NYTimes:There is no telling when the wheel of whimsy in Larry Brown's head will stop spinning, but as the Knicks' past and present collide Friday night in Phoenix, their future might finally be on full display.
If Brown sticks to form, Channing Frye and Eddy Curry will start together for the first time when the Knicks play the Phoenix Suns. Regardless of the outcome, it could be a historic moment in the evolution of the new-millennium Knicks.
Frye is the sleek, jump-shooting power forward, and Curry the brawny low-post scorer. Both are 22, teeming with potential and under contract for a few years. Each has All-Star potential, and if they both reach it, the Curry-Frye tandem should be one of the top center-power forward combinations in the league for years to come.
Injuries and Brown's incessant tinkering have kept Curry and Frye apart through the first 18 games. That should change Friday. Brown has been starting players in games in their hometowns, and Frye has lived most of his life here. Curry, back in the lineup after a five-game injury absence, had his best game as a Knick on Wednesday, collecting 24 points and 11 rebounds in an 84-79 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Brown has a tendency to change his mind several times each day, but he sounds ready to give the Curry-Frye pairing a test run.
"I think more and more you're going to see those two on the court together more and more," Brown said Thursday, after a practice at Arizona State.
There are disclaimers. Curry is not yet in shape, and Frye is just a rookie, and neither one is a particularly strong rebounder. Brown would prefer having a veteran with a defensive edge in one of those two spots. But Curry and Frye are the team's most talented big men. And regarding defense and rebounding, "That's going to come," Brown said. "That's obviously your future."
Anchoring the Phoenix frontcourt will be Kurt Thomas, the stalwart of the Knicks' front line for seven years. It will be the first time Thomas has faced the Knicks since they traded him in June for Quentin Richardson and the rookie Nate Robinson.
The trade has worked out better for the Suns than the Knicks. Thomas is averaging 9 points and 8.5 rebounds a game and has helped keep the Suns (12-5) in contention despite the loss of Amare Stoudemire and Brian Grant to knee surgeries.
"He's one of my favorites," Brown said of Thomas. "He just plays. He's got toughness. He can make a shot; he makes his teammates better. He does whatever it takes to win."
Richardson is averaging 6.9 points, 8 fewer a game than he scored for Phoenix last season. He is away from the team this week to be with family after the shooting death of his brother.
Robinson hit a winning shot against Philadelphia and is already a fan favorite, but his wild play often drives Brown to distraction.
With the Knicks approaching the quarter-season mark, Brown is still experimenting, and perhaps making his players a little crazy. In Los Angeles on Wednesday, he used a season-low nine players. Trevor Ariza, whom Brown had considered starting, was instead benched the entire game. Brown also failed to play Jerome James, who had a strong effort in Seattle on Tuesday, and Jackie Butler, who Brown recently praised as the team's most effective center.
Brown has changed the lineup in five straight games. If Curry and Frye start Friday, it will give the Knicks their 13th different lineup. Although Frye is the team's second- leading scorer, he played only 17 minutes in Los Angeles and scored just 6 points, his lowest output since Nov. 14.
The Knicks could have used his shooting touch in the second half, when they converted only 6 of 34 field-goal attempts and lost a 13-point lead. Frye is shooting nearly 53 percent from the field, but Brown was concerned that he would be overmatched against the Clippers' Elton Brand. With no one connecting, the Clippers were free to collapse on Curry in the paint.
"We don't have a definite rotation right now," Curry said. "It would have been great to have Channing out there, but it didn't work out that way."
This is wonderful to hear. Frye is a proven starter no doubt and Curry has shown us he can score and make an impact just like last game against a tough Clippers team.
Because you guys certainly know more about them.
