The Heat privately discussed free agent center Eddy Curry but decided he wouldn’t help this season. But the Heat is intrigued and will explore it this summer. Curry, who played in just 10 games over the past 2½ years because of knee problems and other issues, won’t work out for any team until he is further along in his conditioning program with Chicago trainer Tim Grover.

 

 

It is believed that Walsh and Mike D’Antoni feel the team would be giving up too much. Garden chairman James Dolan has had direct involvement in the negotiations and may ultimately overrule his basketball staff

And you’d have to assume that the “starter” is Landry Fields. This deal doesn’t solve the team’s need up front and Billups isn’t a Mike D’Antoni-type point guard, so I can see the hesitation. It is a ton. Plus, Donnie Walsh, since he’s been here, waits until the deadline before dealing. Of course, he did pull the trigger on several deals in November of 2008, but any time the deadline rolls around Walsh traditionally stays patient. That is to say I don’t buy an owner override if this exact deal happens 9 days from now. Walsh won’t deal with a game left before the break and one has to assume, based on history, that a deal won’t happen during it either. But it’s good to know that it appears both parties are working on banging out a deal.

Last I heard, the teams were getting very close.

For me, if the Nuggets took back two starters and you substituted Chandler for Gallinari that deal has to be made.

I can understand Denver’s hesitation on including Chandler and instead preferring Gallinari, who, the Knicks desperately want to keep. Gallo is just 22, on a good contract and of course was the first 1st round draft pick of the Walsh era in New York.

Chandler is on a different contract, but it appears the rumors that he’ll be asking for 5 years/60 million have quieted although he has hired Amar’e Stoudemire’s agent Hap Walters, a shrewd mid-season move that may just keep him in New York.

Stay tuned.

Believe it or not, there’s a good chance Landry Fields may go through a period of poor play too. Danilo Gallinari hasn’t had a very consistent season to say the least. Plus Ronny Turiaf has been hurt and Toney Douglas hasn’t been all that great either. All great signs. This team CAN, and needs to, be better.

“We can definitely get to another level,” Felton said after producing 17 points and 13 assists. “We can get even better.”

So why must we continue to hear about Eddy Curry?

The obvious answer is that the team is only 2 games over .500, one bad loss from all the questions starting again. But last night’s win, and the team’s overall performance on the road, really has me thinking that the team has turned a corner and is playing, not just to make the playoffs, but to beat who ever is in their paths.

If you believe it, you can do it. Just ask the Jets. Now, D’Antoni isn’t preaching championships like Rex Ryan boasts Super Bowls, but you can see the expectations climbing. And that is really fun to watch.

It’s why injecting Curry, even for a few moments, makes no sense. Shawne Williams (whose signing with the Knicks was first reported by TKB), now that’s a different story. The guy can make shots and worked himself into shape. He looked like he was often going to puke during camp, but he stayed ready and came in and contributed in a major way.

“I should’ve done it [put him in the lineup] a few month ago,” D’Antoni told reporters in reference to playing Williams. “I got up the courage [this week].”

It’s a simple answer to an even more simple question. Curry has played 10, count them, 10 NBA games in the last 27 months. His legs wouldn’t allow him to get through training camp, where he wasn’t even asked to do all too much physically. He could take a break whenever he wanted. Unlike high school tryouts, he was never in danger of getting cut. Ever try to play in your local “A” recreation league after not playing competitively for a year?

Don’t get me wrong, I loved what Curry brought to the team last year in his brief cameo. He was playing hard, getting to the line and being effective. The problem was playing hard. It caused him to get hurt.

It’s hard to say whether Curry could even get through a group of games. He couldn’t last year and couldn’t get through camp. If you’re the coach, there’s no reason to even risk it at this point, because of the fact that the team is really in a groove and you don’t want to mess that up.

Should they need help up front, there is help via trade or free agency.

About Eddy, that is, whom he said has only shown “spurts” of being able to go, MD’A said.

But “spurts,” as they did last season, could derail the Knicks’ train.

So if you happen to be down on, for example, how Timofey Mozgov has regressed since training camp (it’s almost entirely from the neck up) and Ronny Turiaf’s ongoing knee issues, don’t expect Eddy to ride to the rescue…

Remember, he already got half of the $11.3 million he’s due this season over the summer, per terms of his deal (and his need for cash because of his off-court financial issues). By February, buying him out will cost less than half of the half he’s owed, in the $2-2.5 million range.

The only way he plays again for the Knicks is if they run out of bigs and they’re desperate or some team that wants his contract wants a bit of a showcase.

So don’t hold your breath.

Sadly, Curry did help for those 2 games last year. But it’s impossible to expect a player whose legs haven’t held up after a few short training camp sessions, to make any significant impact at the NBA level.

Curry/Azubuike doing sidework. That’s Anthony Mason in the long sleeve orange shirt.

Az doing lateral shooting drills…sounds like he’s close to participating in 5 on 5.

Randolph is listed as questionable.

Stop me if you heard this before. Eddy Curry isn’t practicing.

The Knicks have enlisted former Knicks defensive stalwart Anthony Mason to work with Eddy Curry and try to motivate him to save his career, The Post has learned.

Mason, a former Knicks forward who embodied the team’s defense and toughness from the 1991-1996 glory days, wore a Knicks coaching shirt yesterday and appeared briefly on the court. But mostly Mason’s work with Curry will be behind the scenes, in the weight room where they will be workout partners…

Every since I’ve been allowed to attend practice, everything surrounding Curry has been “behind the scenes.” Mason spent a lot of time at training camp and spoke one on one with Donnie Walsh for an extended period of time.

“I admired Mason as a player and I’m trying to help him,” Walsh said. “He wants to get back into the league. I don’t know if it’s going to [be] us who hires him, but if someone calls, I’ll help him.”…

People close to Mason believe he has coaching potential, because he carved a career from hard work. He rose from the CBA, improved every season, was coachable and played smart.

Pat Riley didn’t always find Mason coachable, and he often had run-ins with players in practice. And while “hard work” is a big ingredient to coaching, it takes a lot more than that, and I’m not sure how you teach Mase’s greatest strength…which was strength and toughness.

Mike D’Antoni officially has another man crush — Timofey Mozgov…D’Antoni has tried to stop himself from gushing over Mozgov like he used to gush over Danilo Gallinari and David Lee. But D’Antoni has already called Mozgov training camp’s brightest light. In the preseason opener, the sturdy center scored a smooth 10 points with five rebounds in 19 minutes….But D’Antoni is still leery of giving him the starting job

D’Antoni never mentioned Eddy Curry, expected to be waived after February’s trading deadline when his expiring contract no longer is a trading pawn.

I would think that’s assuming they don’t include his contract in a deal before the deadline. And to be honest, Mozgov has been a bright spot all camp. The biggest positive for me has been his ability to finish at the rim and protect it. If he can curb his foul problem, he’ll be a definite rotation player.