When the Knicks' big offseason acquisition stood at the foul line in the final moments of regulation, calmly sinking two free throws that helped send the game into overtime, it reminded the Madison Square Garden fans why perhaps the deal was made to bring him here from Chicago.

But those high points have been few and far between from the hefty center. Since Isiah Thomas dealt for him, the Curry deal ultimately has the potential to sink the Knicks, who have put a lot of the franchise's future in his hands. And the statistical impact of the main man Chicago got from the Knicks for Curry, fellow widebody Mike Sweetney, has been about dead even. That's not a good sign for New York.

My big problem with Curry: he has shown no evidence of having the passion needed to become a great player. Curry, who did much of his 20-point, 12-rebound damage Monday when ex-Knick Kurt Thomas was out with foul trouble, still has not shown the fire that it takes to be great.

The biggest measure of the deal will be how the draft picks the Bulls obtained, including the Knicks' conditional No. 1 in the coming draft, pan out. Both teams are struggling now, the Knicks' 8-21 mark flirting with the league's worst record. The Bulls have lost seven straight, dropping to 12-18 on the season with a 93-92 loss to the Bucks. In the loss, Sweetney had a late miss in his seven-point, nine-rebound effort.

Curry's numbers don't reflect greatness either. He's been 13.5 points per game, and 6.4 rebounds per game, right around Sweetney's 11.2 and 6.1.

The Knicks were looking for him to be one of those 20-point, 10-rebound per game guys. That's not a big group in the NBA, guys like Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire. And those 20-10 guys are usually a part of winning teams.

Curry still could become the centerpiece for the Knicks. Even though he hasn't panned out yet, it's hard to give up on a guy at the age 23. And he does have as good as the game has in a teacher when it comes to Larry Brown.

By dealing Curry, the Bulls don't have to deal with the situation of paying for somebody's potential. This gives them the chance to find the next big-time player. The Bulls still have good talent, and they still have a chance to make the playoffs this year.

Chicago's core is legit, Hinrich, Deng, Duhon, Gordon and more --- those guys can play at a high level -- the question now is their ability to put the supporting cast around them. They now have the flexibility to do that with the salary cap, and the Knicks' draft picks.

Both teams held strong playoff hopes entering the season. Chicago's isn't gone yet, but the Knicks don't have much of a shot now. In the years ahead, I think Chicago will have a chance at great things, but the Knicks will likely be the ones with questions that will need to be answered.

The biggest of all: does Curry have the passion to be great?

ESPN NBA studio host Greg Anthony played for six NBA teams in 11 seasons.

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Knicks rookies Channning Frye, left, and David Lee embrace, as Stephon Marbury (3), who had 32 points, watches Jamal Crawford pick up a collapsed Nate Robinson after the Knicks defeated the Suns 140-133 in triple OT.

Board Shortcomings For Suns

Shawn Marion expressed frustration last week that the Suns aren't running the way they did a year ago, but perhaps he's romanticizing the past. Heading into Monday's triple-OT loss to the Knicks, the Suns again were the league's fastest-paced team, using 98.2 possessions per 48 minutes. That's just a whisker shy of last year's league-leading mark of 98.3; in fact, relative to the league average the Suns stand exactly where they did a year ago.

On on the other hand, what may be frustrating Marion isn't the amount of running, but that Phoenix's forays upcourt are so frequently of the one-and-done variety. The smallish Suns are the league's least effective offensive rebounding team, claiming a measly 23.5 percent of their misses, and that weakness hurt them badly against New York. The Suns had 51 shots clang off the rim up for grabs, but came up with only seven. Because of that, the Knicks were able to win despite 23 missed free throws, 22 turnovers and a 13-4 deficit in 3-pointers.

-- John Hollinger