Eddy Curry Makes Surprise Return to Practice

The New York Knicks are in desperate need of size after dealing away three big men two weeks ago at the NBA’s trade deadline. But the good news is 6-foot-11 center Eddy Curry is just days away from returning to the court after undergoing left knee surgery six weeks ago.

Curry practiced with his teammates at the team’s training center Tuesday and Coach Mike D’Antoni says the veteran should be in uniform when the Knicks take on the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. Although it’s highly unlikely he’ll see any action in his first game back.

“If he keeps making progress from this point, he should be on the court shortly,” D’Antoni said after Curry made a surprise return to practice. “I’ll talk to him and see how he feels. I don’t know about that [game ready] but he’s cleared to practice, so I’ll have to talk to the doctors and see.”

Curry, who has been battling injuries over the past two seasons, has played 67 minutes in seven games this season after appearing in just three games last season. D’Antoni is hoping that Curry can finish out the final stretch of the season on a very positive note to get himself ready for next year while providing the Knicks with a much-needed low-post presence.

“Staying healthy and playing well,” D’Antoni said when asked about what he’d like to see from Curry in his latest return. “We want to get the rust off and see if he can get back to where he was. We need a big body and we need him to be productive. And I’m sure he needs it, too, so there’s mutual interest.”

Before all the injuries, Curry was one of the top-scoring big men in the league. His best season came in 2006-07 when he played in 81 games for the Knicks and averaged a career-high 19.5 points on 57.6 percent shooting from the field.

On the defensive side of the ball, Curry has the frame to cause problems for opposing frontcourt players. In the six games since the Knicks dealt Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill to Houston and Darko Milicic to Minnesota, New York has been outrebounded four times while allowing 112.3 points per game.

“Right now we are a very small team,” 6-9 center David Lee said. “After the trades, I’m about the only big we have left. Al (Harrington) does his best to be down there and I’m doing my best to play the five at this point. So Eddy could help us down low and we’ll see how he fits in again. The biggest thing is to get his confidence back up.”