Eddy Curry

Infobox NBA Player
name = Eddy Curry


position = Center
height_ft = 6 | height_in = 11
weight_lbs = 285
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date and age|1982|12|5
birth_place = Harvey, Illinois
highschool = Thornwood
league = NBA
team = New York Knicks
college = None
draft = 4th overall
draft_year = 2001
draft_team = Chicago Bulls
number = 34
career_start = 2001
former_teams = Chicago Bulls (2001–2005)
awards =

Eddy Curry Jr. (born December 5 1982) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA currently with the New York Knicks. He was born in Harvey, Illinois. He is 6'11" (2.11 m) and 285 lb (129 kg), and has a wingspan of 7'6½" (2.30 m). [ [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/eddy_curry/bio.html NBA.com : Eddy Curry Bio Page] ]

High school

Prior to becoming considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation as a senior at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry aspired to be a gymnast and did not pick up basketball until the seventh grade when he reluctantly went out for the school team. In 2001, Curry led his team to second place in the IHSA State Playoffs. He was named to the 1998, 1999 and 2000 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament teams.

Curry is one of three current professional athletes who call Thornwood their alma mater, the others being St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Cliff Floyd.

NBA Draft

Curry had signed a letter of intent to play at DePaul University but declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft in which the Chicago Bulls made him the fourth overall pick. The decision to draft Curry and pair him alongside fellow rookie Tyson Chandler was a major surprise to many basketball fansWho|date=August 2008 given that both players were high school seniors. In trying to rebuild from the Michael Jordan era, both Curry and Chandler wore uniform numbers that when put together read 23; Curry wore number 2, and Chandler number 3.

Professional career

Curry's contribution was limited during his rookie year due to limited minutes. Curry improved in his second year, leading the NBA in field goal percentage (58.5%) and becoming the first Bull to lead the league in a major statistical category since Michael Jordan in 1998. His 2002-03 season was widely considered a disappointment as he failed to live up to expectations after a strong finish to the previous year. In the 2004-05 season the Bulls improved by 28 wins and made the playoffs as the 22-year-old Curry led the team in scoring before being hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. This caused him to miss the last 13 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs. On June 24, 2005, heart specialists cleared Curry to resume practice. On October 3, 2005, after refusing on privacy grounds to submit to a DNA test, as requested by Bulls management, to assess whether he has a congenital heart condition, Curry was traded to the New York Knicks. The trade included the Bulls' Antonio Davis, as well as the Knicks' Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, and Jermaine Jackson. [ [http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/curry_traded_051004.html Bulls Re-Sign Curry, Complete Sign-and-Trade with Knicks] ] First-round draft picks were also exchanged in the trade - which later came back to haunt the Knicks as they had a poor 2005-06 season in which Curry averaged 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (numbers that were significantly down from the previous season). Curry's inability to defend and rebound was a source of frustration for former coaches Scott Skiles and Larry Brown. When asked by a reporter in 2003 what Curry needed to do to become a better rebounder, Skiles simply replied: "Jump." [ [http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/360620p-307293c.html New York Sports - NY Daily News ] ] The 2006-07 season saw a resurgence in Curry's performance under new coach Isiah Thomas, with Curry anointed the team's primary offensive option, averaging career highs in points (19.6), rebounds (7.1), and minutes (34.9) per game. On April 7, 2007 Curry scored a career-best 43 points in an overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks; his first three-pointer of the season forcing the game into the extra period. [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270407015 Curry nets 43, grabs 13 boards and forces OT with 3-pointer] , April 8, 2007] Curry is 2 for 2 (100%) from three-point range in his NBA career.

Cardiac problems

Several prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play, but Barry Maron, a world-renowned specialist in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, suggested the DNA test. [ [http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Arrhythmias/tb/1843 Medical News: Full Court Press on Hoop Star Curry to Get DNA Testing - in Cardiovascular, Arrhythmias from MedPage Today ] ] During the team's media day, Bulls General Manager John Paxson said he understood the privacy issues involved but insisted the Bulls did not have an ulterior motive; they simply do not want a situation similar to those of former Boston Celtics guard Reggie Lewis or Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers—players with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who collapsed and died.

Awards and accomplishments

NBA

* Led league in field goal percentage, 2002-03

High school and college

* "USA Today" First Team All-American
* "PARADE" High School Player of the Year
* Earned Illinois Mr. Basketball honors
* MVP of the McDonald's All-American game after scoring 28 points with 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in leading the West to a 131-125 victory
* Led Thornwood High School to the Illinois State Championship game, averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots, shooting .640 from the floor, including 25.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in the state tournament. Averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, along with 4.8 blocks, as a junior.
* Was selected to the State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

-
align="left" | 2001–02
align="left" | Chicago
72 || 31 || 16.0 || .501 || .000 || .656 || 3.8 || .3 || .2 || .7 || 6.7
-
align="left" | 2002–03
align="left" | Chicago
81 || 48 || 19.4 || .585 || .000 || .624 || 4.4 || .5 || .2 || .8 || 10.5
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Chicago
73 || 63 || 29.5 || .496 || 1.000 || .671 || 6.2 || .9 || .3 || 1.1 || 14.7
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | Chicago
63 || 60 || 28.7 || .538 || .000 || .720 || 5.4 || .6 || .3 || .9 || 16.1
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | New York
72 || 69 || 25.9 || .563 || .000 || .632 || 6.0 || .3 || .4 || .8 || 13.6
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | New York
81 || 81 || 35.2 || .576 || 1.000 || .615 || 7.0 || .8 || .4 || .5 || 19.5
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | New York
59 || 58 || 25.9 || .546 || .000 || .623 || 4.7 || .5 || .2 || .5 || 13.2
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
501 || 410 || 25.8 || .546 || 1.000 || .643 || 5.4 || .6 || .3 || .7 || 13.5
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Notes

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/eddy_curry/index.html Profile on NBA.com]