Well Knicks fans have been asking the magical question this season which is, “When will Eddy Curry play?” Well you got your answer today. In a short period of time Eddy Curry was able to get 3 fouls in 3 minutes against the Bobcats. One of Curry’s fouls sent Emeka Okafor flying to the floor. Curry has not played this season because of injuries and off the court tragedies. Even before Eddy’s injuries he looked out of shape in preseason. Now imagine missing almost the entire season except for the few remaining games that he has left. With a few games left in the season I don’t see how Eddy can get in shape and be evaluated by Mike D’Antoni nor Donnie Walsh. Curry will have to be a project for next season. We already know the Knicks want to trade him. The question is who will pick up Curry’s contract and the fact that he has not proven that he will bring his game to the next level rather than taking a decline in production.
The bottom line is I don’t see the Knicks trading Curry anytime soon unless they sacrifice a draft pick at this point. We all know that trading a pick is not Walsh’s style. So get ready to see Eddy next season and maybe the season after in 2011. The question is can he get back to the level he was playing under two seasons ago. In order for that to happen Curry has to take losing weight seriously and condition his body to where he will be able to contribute in Mike D’Antoni’s or any system in the NBA.
A week and a half ago I said the Knicks should start Nate Robinson over Chirs Duhon in the backcourt if the Knicks want to make the playoffs. Now that it looks like the Knicks might miss the playoffs again I am still saying start Nate Robinson. The Knicks can still finish the season strong by starting Nate in the backcourt with Larry Hughes. Last week Mike D’Antoni decided that he was not going to play Nate in the 4th quarter and played Chris Duhon instead. The result was the Knicks lacked the ability to score as well as Duhon commiting key turnovers in crucial minutes that cost the Knicks a win. Duhon is not getting it done. Whether offensive or defensive Duhon seems lost.
Nate is arguably the best player on the team and a very underrated player. Call him out of control or whatever you want, but the guy gets the job done. Too many times we hear about the negative things he does instead of the positive things Nate brings to the table. Off the dribble Nate can not be stopped. He has the ability to drive hard to the basket as well as hit the shot from the outside. The main weakness of Nate is knowing when to take over and when to give the ball up. Nate has had eight 30 and above games in this season alone. Too many times the Knicks start games with a slow start. When Nate starts the Knicks are in the game from the beginning. Why not start the game off with scoring?
As much as Nate Robinson is called out for not playing defense like Duhon, Nate still can get steals and play decent defense on his opponent. When was the last time we saw Duhon play good defense?
Right now Nate is the heart of the Knicks and the fire that ignites the bench. He is one of the players that reminds me of the 90's Knicks (ah, the good ol' days). He might be the smallest player on the team but he plays with the biggest heart. In the game against the Pistons Nate Robinson was able to cash in 30 points and 6 assists. If Nate has an off night he is doing other things on the court aside from scoring, i.e. rebounding, setting up the offense, and playing defense. Mike D’Antoni has a player that is perfect for his system and his name is Nate the Great. If every player played with the fearless attitude of Nate Robinson the Knicks would have been a sure thing to make the playoffs.
All in all, here are my reasons for starting Nate Robinson in the backcourt with Larry Hughes.
1. The Knicks can evaluate if they really want to resign Nate or trade him for a pick.
2. The Knicks can really test out Nate's point guard skills and his cohensiveness with the starting lineup.
3. Duhon is not get it done on offense or defense. So why not have a guy that is going to play with energy from the jump ball to the end of the game like Nate?
4. Nate is playing hard and only Wade, Kobe, and Lebron are playing better than him after the allstar break. So why not reward him for his hard play.
5. Larry Hughes is going to be here next year why not build a relationship with the two backcourt players so they can be ready for next season.
Well Knicks fans have been asking the magical question this season which is, “When will Eddy Curry play?” Well you got your answer today. In a short period of time Eddy Curry was able to get 3 fouls in 3 minutes against the Bobcats. One of Curry’s fouls sent Emeka Okafor flying to the floor. Curry has not played this season because of injuries and off the court tragedies. Even before Eddy’s injuries he looked out of shape in preseason. Now imagine missing almost the entire season except for the few remaining games that he has left. With a few games left in the season I don’t see how Eddy can get in shape and be evaluated by Mike D’Antoni nor Donnie Walsh. Curry will have to be a project for next season. We already know the Knicks want to trade him. The question is who will pick up Curry’s contract and the fact that he has not proven that he will bring his game to the next level rather than taking a decline in production.
