Curry: Rose can be happy in Chicago
Ex-Bull knows what potential No. 1 pick faces
If the Bulls use the top overall pick in the June 26 NBA draft to select Simeon High graduate Derrick Rose, Eddy Curry has some advice for his fellow hometown product.
"Leave early for the games because traffic is a beast," Curry said Thursday, chuckling, in a phone interview.
Other than the inconvenience that plagues everyone in the Chicago area, Curry spoke only in positive terms about his Bulls experience as the last high-profile player to land on his hometown team. And Curry, now the Knicks' starting center, believes Rose would react similarly.
"That team is more talented than they showed last season, and it'd be a great thing to have him here in Chicago," Curry said from a local residence. "I know this: The fans would embrace him. I can't see him not loving being here if that's what happens."
Curry starred at Thornwood High before then-general manager Jerry Krause traded Elton Brand for the draft rights to Tyson Chandler and promptly selected Curry fourth overall in the 2001 draft.
The two high-schoolers endured plenty of losing under Tim Floyd and Bill Cartwright over the next three seasons before winning 47 games in 2004-05 as the Bulls made the playoffs for the first time since the Michael Jordan era.
That Scott Skiles-led team bowed out in the first round without Curry, who experienced his much-publicized irregular heartbeat during a March regular season game. The incident led to Curry's trade to the Knicks in October 2005.
"I loved playing here," Curry said. "Other than the fact we lost early, I have no complaints. Tickets can be a pain sometimes, but other than that and the traffic, you're good."
Curry said he doesn't know Rose personally but has met his older brother, Reggie, and talks to people who know the Memphis point guard well. That's why Curry scoffed at a question about inherent distractions in playing for your hometown team.
"You know what? That depends on who you have around you," Curry said. "And the people I talk to say he has a good foundation. That's what helped me, too, because my family and close friends helped keep me in line.
"The first year I put too much pressure on myself. But once I got used to being in the NBA, playing in my hometown was fun because the fans were great. They really root for you."
Curry credited veteran Charles Oakley and management people B.J. Armstrong and Pete Myers for easing his transition. Rose, 19, played one season at Memphis but will be the same age Curry was when he entered the NBA.
"It could've been easy for me to veer off because I was coming out of high school," Curry said. "Everybody in the organization was helpful, but those three made sure I stayed focused and out of trouble.
"The fans are so into it and the media attention is so heavy that he won't have time to get sidetracked. He'll have enough going on around him other than the games."
In 1995, Krause bypassed Proviso East product Michael Finley to draft Jason Caffey, a move that supported the perception Krause held a private bias against creating undue pressure by drafting a local player. His drafting of Curry discounted that.
And general manager John Paxson is following suit.
"I'm not worried that Derrick's from Chicago," Paxson said. "It doesn't affect my thinking one way or the other."
That stance pleases Curry, who, for what it's worth, believes his former team should draft Rose. Why?
"He's the best player in the draft," Curry said.
kcjohnson@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, The Chicago Tribune
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