For those worried about such matters, Eddy Curry’s first rebound of the season came 79 seconds after Saturday’s tipoff.
“Am I embarrassed?” Curry asked. “Not really. I know I need to do better in rebounding. For some reason, I keep finding myself out of position. I’ve been talking to [general manager] Jerry [Krause] and he still has faith in me, which is good.”
So does coach Bill Cartwright, who hasn’t broached the rebounding subject with the 6-foot-11-inch Curry.
“The guys have [got on him] and he’s certainly aware of it,” Cartwright said. “But I don’t feel like Eddy’s playing badly.”
Curry, who finished with five rebounds, also isn’t playing much. He entered averaging 15.5 minutes in the season’s first two games and played 13 minutes against the Hawks, showing that Cartwright will continue to use the increased depth he has this season.
“Eddy’s going to play as long as he’s playing well,” Cartwright said. “If he’s not, we have other guys to come in.”
Cartwright’s matter-of-fact approach has been reflected in his use of at least 10 players deep in all three games thus far.
“We’re going to use our guys,” Cartwright said. “If it’s a late-game situation and we need defenders in there, we’re going to throw Corie Blount out there. If Eddy and Tyson [Chandler] get it going, we’ll leave them out there longer.”
Cartwright’s ability to juggle his personnel and keep players happy with roles will be an ongoing story all season.
“The reality about NBA basketball and pro sports is that everybody is never going to be happy,” Jalen Rose said. “But as long as guys are producing, they’re going to get minutes.”
Early birds
In his sixth NBA season, Rick Brunson has never taken the team bus to the arena, preferring to take his own cab and arrive at least three hours early.
Brunson now has company. When rookie Jay Williams arrived in Boston last Wednesday and saw Brunson already 30 minutes into a pregame workout, Williams looked like a little kid with no Halloween candy.
“So I told him, `I usually leave at 4 p.m. If you’re not there at 3:59, I’m leaving without you,'” Brunson said. “When I got to the [hotel] lobby [Saturday], he’d been waiting for 15 minutes.”
Brunson is on the injured list, so he can afford a long pregame workout. Williams plays with relentless abandon, but don’t worry about him getting tired.
“No matter how tired I am, as long as that ball is on the court, I’ll go after it,” he said. “That’s how I’ve always been. That’s how I’ll always be.”
