say okay – take our 1st round pick unprotected plus Tyreke Evans as a starting point – and based on that proposal alone – would be anything better we could offer. Evans is better than any player on our roster – and we do not have a draft pick this year. Paul would not be able to rescue the Kings directly from the lottery and into the playoffs – so the Hornets would have a lottery pick in a loaded draft.

    Our future picks would be meaningless to the Hornets – b/c Paul next year coupled with a FA in 2010 – and two if this crazy trading Okafor to Houston – would ruin the Hornets draft position in 2011 b/c we would be in the playoffs if we offered an unprotected 2011 draft choice.

    Sorry – we are stuck w/ Curry – not going anywhere until he becomes an expiring contract next season.

  • Realist_Knick_Fan

    The only thing that can save the Knicks right now is that Eddy Curry does the noble thing and exercises the ETO on his contract.

    ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO ETO

    It will never happen – so we are stuck with the dude. I have him playing 31 games this season.

  • Mucha

    I don’t really understand the BYC condition, what is Paul’s outgoing trade value? $13.5 or $6.7 million?

    Jordan Hill, Wilson Chandler, Jared Jeffries and a 2012 first round draft pick for Chris Paul and Devin Brown?

    The Knicks would still have enough capspace to offer LeBron James a max contract.

  • Mucha

    *for Chris Paul, Devin Brown and the Antonio Daniels trade exception

  • joeyballz

    Does anyone know when the league will decide on Mobley’s contract. I thought it was supposed to be during the end of November but I have not heard any news on when the ruling is actually scheduled for.

    Can anyone enlighten?

  • Bob go knicks

    isnt LSD groovyman?

  • Bob go knicks

    someone says that everytime a ridiculous trade is posed in our favor

  • BiggieSmalls

    Hell throw in D;Antoni too.

  • BiggieSmalls

    Include Gallo and two number ones and Id still do it.

  • BiggieSmalls

    the Knicks have to apply to the team to have his salary removed from teh cap for the rest of the year..

    So Donnie saves Dolan teh Lux tax payment on the retired player.. thats it.

    The league doesnt do anything until the team applies for the retired player exemption.