By MARC BERMAN
Eddy Curry may have season-ending surgery this week after an MRI exam on Sunday revealed he has a vertical cartilage tear in his right knee, the Knicks announced. A Knicks spokesman said Curry will undergo aggressive treatment over the next three days in an attempt to postpone the surgery until after the season.
If the pain and swelling goes away, Curry may attempt to play again this season. But with the Knicks out of the playoff race, it appears the underachieving center will go under the knife, ending what has been a disappointing 2007-08 campaign.
Curry missed Saturday night’s overtime loss against Portland because of a swollen knee. If Curry has surgery in the next few days, he will be in rehabilitation for 4-6 weeks. After Saturday’s game, Curry said he injured the knee during Friday’s game when a Pistons player got in his way while he ran up court and he planted awkwardly.
Curry said he had never had knee problems before in his career.
The Knicks center took a big step back this season, after becoming a big inside presence in 2006-07. If Curry misses the rest of the season, it will give Isiah Thomas more of a chance to audition center Randolph Morris, who will be a free agent after this season. This summer, the Knicks are expected to look into breaking up the big-man tandem of Curry and Zach Randolph. Officially, the Knicks said Curry is out for tomorrow night’s game in Dallas, but are listing him as questionable for Wednesday in Miami.
The MRI exam took place in Manhattan, as Curry did not fly with the team to Dallas.