| Hawks Trying To Land Curry Authored by Patrick J. Austin - July 18, 2005 - 8:37 am
It appears as though the Hawks have set their sights on free agent big man, Eddy Curry. He recently made a visit to Atlanta and apparently had a great meeting with Billy Knight and other members of the organization. He also met with possible future teammates Josh Smith, Josh Childress, and Marvin Williams.
After the meeting, Curry said he would be open to playing for the Hawks and liked where the team was headed. Of course, he did reiterate his desire to stay in Chicago.
Is Big Ed the right player to build a team around? Is he worth upwards of sixty to seventy million dollars? Here is my two cents…
Everyone knows the Hawks need a legit center. We have not had one since the days of Mount Mutombo. Curry is one of the few true centers left in the league and he would provide some much needed low-post scoring.
Though, out of all the free agent big men available Curry has the most question marks; the biggest being his irregular heartbeat. This condition caused him to miss the final thirteen games of the season and the playoffs.
Of course, Curry contests he is been cleared by doctors and is as healthy as ever. But if you’re the Hawks, or any organization for that matter, you have to be trepidatious when considering giving him a large contract.
Other drawbacks include his porous rebounding numbers and a lack of defensive intensity. Big Ed averaged a paltry 5.4 rebounds per game this year. To put that into perspective, our very own Josh Childress (a 6’8 shooting guard) averaged 6.0 rebounds per game.
On the defensive end, Curry won’t bring back memories of Mutombo, or even Theo Ratliff. He has career averages of less than one block per game and not even half a steal per game.
Even with all these negative traits, Curry is still going to get a big payday. Why? Because he is one of the most offensively skilled big men in the league.You will be hard-pressed to find a center, other than Shaquille O’Neal, with his scoring capabilities around the basket.
It is important to mention that even if we sign him to a big contract, his restricted free agent status allows Chicago to match any offer. That is why rumors are floating around about a possible sign and trade involving Al Harrington.
This deal makes sense for both parties since the Bulls, or more specifically Scott Skiles, are not convinced Curry is the right guy for their new defensive style of play.
On the Hawks end, it appears as though we are committed to a forward combo of Josh Smith and Marvin Williams. That means Harrington is the odd man out and if we can move him for a true center, it is something to seriously consider.
Personally, I would not do a sign and trade until it’s absolutely necessary. If we signed Curry to a five-year/$60 million offer sheet, I can’t see the Bulls matching. Signing Eddy outright would allow us to use Harrington in another deal—hopefully to land a quality point guard.
Wouldn’t a sixty million dollar contract be overpaying? Of course. You have to overpay in order to land a restricted free agent.
Is it a risk? Most definitely. Curry could be a Konkack-like bust or a cornerstone to our new foundation. But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the Hawks need to take some risks. You can’t build a winning team without putting it all on the line and taking a chance.
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