Surprise! Eddy Curry Fat And Injured Again
In the continuing depressing saga of Eddy Curry, once again he showed up to training camp overweight and by the third day had injured himself. Even though we all pretty much counted him out, I still actually find it shocking that he seems to completely not care about this season since he’ll be playing for a contract. As it is now, being out-of-shape and injured, there is a decent chance he literally might not play at all this season.
Sure, some team will still make him an offer since we’re going through an age where bigs like Darko, Amir Johnson and Tyrus Thomas get huge paydays despite playing limited minutes. But had he come to camp in fighting shape, even if coach Mike D’Antoni still refused to play him, it would’ve shown other teams that at least he still cares.
Honestly, if he truly cared, did a serious off-season regimen and got himself right mentally, he could’ve gotten some playing time. Yes, he has no defensive abilities, but that ain’t exactly a liability in D’Antoni’s system. The thing that’s most held him back from being in the rotation was that he was unable to run up and down the court. That’s an easily rectifiable problem.
Had he fixed that issue, he quite honestly might’ve been able to get a new contract that earned him somewhere between $7-10 million a year and lasted for several seasons. Instead he’ll likely get offers that top out at say $2 million and maybe 2 years (if anything). In other words, his laziness and unwillingness to spend just a few months getting in shape, literally might’ve cost him as much as $35 million dollars. I realize $35 million for him isn’t as huge as it is for you and I, but he’s supposedly had some money issues (and legal issues), so it ain’t like he’s set for life and doesn’t need to worry about a contract.
For more depressing details on how pitiful Curry’s been, check out these excerpts from a New York Times article:
Through two days of practice, Curry has been relegated to the third unit, with the rookies and free-agent invitees. He has slogged through drills. On Saturday night, he was lapped by an entire group of players as they weaved through cones around the court.
By the end of Sunday’s practice, the third of camp, Curry was a spectator, watching his teammates jog with medicine balls while he stood near a basket stanchion. He is nursing a tight hamstring, making this the third straight camp that Curry has been injured.
[…] Asked if Curry was already behind, D’Antoni said, “Well, yeah.”
The setback was almost predictable. Curry reported to camp weighing 325 pounds — a 20-pound increase since April — according to a person in the organization.
Team officials had asked Curry to come back closer to 300 pounds. They also asked him to attend voluntary workouts in July and September. Curry never showed. He was the only player not to attend voluntary workouts and scrimmages this month.
[…] Although it is early, D’Antoni’s training camp lineups have generally served as an accurate indicator of his preferences. [Ronny] Turiaf, a career backup, has been playing center on the first unit so far, alongside [Amar’e] Stoudemire (who can also play center). [Timofey] Mozgov and [Anthony] Randolph, two promising prospects, are anchoring the second-unit frontcourt.