Could Eddy Curry be on the move again?

Clearly, big changes figure to be coming in New York after this miserable season and it's hard to believe the Knicks wouldn't give coach Larry Brown one more chance with a different roster. Changing that overpaid, underachieving roster won't be easy. But you figure general manager Isiah Thomas has his eyes on one big name who is likely to be involved in trade talks this summer, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal.

 
That would be Thomas' type of move. It was O'Neal who was most upset when Thomas was fired as Pacers coach and threatened to force his way out. Feelings were soothed, but O'Neal has kept up a personal relationship with Thomas. And last week Pacers general manager Larry Bird, in saying coach Rick Carlisle wasn't going anywhere, challenged the players and hinted at a major shakeup of the disappointing Pacers. Could they be trading partners?

Believe it or not, Thomas has a plan. It's to accumulate assets and combine them in deals for players he wants. He got Steve Francis from Orlando for Trevor Ariza. How bad can that be as long as finances don't matter? Which they don't in New York.

Figure the Pacers, like everyone else, to make a run at Kevin Garnett. And with Garnett sitting out the rest of the season, it does make you wonder if the Timberwolves are taking a look at what their team would be without Garnett. But they continue to insist they'll add a player to complement Garnett, and many believe it could be former teammate Stephon Marbury. No one is untouchable in New York, nor should be.

It seems clear that O'Neal has had his run in Indiana. You know Thomas would love to have him back, and O'Neal would lend some credibility as a rough post player, more to the liking of Brown. Who knows whether the Pacers would be interested in Curry, but Carlisle does run a slower, post-up offense that would seem to suit Curry better.

Curry will never fit with Brown, say coaches who know both. Brown is known for his intense dislike for offensive players and has had some of his most celebrated differences with David Robinson, Danny Manning and Reggie Miller. It's why Chauncey Billups could not break out until Brown left. So it was no surprise to many that, before Brown left ill last week, Curry was regularly being benched for Jackie Butler, whoever that is.

"I'll be ready for whatever, if he goes in a different direction or not," Curry said. "It's pointless to ask me what the reason is [for the benchings]. He'll give you a better answer. It's hard for me to [know] when he's going to put me out there or not."

Curry has played fewer than 30 minutes in seven of the last eight games and is averaging 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in that span.

"I'm not down on Eddy Curry," Brown insisted last week. "I think Eddy Curry is a key to our team. . . . [But] I've been telling Isiah from Day One, having a point guard and having a center who rebounds and defends are the two critical areas for any team."

Those who saw Curry on the Bulls for four years know he'll never be that player.

Certainly, the Knicks aren't going to interest the Pacers with Curry alone. But if they offered Channing Frye and a first-rounder, perhaps they could get O'Neal and Brooklyn-born point guard Jamaal Tinsley, whom the Pacers would love to get rid of. It's hard to say what might work, if anything, but figure the Knicks to make some calls and that Curry's future in New York is hardly guaranteed.