For Curry, minutes with Knicks are slim
Former Bulls center Eddy Curry looks slimmer than he's been in a few years, but he's played sparingly for the Knicks this season.
The Calumet City native made a brief appearance against the Bulls on Thursday, playing 3 1/2 minutes in the first half. Curry missed the start of the season with a calf strain, then needed more time off with a knee injury. Overall, he's appeared in seven games for the Knicks this season.
"I feel good. No injuries right now," Curry said before the game. "I think it's going to take for me to keep playing and keep getting used to the game. I haven't played for a long amount of time."
It's been more than four years since Curry was sidelined by a rapid heartbeat and eventually traded to New York, but he still has fond memories of his time with the Bulls.
"The last thing I remember was us going to the playoffs and then me not being able to play," he said. "That was a tough time for me, but other than that I loved it here, absolutely loved it here. Had a great time."
Healing continues: Tyrus Thomas has been increasing his activity during pregame workouts. On Thursday, he added drives and dunks to his usual routine of shooting jumpers.
Thomas is getting close to returning from a broken left arm, but he may not be ready for game action at least until Dec. 26. Asked if he expects to have Thomas at Friday's practice, coach Vinny Del Negro said no.
"As far as I know, that's not planned," he said. "He's been doing non-contact stuff, but he hasn't done any contact. We'll gradually get him in there as the doctor and (trainer) Fred (Tedeschi) give us the OK. He still needs a little bit of time to heal up and get a little confidence with that arm."
Center summit: There was a long pregame meeting in the hallway outside the locker rooms between former Bulls center Eddy Curry and ex-Knicks center Jerome James. The pair, who spent a few years together in New York, chatted for about a half-hour.
"Not just Eddy Curry, but Nate Robinson, Zach Randolph - a lot of guys that were there, we had a real tight bond," James said. "Eddy's a great guy. He's very thoughtful, very considerate, a very respectful person."
By the way, James said he expects to be cleared to join full-contact practice next week. The 7-foot-1 center hasn't played since early last season because of a torn Achilles' tendon.
Bull horns: Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro on matching up with the Knicks' small lineup: "I don't always like to match up to the other teams. Sometimes, let them match up to us. We'll just go back and forth, see how the game goes and make adjustments." ... Former Bulls guard Larry Hughes didn't suit up for the Knicks Thursday because of a groin injury.