The Knicks Fix

The Eddy Curry trade has been a debate among the writers on the Knicks beat lately, especially after some recent stories promoted the idea that the trade can now be deemed a success for the Knicks.

Oh really.

Some of us like to let time take its course and view the entire body of work before we start promoting theories and ideas and even proclamations. Others like to jump the gun, from suggesting such things as Defensive Player of the Year consideration for Jared Jeffries (after one game!) to Coach of the Year honors for Isiah Thomas (for a sub-.500 record!). Why not Rookie of the Year for Stephon Marbury, while you're at it? I mean, if his game has been "re-born" then, technically, he's a rookie again, right?

It's absurd to say the book can be closed on the Curry trade after one season and before the lottery for this year's draft and before the Bulls select whomever they are going to select with the Knicks pick.

Fact: Curry has had a nice arrival season, not quite a breakout -- that should come next season, when he double-doubles every night and shows off an ability to intimidate on defense -- but certainly worth noting. Fact: He has yet to reach his potential, which is why he didn't get voted (by coaches) to the all-star team. Fact: He's got a terrific personality and the right demeanor to deal with the New York media and the annoyance it can be, which means he should be successful here. Fact: The Bulls traded away what is now their most glaring need: a big man. And they once had two of them (see: Tyson Chandler).

But what's also a fact is that for years the Native Americans who sold Manhattan to Dutch settlers for a mere pittance were mocked for being ripped off by the Europeans. Later on, however, we learn those Indians didn't own the land, nor even reside on what was Manhattan island. So they walked away with beads and trinkets worth $24 (which calculates to about $700 now) in exchange for something they didn't even own.

So who really won out in that deal? The Dutch are gone. The trinkets might have lasted longer.

Eddy's coming along great. Let's just let him develop before we make declarations. And let's just see what the Bulls do with the Knicks pick (it's a longshot they'll get No. 1, unless the Knicks really tank, so Oden and Durant might not be in the equation...exhale, Knicks fans), what comes of Tyrus Thomas, and revisit this trade when we know all of the facts.

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* - Isiah Thomas appreciates what Joe Dumars did with the Pistons, bringing back the facets of the championship era, from the personality of the team to the uniforms. "They’ve gone back to their tradition," Thomas says. "We fought so hard to establish a tradition and a way of doing things in Detroit and for awhile they went away from their logo, they changed the colors, they did a lot of to go away from what Detroit really stood for . . . When he came back, that was the first thing that he put back in place. Now the players and coaches and everyone have a road map to follow and a certain style and a way to play. That was a culture that we fought hard to build and then it went away, and when he came back, that was the first thing he put in place. So the foundation is there for them to continue to have great success.”

So with that, we hope, Thomas' plan is to build the Knicks in the image of the Knicks tradition. But which one? Though both were built around a key centerpiece -- the big man -- Thomas seems to want to reflect the championship era teams from the 1970s, the Willis Reed/Walt Frazier group, more than the Patrick Ewing era of the 1990s, which was more of a revival but fell short of titles. Which era would you rather see the current Knicks emulate?

* - With the Islanders miraculous finish to the hockey season (Yes, I was watching. How could I not?), it means the New York metro area is 7 for 7 in playoff teams going back to last fall. The Mets and Yankees, the Jets and Giants and the Islanders, Devils and Rangers. Once the Nets clinch, that will make 8 for 8. But it looks like the Knicks are about to snap that streak.