Eddy Curry's days as the Knicks' franchise center are apparently over. Or at least suspended until he does the little things like, say, defend and rebound.
Isiah Thomas, who benched Curry for the final 20 minutes of Friday night's 101-96 loss to the Bulls, made a startling admission when he told reporters that the player he acquired from Chicago two years ago in exchange for two lottery picks and a bunch of expiring contracts may never become the all-around center the Knicks thought he could be.
"There are certain things he probably won't ever be good at doing," Thomas said. "We want to make sure he keeps doing the things he knows how to do well."
When asked to be more specific, Thomas replied: "He scores well. He may never be a great defender or a great rebounder. But he's a great scorer and we're going to use that."
Thomas made those comments before Curry went scoreless in 13 minutes as the Knicks (6-16) lost their fifth straight. Curry's regression reached epic proportions in his hometown and against the team that took him with fourth pick of the 2001 NBA draft. He missed all five shots he attempted - all in the first half - and never looked into the game. He also suffered the ignominy of having Luol Deng swat a short jump hook and Andres Nocioni reject not one, but two dunks. (...)
