Slimmer Curry excited to face former team

MIAMI Eddy Curry evidently isn't friendly with Oliver Miller, perhaps the only other NBA player to have flirted with 400 pounds. Curry had plenty of clothes that fit 70 pounds ago. But he didn't initially know what to do with them. "I don't know anybody bigger than I was," Curry said of not being able to give them away. So Curry instead found a tailor. She's been hard at work to make sure the Miami Heat center hasn't had to completely replace his wardrobe due to all the weight he's recently lost. "We found a lady that was pretty reasonable out there, so that was good," Curry said. "So far, we made one big trip. I still got some work to do so I said, 'Keep me an appointment for my stuff to come back."' That's how confident Curry is these days about continuing to get back in shape. While Curry won't reveal what he used to diet or what he now weighs, it's reasonable to assume he's dropped from the vicinity of 400 pounds to being in the low 300s. The motivation for Curry? Well, there is a game Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena against New York, the team that exiled him in recent seasons when he couldn't get into shape to perform in Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo style. "I'm looking forward to that game," Curry told the Palm Beach Post during media day on Dec. 12. "That's all I think about is that game. And, to be honest with you, every day I get up two hours before practice and I'm like, 'I am going to be ready. I can't wait."' Curry earlier this week didn't want to talk about the Knicks' impending visit. But his teammates know it's a big game for him. "I'm sure he has his motivations for his own reasons," said forward Chris Bosh. "But it's always great when you play against a team that you used to play for and maybe things didn't go as well as I'm sure he thought it was going to go. So it's always good. So we got to play that one for Eddy." The 7-foot Curry actually did have the best year of his career with the Knicks, averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for 2006-07 when Isiah Thomas was the coach. But after D'Antoni arrived before the 2008-09 season, Curry became an afterthought. An overweight Curry ended up playing just 10 games in a three-season span. He was sent away from the team last season as the Knicks looked to trade his contract. In a three-team deal in which Carmelo Anthony went from Denver to the Knicks, they finally dispatched him last February to Minnesota before he then was waived. "I'm not even thinking about it," Curry, who has averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.7 minutes in three games since his Jan. 19 debut, said earlier this week about his New York years, which began in 2005 after being acquired from Chicago. "That was the past. I'm just going to leave it there." D'Antoni has moved on as well. Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Cleveland, where the Knicks lost 91-81 to the Cavaliers, he wished Curry the best. "Motivation will do great things for you," D'Antoni said. "Good for him. He's a great kid. He got to a spot where he can perform. I hope it works out." The Heat took a chance on Curry, 29, after he apparently had weighed around 400 pounds early in 2011. When he arrived for training camp, he said he had dropped about 70 pounds. Shortly before making his Heat debut last week against the Lakers after having been out for about a month with a hip flexor, Curry said he had lost even more weight. By the time Curry is done, he might end up having dropped about 100 pounds. That's practically one Earl Boykins, the 5-5 longtime NBA guard listed at 135 pounds. "He's come a long way," said Heat forward Shane Battier, taken No. 6 in the 2001 draft, two spots after Curry went No. 4 to his hometown Bulls straight from high school. "Gosh, he was left for dead in the NBA scrap heap and very could easily been out of the league forever. But, to his credit, he got a roster spot. He still has a long way to go with conditioning and being a contributor on a championship level. But he should be commended for his work and dedication." If Curry can take another step, he can help the Heat, whose biggest weakness is at center. At 6-9, starter Joel Anthony is undersized, so much so he was dominated two weeks ago by raw Denver center Timofey Mozgov. And 6-11 Dexter Pittman, who entered the season as the primary backup and is listed at 308 pounds, looks more out of shape now than Curry. When Curry had six points and three rebounds in six minutes in his debut against the Lakers, it was the first NBA game he had played since Dec. 17, 2009. That was not lost on Cavaliers guard Anthony Parker, who watched from Cleveland and who also is from the Chicago area. "It's great," Parker said. "I'm a big guy for second chances. And you can just see physically how much he's put the work in and how dedicated he's been to get to this point. I think a lot of people are just cheering for him to do well because it's a tough road that he's been on, and to be in his position now is a blessing." It's been a rough last few years for Curry for more than just basketball reasons. He's had money problems and his ex-girlfriend and their 9-month-old daughter were found murdered in Chicago in January 2009. On the court, Curry at least has had something to smile about lately. "I'm excited every time I walk in there and I have an opportunity to get out there on the court," Curry said. "I'm extremely happy to be in this position, and I'm just going to continue to work I'm getting more and more comfortable every time (he plays)." Curry still hasn't gotten much time because Heat officials know this is a long process. In the five games since he's been back, Curry has not played in two of them and has had no stint of more than eight minutes. "It's very early on in this," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. 'We're looking at a big picture and we're patient with this process The natural inclination is, 'Let's rush this.' That's not our mentality at all. We are going to really try to continue to get him in better condition, but also to get him a better understanding of our system." Curry still has a long way to go defensively. On offense, he's had three turnovers in his 20 minutes even though he doesn't touch the ball much. But the game Curry has circled on his calendar finally is the next one. After being given a season-high eight minutes in Wednesday's 101-98 win at Detroit and with New York having some big bodies, he would figure to get some time against the Knicks. "It could be really emotional for him," said Heat forward LeBron James. "But, hopefully, that emotion will do in a good way for us." There actually are just two players left on the Knicks from when Curry last played in a game for them. They are guard Toney Douglas and forward Jared Jeffries, although Jeffries had left the team before returning this season. Not that it matters how many former Knicks teammates remain. They still might have a hard time immediately recognizing Curry. "My clothes are getting smaller," he said. His tailor is ready to make them even smaller. Chris Tomasson can be be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson.