boutons
10-05-2005, 03:49 AM
The New York Times
October 5, 2005
Curry Faces Tests to Evaluate Risk Factor
By HOWARD BECK
CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 4 - Eddy Curry officially became a member of the Knicks about 6 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, bringing with him all of the uncertainty and the medical issues that caused the Chicago Bulls to let him go.
Curry is one of the most talented young big men in the N.B.A. and, at 22, has his best years ahead of him. He also has an irregular heartbeat and may be predisposed to a heart condition that has proved fatal in other athletes. It was that fear, and Curry's reluctance to take a genetic test to clarify matters, that prompted Chicago to trade him to the Knicks for a package of lesser players and draft picks.
Two hours after the trade was approved by the league, Knicks officials insisted they were doing everything they could to clarify Curry's health issues. But they will not ask Curry to take the DNA test, a step recommended by a prominent expert in the field. The Knicks will rely on other tests, said Isiah Thomas, the Knicks' president, who disagreed that acquiring Curry was a risk.
"We've followed this for a while, and the research that we've done from afar led us to the point where we thought we could make a trade for him," Thomas said after the Knicks' first day of training camp at the College of Charleston. "We've talked to all of our doctors, and now the second phase of it is to get our hands on and get an eyeball on him."
Curry had a physical examination in New York on Tuesday and was scheduled for more tests Wednesday morning. He could join the Knicks in time for practice Wednesday evening.
If Curry fails a physical examination, the Knicks could rescind the trade.
The Knicks previously reviewed Curry's medical records, including those related to his heart condition, and Thomas said team doctors consulted with the heart specialists who examined Curry the last few months.
"I feel very confident in our medical staff, that if he passes the physical, we'll be real lucky to have gotten a guy such as this," Thomas said. "They don't come along that often."
Curry had been working out in Chicago with Tim Grover, Michael Jordan's former trainer. Thomas said that if Curry passed his physical exam, there was no reason he would have any limitations when he begins practice with the Knicks.
What the Knicks view as a golden opportunity to acquire a first-class big man is viewed by others as a colossal risk.
Curry missed the final 13 regular-season games and the playoffs last season because of a heart arrythmia, which was later classified as benign. But tests indicated that Curry might have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that was linked to the deaths of Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics in 1993 and Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount University in 1990.
Experts have issued conflicting opinions on Curry's case. Dr. Barry Maron, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, examined Curry and recommended that he undergo a DNA test. The test is limited in what it can reveal.
"It can only prove you have it, but not prove you don't," Maron said.
Dr. David Cannom, a cardiologist in Los Angeles, cleared Curry to play and said that his heart was structurally sound.
The Knicks will defer to Curry's judgment regarding the DNA test, and will use a number of unspecified alternative tests to determine whether they are taking on undue risk.
There is, at a minimum, a financial risk. The league's insurance carrier has declined to indemnify Curry in the event of a career-ending heart problem.
In lieu of insurance, the Knicks are making part of Curry's six-year, $60 million deal contingent upon his health. If heart issues force Curry to retire prematurely, the Knicks will be liable for only a portion of the contract.
The Bulls saw more than a financial risk. They feared the worst-case possibility: that Curry could die while playing basketball. John Paxson, the Bulls' general manager, had said that he would not have allowed Curry to play this season, his last contractually with Chicago, unless he took a DNA test.
"In my heart, I would never put anyone in jeopardy," Paxson told reporters in Chicago on Tuesday. "If this were a child of mine, I would have done the same thing."
The Bulls revealed Monday that they offered Curry a 50-year annuity, worth $400,000 a year, if he submitted to the DNA test and it tested positive for the heart condition, effectively ending his career.
Thomas urged everyone to withhold judgment and wait for the results of Curry's physical examination.
Lisa Salberg, the founder and president of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, a patient advocacy group, said the Knicks were taking "an incredible risk, not only from a business point of view but on the human side."
Salberg lectures nationally on the subject and is co-author of a book with Dr. Maron. A cardiomyopathy patient herself, Salberg said she was troubled by the Knicks' decision.
"I'm really concerned that they keep up on this and they don't let it slide," she said. "I don't want to see a catastrophic event on a basketball court. And right now, we're setting things up potentially to see that catastrophic event. I'm hoping that it never happens. The one way we could feel a little more confident is to have the genetic test."
Leon Rose, Curry's agent, declined to comment on any aspect of the medical issues.
Curry is a rare commodity, a 6-foot-11, 285-pound center with a true post game and an athleticism seldom found in players his size. He averaged 16.1 points last season but is viewed as a potentially dominant player, capable of averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.
"Do you gamble on this type of talent in big people? Without question," Thomas said. "Every 15 to 20 years, a guy comes along with this size with this type of agility and skill. So when you have a chance to get one of them, you go and get him."
Yet Curry found little interest as a restricted free agent this summer. He did not receive a contract offer from another team. Bulls officials say only the Knicks made a trade offer in the last week.
In the Knicks' locker room, Curry will be viewed not as an at-risk heart patient, but as an asset. His acquisition was greeted with unflinching approval by his new teammates.
"He's an impact player," guard Allan Houston said. "He's one of those guys that when you play against him, you say, 'Man, if we had him, it'd be nice.' "
Players were unsure what to make of Curry's well-publicized health issues.
"It's definitely a concern, because a guy that talented is having troubles getting a contract from Chicago," said forward Maurice Taylor. "When you talk about someone's heart, it's definitely a crapshoot, but who are we to say? If he feels fine, if the doctor says he's fine, that's the only two people that really has to make the decision, is Eddy and the doctors."
The Knicks, who traded forwards Tim Thomas and Mike Sweetney to Chicago, also acquired the veteran forward Antonio Davis in the trade. The Bulls want Davis back, and the Knicks are expected to waive Davis to allow him to re-sign with Chicago. However, the teams cannot publicly acknowledge that arrangement because it violates N.B.A. salary-cap rules. Thomas insisted that the Knicks intended to keep Davis.
Under a new N.B.A. rule, Davis would have to wait 30 days before re-signing with the Bulls.
The Knicks will also send the Bulls a first-round draft pick in 2006, and their second-round picks in 2007 and 2009. The first-round pick will be either the Knicks' or the San Antonio Spurs', whichever is higher. The Bulls also have the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007. Curry's contract includes an option allowing him to terminate the deal after the fourth year.
REBOUNDS
The Knicks' first training camp practice was highlighted by Allan Houston participating in a number of strenuous running and fast-break drills. Houston called it "a huge step forward" in his comeback from knee problems. "I really didn't expect to do what I did," he said. ... Coach Larry Brown added Brendan O'Connor to his staff. O'Connor, who was on Brown's staff in Detroit the past two years, becomes the Knicks' sixth assistant coach.
Liz Robbins contributed reporting for this article.
* Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
October 5, 2005
Curry Faces Tests to Evaluate Risk Factor
By HOWARD BECK
CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 4 - Eddy Curry officially became a member of the Knicks about 6 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, bringing with him all of the uncertainty and the medical issues that caused the Chicago Bulls to let him go.
Curry is one of the most talented young big men in the N.B.A. and, at 22, has his best years ahead of him. He also has an irregular heartbeat and may be predisposed to a heart condition that has proved fatal in other athletes. It was that fear, and Curry's reluctance to take a genetic test to clarify matters, that prompted Chicago to trade him to the Knicks for a package of lesser players and draft picks.
Two hours after the trade was approved by the league, Knicks officials insisted they were doing everything they could to clarify Curry's health issues. But they will not ask Curry to take the DNA test, a step recommended by a prominent expert in the field. The Knicks will rely on other tests, said Isiah Thomas, the Knicks' president, who disagreed that acquiring Curry was a risk.
"We've followed this for a while, and the research that we've done from afar led us to the point where we thought we could make a trade for him," Thomas said after the Knicks' first day of training camp at the College of Charleston. "We've talked to all of our doctors, and now the second phase of it is to get our hands on and get an eyeball on him."
Curry had a physical examination in New York on Tuesday and was scheduled for more tests Wednesday morning. He could join the Knicks in time for practice Wednesday evening.
If Curry fails a physical examination, the Knicks could rescind the trade.
The Knicks previously reviewed Curry's medical records, including those related to his heart condition, and Thomas said team doctors consulted with the heart specialists who examined Curry the last few months.
"I feel very confident in our medical staff, that if he passes the physical, we'll be real lucky to have gotten a guy such as this," Thomas said. "They don't come along that often."
Curry had been working out in Chicago with Tim Grover, Michael Jordan's former trainer. Thomas said that if Curry passed his physical exam, there was no reason he would have any limitations when he begins practice with the Knicks.
What the Knicks view as a golden opportunity to acquire a first-class big man is viewed by others as a colossal risk.
Curry missed the final 13 regular-season games and the playoffs last season because of a heart arrythmia, which was later classified as benign. But tests indicated that Curry might have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that was linked to the deaths of Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics in 1993 and Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount University in 1990.
Experts have issued conflicting opinions on Curry's case. Dr. Barry Maron, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, examined Curry and recommended that he undergo a DNA test. The test is limited in what it can reveal.
"It can only prove you have it, but not prove you don't," Maron said.
Dr. David Cannom, a cardiologist in Los Angeles, cleared Curry to play and said that his heart was structurally sound.
The Knicks will defer to Curry's judgment regarding the DNA test, and will use a number of unspecified alternative tests to determine whether they are taking on undue risk.
There is, at a minimum, a financial risk. The league's insurance carrier has declined to indemnify Curry in the event of a career-ending heart problem.
In lieu of insurance, the Knicks are making part of Curry's six-year, $60 million deal contingent upon his health. If heart issues force Curry to retire prematurely, the Knicks will be liable for only a portion of the contract.
The Bulls saw more than a financial risk. They feared the worst-case possibility: that Curry could die while playing basketball. John Paxson, the Bulls' general manager, had said that he would not have allowed Curry to play this season, his last contractually with Chicago, unless he took a DNA test.
"In my heart, I would never put anyone in jeopardy," Paxson told reporters in Chicago on Tuesday. "If this were a child of mine, I would have done the same thing."
The Bulls revealed Monday that they offered Curry a 50-year annuity, worth $400,000 a year, if he submitted to the DNA test and it tested positive for the heart condition, effectively ending his career.
Thomas urged everyone to withhold judgment and wait for the results of Curry's physical examination.
Lisa Salberg, the founder and president of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, a patient advocacy group, said the Knicks were taking "an incredible risk, not only from a business point of view but on the human side."
Salberg lectures nationally on the subject and is co-author of a book with Dr. Maron. A cardiomyopathy patient herself, Salberg said she was troubled by the Knicks' decision.
"I'm really concerned that they keep up on this and they don't let it slide," she said. "I don't want to see a catastrophic event on a basketball court. And right now, we're setting things up potentially to see that catastrophic event. I'm hoping that it never happens. The one way we could feel a little more confident is to have the genetic test."
Leon Rose, Curry's agent, declined to comment on any aspect of the medical issues.
Curry is a rare commodity, a 6-foot-11, 285-pound center with a true post game and an athleticism seldom found in players his size. He averaged 16.1 points last season but is viewed as a potentially dominant player, capable of averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.
"Do you gamble on this type of talent in big people? Without question," Thomas said. "Every 15 to 20 years, a guy comes along with this size with this type of agility and skill. So when you have a chance to get one of them, you go and get him."
Yet Curry found little interest as a restricted free agent this summer. He did not receive a contract offer from another team. Bulls officials say only the Knicks made a trade offer in the last week.
In the Knicks' locker room, Curry will be viewed not as an at-risk heart patient, but as an asset. His acquisition was greeted with unflinching approval by his new teammates.
"He's an impact player," guard Allan Houston said. "He's one of those guys that when you play against him, you say, 'Man, if we had him, it'd be nice.' "
Players were unsure what to make of Curry's well-publicized health issues.
"It's definitely a concern, because a guy that talented is having troubles getting a contract from Chicago," said forward Maurice Taylor. "When you talk about someone's heart, it's definitely a crapshoot, but who are we to say? If he feels fine, if the doctor says he's fine, that's the only two people that really has to make the decision, is Eddy and the doctors."
The Knicks, who traded forwards Tim Thomas and Mike Sweetney to Chicago, also acquired the veteran forward Antonio Davis in the trade. The Bulls want Davis back, and the Knicks are expected to waive Davis to allow him to re-sign with Chicago. However, the teams cannot publicly acknowledge that arrangement because it violates N.B.A. salary-cap rules. Thomas insisted that the Knicks intended to keep Davis.
Under a new N.B.A. rule, Davis would have to wait 30 days before re-signing with the Bulls.
The Knicks will also send the Bulls a first-round draft pick in 2006, and their second-round picks in 2007 and 2009. The first-round pick will be either the Knicks' or the San Antonio Spurs', whichever is higher. The Bulls also have the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007. Curry's contract includes an option allowing him to terminate the deal after the fourth year.
REBOUNDS
The Knicks' first training camp practice was highlighted by Allan Houston participating in a number of strenuous running and fast-break drills. Houston called it "a huge step forward" in his comeback from knee problems. "I really didn't expect to do what I did," he said. ... Coach Larry Brown added Brendan O'Connor to his staff. O'Connor, who was on Brown's staff in Detroit the past two years, becomes the Knicks' sixth assistant coach.
Liz Robbins contributed reporting for this article.
* Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company