Tonight’s Garden grudge match against the Bulls won’t be a referendum on who won October’s blockbuster trade, but Knicks center Eddy Curry wants a win.
“It’s going to be a great game,” Curry said yesterday after his first practice in more than a week. “To win tomorrow? Oh, God. I can’t even express how much I’d love to win tomorrow. Not just because of who we’re playing, but we’re desperate for a win.”
Curry, who has missed the past three games with a strained left calf, said he believes he’ll be ready to tip off against buddy Tyson Chandler, the only Bull with whom Curry stays in contact. With Curry playing a big role, the Bulls swept the Knicks all four games last season.
“I imagine they’ll come in, see our record [4-9], see how we’re playing of late, and I think they believe this is a game they can come in and get,” Curry said.
Curry, a Chicago native, soured on his hometown team, specifically GM John Paxson, who refused to re-sign him unless he took a DNA test. Paxson said he wanted to determine if Curry’s irregular-heartbeat episode was potentially life-threatening.
The Knicks made no such demand for a test, and leading cardiologists hired by the Bulls don’t consider the DNA test a standard in detecting a potential heart fatality.
Paxson said Curry wouldn’t return his calls in the weeks leading up to his decision to eventually part ways.
“Throughout the whole negotiation, it was [Paxson] and my agent [Leon Rose],” Curry said. “They knew I wanted to be there. I don’t think it was so important for me to call him back. I don’t think those last two weeks played a part in me not being in Chicago.”
Now Curry’s calf is a concern. The Knicks are listing Curry as questionable, with Larry Brown wanting to make sure Curry reacts well to his first basketball action since reinjuring his calf vs. Portland nine days ago.
“I think I’ll be able to play tomorrow,” Curry said.
Curry’s adrenaline will overwhelm the soreness he still feels in his leg.
“He’s been looking forward to this game, hoping he’d be healthy enough to play,” Brown said. “I’m sure he loved it in Chicago. I imagine it will be difficult for him.”
The game also marks the Garden return of power forward Michael Sweetney, now a starter for the Bulls. Thomas shipped Sweetney and exiled Tim Thomas, whom the Bulls are trying to trade, to Chicago along with two conditional first-round draft picks in exchange for Curry and Antonio Davis.
As much as the Bulls feared Curry’s heart condition, the overriding issue was coach Scott Skiles’ feeling Curry would never become an All-Star because he’s never gotten himself into tip-top shape.
Brown said he is concerned with Curry’s conditioning, more so after missing three games.
“It will be bad,” Brown said. “I can’t worry about it. It’s bound to be way behind.”
Curry was averaging 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds before his injury. He’s a beast inside but is not a slick passer out of double-teams that have forced him into 31 turnovers. Though the Knicks have no legitimate replacement at starting small forward for Thomas, Curry is 22 years old.
“We made the deal understanding we’d be giving up two probable starters at the time,” Brown said. “And this was a long-range thing. I thought [Thomas] and Sweetney would be the starting four and three.”
Curry said he has no regrets he didn’t stay home in Chitown.
“I’m in a good situation here,” Curry said. “It’s not going to help me or the Knicks to be reaching back, what if this happened, why it happened. I move forward, look to the future.”
And look ahead to beating the Bulls.
marc.berman@nypost.com
