How old is old?

When that question enters my mind at home, I think of my neighbors in their 50s and 60s who are not self-conscious about cavorting in hoodies and iPods, and it seems clear that the entry age of “old” has gotten a lot higher. However, when I watch the Knicks, and particularly center Eddy Curry, I think that “old” — i.e., the age when one stops developing — has gotten a lot younger.

I’m not saying Curry is past his prime, but one of the many complaints about Curry is that his game hasn’t fully developed. His defenders frequently note that he’s still young and has time. Although he doesn’t turn 24 until Tuesday, I’m starting to wonder if we have already seen the sum total of his game.

Curry arrived in the NBA in 2001 straight out of Thornwood High School in suburban Chicago; thus this is his sixth year in the pros. It isn’t as if he spent a long time getting Darko’ed at the end of the bench either; Curry has played more than 1,000 minutes in each of his five full seasons. Very few NBA players have improved dramatically after playing 9,000 minutes. This has been widely discussed in the blogosphere, and www.knickerblogger. net has produced a study that shows Curry has little in common with later bloomers like Jermaine O’Neal and Yao Ming.

With Curry signed to a toxic, untradable contract that runs into the next decade, it’s time to accept that this is the Knicks pivot for the foreseeable future.

There’s growing sense of dread that many Knicks fans already have in regard to their starting center. Curry was obtained for two lottery picks (one last summer, and the Bulls have the option to switch picks with the Knicks in ’07). If New York continues to struggle, then Knicks fans may suffer the indignity of watching Tyrus Thomas, Chicago’s lottery pick last summer, and one of this year’s bumper crop of NCAA bigmen (Greg Oden, Joakim Noah, and the like) form Chicago’s frontcourt for years to come, while Curry lumbers through one average season after another.

Curry isn’t without his assets, as his 24 point, 8 rebound, 10 for 15 shooting performance against Chicago on Tuesday night illustrated. He has a nice collection of post moves and an excellent touch on short and midrange shots.

Unfortunately, that ends the list of his positives. One major flaw is that he doesn’t pass out of the post. In the previous five seasons, he has had 25, 37, 68, 37 and 19 — yes, 19 — assists. That’s not per month; that’s per season. Given that he’s double teamed at least 68 times a month, you would like to think Curry would see the court better and dish the rock more. Don’t count on it. Through a fifth of this season, he has eight dimes. Curry’s inability to pass out of double teams leads to many, many turnovers — one every 11 minutes of burn or 15.3% of all his touches. This is particularly sad because Curry’s offense is his strong suit.

I suspect Knicks fans would live with Curry’s offensive shortcomings if he was a tenacious defender, but he’s even worse on that end. Curry’s poor fundamentals make him a terrible rebounder. He averages 5.1 boards a game — a pitiful number for a 6-foot-11 inch, 285 pound center and far less than Dirk Nowitzki averaged back when everyone thought he was soft. His poor conditioning leads to bad footwork and many unnecessary fouls on defense too. Curry has a heart ailment, which is often brought up in reference to his conditioning, but it’s not an excuse, it’s a detriment. I think any doctor would advise against carrying extra weight, especially for someone with a heart condition. That Curry does seem heavy should give fans some clue about his work ethic or lack thereof.

The biggest problem with Eddy Curry has little to do with his play on the court, but rather the expectations that greeted his arrival. Curry’s season and change with the Knicks have been little different from his four with Chicago. He’s the flipside of DeSagana Diop, a fine defender with no offensive game. Yet, whereas Dallas fans think of Diop as a one-dimensional player who complements a fine team, Knicks fans were sold on Curry being the long-term answer to the void in the pivot that has existed since Marcus Camby’s departure.

Instead, another Knick center comes to my mind in reference to Curry, Marvin Webster, who arrived as a free agent after his defense helped the Sonics reach Game Seven of the 1978 NBA Finals. Already dubbed “The Human Eraser,” Webster was thought to be the missing piece to what was a fine offensive and weak defensive Knick team. Instead, Webster proved to be little more than a good reserve pivotman. This was underscored when the Sonics won the title the season after Marvin’s departure. Meanwhile, the Knicks realized their error and drafted Bill Cartwright. Between the two, the team had above average play in the pivot until Patrick Ewing arrived in 1985.

If Knicks fans are lucky, then a similar scenario will happen now. The team will draft a solid center that allows Curry to run with the second unit. Until then, the Knicks will be stuck with a flawed young player who has already peaked manning their pivot, and the fans will again have to deal with the chuckles coming from their friends in Chicago.

mjohnson@nysun.com