Eddy Curry opens up about his time with the New York Knicks — “That was the year I started experiencing knee problems”
Eddy Curry
If there’s one way to define Eddy Curry’s New York Knicks tenure, it’s probably “untapped potential.” After his first four years with the Chicago Bulls, he was dubbed the next great center in the NBA. So, when he moved to the Knicks, the organization and fanbase had high expectations for Curry, who, at that time, was offered a six-year $60 million contract.
Why Curry failed to live up to his hype
Unfortunately, Curry did not meet expectations after averaging just 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds during his 5-year stay in New York. Those are average numbers, but it was clear that Curry didn’t become the superstar or next big thing that New York wanted.
According to Curry, his failure to meet expectations was because of injuries, his inability to get in shape, and the fact that he couldn’t jive with his teammates on and off the court.
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“It was hard to do it that time because my knee was hurting a little bit, and I just kinda you know, it was hard to bounce back. At that point, I think we got Z-Bo (Zach Randolph), we just really kinda didn’t mesh well together. That alone and the all the off-court shit man, it takes a toll on you,” Curry said in his latest appearance on the Vlad TV podcast.
Curry’s health problems
The fourth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft dealt with several health issues throughout his career. During his time with the Bulls, Curry felt troubling symptoms of heart arrhythmia as he occasionally would feel chest pains and lightheadedness while on the court. It got to a point where the Bulls were afraid that Curry’s heart situation was severe, hence why they didn’t resign him.
Then during his tenure with the Knicks -- one of the few teams that gambled on him -- Curry admitted that he tweaked his knee at the end of one season and didn’t bother to get it rehabbed during the offseason.
This corresponding knee problem was what hindered his chances of becoming a superstar. It didn’t help that the one-time champion would also often come into training camp overweight, affecting his overall health.
“... I kinda like tweaked my knee at the end of the season and I thought it was no big deal. And, I tried to keep the same regimen that I normally would have which is, I would chill. Half the summer, I would just chill, really, just let my body bounce back for the summer and I would just go hard right before the season started,” Curry admitted.
The center may not have become the superstar he wanted to be, but at least he was still able to ring chase and win a championship with the Miami Heat in 2012. It’s just unfortunate for the Knicks that they had to deal with an “up and coming” superstar that didn’t end up living up to his hype.
