Curry back, trims the fat

Eddy Curry’s first full-contact practice went off without a hitch Thursday, and it seemed his teammates were happier at that fact than Curry himself.    

The usually evasive Curry ducked out before the media could corner him, but that didn’t stop others from praising the slimmed-down big man.    

“He looked good, real athletic for his first time [practicing],” said Chris Duhon. “He played really well. Once he gets back into basketball shape he’ll give us a guy who can score inside, especially when our shots aren’t falling.”  

Whether the Knicks get the old Curry, who used to regularly put up 20 and 10 or not, everyone is pleased to see Curry healthy, in shape and smiling. It’s as if the Knicks’ center is actually working for his $10.5 million salary again.

Curry had a miserable year and a half on and off the court, which included a sexual harassment accusation and the murder of his ex-girlfriend.

“He looked real quick and the enthusiasm was there, which was good to see,” said coach Mike D’Antoni. “He has to learn the offense a bit, but when I asked how he was doing, he said, ‘great.’”

The Knicks hope Curry is back in time for Wednesday’s matchup at Indiana. The last time the teams met, the Pacers’ 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert dominated with 15 points, 14 rebounds.

With three winnable games on the horizon – Golden State, New Jersey, and Indiana – now is the time for the Knicks to take advantage. The return of Robinson and Curry, along with the emergence of rookie point guard Toney Douglas, could benefit the Knicks and perhaps even start a winning streak of their own.

-- Knicks Notes

- Chris Duhon knows he’s struggling and is actually remorseful over it. “I know how important I am to this team and how important I am to us playing well,” Duhon said. “It just keeps adding on and I just need to relax and not try so hard. I take responsibility for [the team’s struggles].” When asked if he thinks he still has the support of the team, especially D’Antoni, Duhon felt so. “He’s with me. I’m not fighting this battle by myself.”

- D’Antoni reiterated that moments later: “Duhon is my point guard. He’s in a funk and we just have to get him out of it. I’m not shedding or throwing people overboard…because if it was just him, then that’s one thing but there are a lot of guys struggling.”

- Duhon is also just as frustrated with the team’s play overall “We play well for eight, nine minute stretches and then play poorly for eight, nine minutes. We’re not a good enough team yet to do that.”
- Robinson is close to suiting up again for the first time in six games. Said D’Antoni, “He practiced good. We’ll see how he wakes up [on Friday]. And if he feels good, he’ll play [tonight versus Golden State].”