THE DNP BOYS: Eddy Curry (left), sitting with fellow banished Knick Nate Robinson, said he hasn’t heard a word from coach Mike D’Antoni since D’Antoni yanked him from the rotation.
One day after saying the Knicks should release him after the season if they don’t play him, the divide between Eddy Curry and Mike D’Antoni is growing. Curry expressed frustration yesterday with the lack of communication from the Knicks coach, who still hasn’t talked to Curry since yanking him from the rotation.
Curry told The Post on Friday he was debriefed on his non-playing status by Knicks president Donnie Walsh, but hadn’t heard a word from D’Antoni. Last month, D’Antoni gave Curry’s development as a reason for passing on Allen Iverson.
Now D’Antoni has Curry buried in his doghouse, next to Nate Robinson. Curry, a DNP the past four games, and Robinson, a DNP for 11 straight, are close friends and have grown closer by their leper status.
“As a player you always want to know what’s going on,” Curry said. “That’s his style I guess. I’m not in any position to question his style. I’m just going to roll with it and hopefully I’ll get out there.”
For the second straight day, Curry would not use D’Antoni’s name or call him as coach — as he used to. Instead, Curry referred to D’Antoni as “he” and “him.”
“He understands right now where we are,” D’Antoni said.
Curry does not sound convinced that D’Antoni thinks he’s a good fit because he is a low-post player.
“I feel like I do [fit in],” Curry said. “[But] it’s not my team. I’ll keep approaching it as if it is the right fit for me as long as I’m here. They have the power to change it. Until they decide I’m not the right fit by moving me, I’m assuming I’m the right fit.”
Curry’s banishment coincided with the return of Jonathan Bender, a 7-foot perimeter player who blends better into D’Antoni’s offense. However, Bender already looked limited Friday with his strained hip.
Curry’s teammates have committed a glut of turnovers when Curry’s in the game, awkwardly trying to pass him the ball down low. Curry was told by Walsh to be patient, that D’Antoni needs practice time to integrate him into low-post sets. Curry, however, said they have not practiced it at all.
“We haven’t had time to do that yet,” D’Antoni said. “We don’t have a great post-up game. We play a different way.”
Now that teams are shutting off the Knicks’ pick-and-roll, daring them to shoot the 3-ball, D’Antoni may need to add Curry into the mix.
“Those things run through my mind, but I have to stay positive,” Curry said. “I can’t just come out here and expect he changes everything up for me. We’re playing pretty good basketball.”
Curry did not want to tread on the topic of getting a fresh start elsewhere yesterday.
“I wouldn’t touch that because I’ll be the first to be fined for it,” Curry said. “As long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all. If they decide this isn’t the place for me, I’ll talk about it with you guys then. I’m going to assume he wants me here and assume Donnie wants me here — until they tell my agent otherwise.”
Curry’s agent, Leon Rose, who also represents LeBron James, attended Christmas Day’s loss to Miami.
“I understand their frustration,” D’Antoni said. “He should want to play. Hopefully it will work out and we’ll get back to him. We definitely won’t quit trying to get him in there and looking at him.”
The Knicks will face two traditional low-post big men in two of their next three games — San Antonio’s Tim Duncan tonight and the Nets’ Brook Lopez on Wednesday. So that could give Curry a chance.
However, Curry said during his four-game exile the Knicks played against traditional big men, naming Tyson Chandler, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Kaman.
“We played big guys,” Curry said. “It’s not like we’re playing Phoenix every night, or bigs who play the 3. When I had a good year here, I played every game, against all systems, against any kind of guy. I just have to continue to show him that.”
The 6-foot-11, 290-pound Curry and the 5-7½ Robinson have long been pals before they bonded as “The DNP Boys.” Now they are inseparable in the locker room.