Lawsuit Is Latest Test for Knicks’ Curry

Tall, broad and powerfully built, Eddy Curry looks like a human model of strength and control. Nearly everything in his N.B.A. career suggests otherwise.

On the court, Curry often plays smaller than his size (6 feet 11 inches, 300 pounds). Opponents beat him to rebounds and fearlessly drive past him for layups. Off the court, Curry, the 26-year-old Knicks center, is humble and easygoing, a gentle giant who seems more likely to be a victim than a bully.
As the former Knicks coach Isiah Thomas once said of Curry, in a statement that was intended as both compliment and criticism, “He’s a nice man.”
So when his former driver this week sued Curry, accusing him of sexual harassment and verbal abuse, the news sounded surreal to those who know Curry best.
“Nobody can picture anything like this happening,” said Quentin Richardson, a teammate of Curry’s, a longtime friend and fellow native of Chicago. “Anybody that knows him knows that those things are the complete opposite of his character.”
David Kuchinsky, Curry’s driver from 2005 to 2008, made a number of salacious allegations in his lawsuit, which was filed Monday in federal court. He accuses Curry of dropping his pants and making lewd remarks, of using racial and religious epithets, and, in one incident, of brandishing a gun. The suit seeks unspecified damages, in addition to a claim of $93,000 in unpaid wages and reimbursements.
The dispute will eventually be settled in a courtroom or at a negotiating table. But the conflict underscores how easily and how often his career has been thrown off track.
When the Chicago Bulls made Curry the fourth pick in the 2001 draft, he was a teenage prodigy and the projected heir to Shaquille O’Neal. Four years later, he was traded to the Knicks amid concerns over a heart condition.
Two seasons ago, Curry looked like a potential All-Star, averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. A year later, his confidence and production plummeted after the Knicks acquired another star big man, Zach Randolph.
Now Curry is enduring perhaps his most miserable season of all. The Knicks’ new coach, Mike D’Antoni, prefers a running game that seems ill suited to Curry’s plodding ways. The Knicks’ new president, Donnie Walsh, is trying to pare the payroll, making Curry an obvious candidate to be traded.
Curry reported to training camp out of shape, lost a week to illness, then hurt his right knee — an injury that wiped out November and December and pushed him into a deeper hole.
Curry finally joined the rotation last week in Dallas. The good feelings lasted just 2 minutes 38 seconds — the time that Curry played, while an 11-point lead shrank to 2. Problems with both knees have kept him out of action since then.
Then came the shocking lawsuit. The news reached Curry in New Orleans, where the Knicks were closing out a four-game trip. When Curry met with a small group of reporters after the game Monday night, he seemed to be in shock.
“He’s not giving up,” said the Knicks veteran Malik Rose, who has been a frequent adviser to Curry. “He’s not letting these evil acts — or unfortunate acts, with his injuries and all — get him down. He’s upbeat. He’s really making me proud of him.”
Curry has denied all the allegations in the lawsuit. His lawyer, Kelly Saindon, has described Kuchinsky as a “disgruntled former employee” and the suit as an extortion attempt. Saindon has also pointed to two felony convictions in Kuchinsky’s past, including a three-year sentence for burglary in 1992.
Saindon said she would move to have the lawsuit dismissed. She also intends to countersue, saying that Kuchinsky changed the locks on two of Curry’s storage lockers and was holding his possessions hostage. Kuchinsky’s lawyer did not respond to an e-mail message Tuesday.It is striking just how much misfortune Curry has endured in his career. He was having his best season for the Bulls in 2004-5 before an irregular heartbeat forced him to miss the playoffs — which would have been his first.
The heart concerns eventually led Chicago to trade Curry, who then became the center of controversy as the Bulls and the Knicks offered conflicting views of his health. Curry has not experienced any known heart problems in the last four seasons.
In July 2007, Curry and his family were robbed at gunpoint in their home in Burr Ridge, Ill.
“He’s certainly had more than his share of adversity over the last couple of years,” said Curry’s agent, Leon Rose. “I think he’s handled himself with class, and I think he’s showed a lot of fortitude, the way he’s been battling. And I believe in him, and I believe ultimately he’s going to be back to where he wants to be.”
Often, Curry has appeared just as helpless with the basketball. A gifted low-post scorer, he has shown flashes of dominance throughout his career, but he has never fulfilled his potential, or shown much interest in defense.
On a trip to Phoenix this season, O’Neal spent several minutes talking to Curry, trying to impart a little big-man wisdom. But Curry is more often compared these days to Kwame Brown, the No. 1 pick in 2001, who is now viewed as one of the greatest busts in draft history.
For years, Curry has exasperated coaches with his apparent lack of passion and dedication. When asked how Curry could become a better rebounder, Scott Skiles, the former Bulls coach, famously replied, “Jump.”
In Curry’s first season in New York, Coach Larry Brown proclaimed him a franchise player. By the end of the season, Brown was benching Curry in fourth quarters while praising Jackie Butler — an undrafted journeyman — as “our best center by far.”
Despite his scoring talents, Curry is viewed skeptically by many N.B.A. executives, especially those who value plus-minus statistics. Curry is consistently a net drain when he is on the court. Still, the Knicks are hopeful of trading him, if not by the Feb. 19 deadline, then this summer.
In the meantime, Curry will fight twin battles as he tries to revive his career and clear his name.
“It’s an unbelievable run of bad luck for a very good person,” Malik Rose said.
Joshua Robinson contributed reporting from Greenburgh, N.Y.