Got Curry?

Eddy Curry is one of the five best centers in the NBA. A great center is the most coveted player in the NBA. So the question then should be, why can’t Eddy Curry be paid like a top-five player at his position? There’s a simple answer and then a not so simple answer, though the not so simple one, is actually simpler. Confused? So is Eddy. Not so simply, he has a heart condition that may, in the future, prohibit his ability to play, so the NBA’s insurance carrier is not offering insurance on his contract. But, there are ways to deal with that, and it’s the job of John Paxon and Curry’s agent to figure that out. That’s why the not so simple, is simple. Here’s the simple that’s, well, not so much that way. In a word, numbers. It’s the numbers that seem so simple, yet make things so hard for ECity.

If you look at his numbers, Eddy is, at least offensively speaking, one of the best centers in the league. Putting up 16.1ppg, only Shaq, Yao and Big Z were better than Curry’s last year. Defensively, Eddy does the things that don’t show up on stat sheets. He boxes out, and plays his man hard. He’s a perfect pair with Tyson Chandler, because he is able to clear the lane so Chandler can grab boards and block shots. The Bulls were one of the leagues best defensive teams last season, and Curry’s efforts in the middle were a big reason for that.

But again, it comes back to the numbers. You can justify paying for Chandler or Samuel Dalembert because they have the defensive numbers, and it seems you can’t put a price on defensive numbers, but if you had to it would be upwards of $60 million a year. This is why Curry’s situation is so sticky. He just doesn’t have the defensive numbers to back up that kind of money. Curry wants to be one of the highest paid players in the game, and if he had grabbed just 3 more boards a game last season, he would be. Paying $60 million for a guy who puts up 16.1ppg and 8.4rpg is a lot easier than paying that for a guy who only put up 5.4rpg. Having a contract that isn’t insured makes it harder $60 million is a lot of money to loose.

What is a big man to do? Just sit back and take some incentive-laden deal that locks him up long term for a bargain? In a market where even Jerome James can get a $30 million deal, certainly a guy who’s not even hit his prime can get some big contract numbers. It looks like the best he’ll do is that incentive-laden deal, at least this off-season. For Curry to make the truly large bucks, he should just play out his one year qualifying offer, and really focus on offensive rebounding. If Curry is able to grab just those three more boards a game, then he’s going to be scoring at least 4 ppg more too. He’s too strong an offensive player not to dominate when he gets the ball off a missed shot. The Bulls don’t have the best shooters in the game, so having an asset like this could even make them a more dangerous team. Plus, the Bulls will be looking to spend a lot more money next year. Antonio Davis’ contract comes off the books, and if the Bulls make a successful run next season, they’ll be looking to keep the team they already have together, and just add role players. Curry could be the direct beneficiary of this if he plays well next season. He just has to get those numbers. If he can stay healthy for a season, his contract isn’t going to look so bad to an insurance provider either.

Really, to for ECity, that’s what it all comes down to, the numbers. If Curry takes his qualifying offer and then plays like he wants be paid like Shaq, then next season, he’ll see Shaq-esque money. This is the year for Baby-Shaq to step up and he will, if he can put up the numbers. If he does, he’ll be stepping up into a higher tax bracket as well.