Chicago's Curry to miss rest of season

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Eddy Curry and the Chicago Bulls are optimistic he'll play again, but the center will miss the rest of this season and the playoffs while more tests are done to determine the cause of an irregular heartbeat.\nCurry's undergone numerous tests since having an irregular heart beat March 30, and all have been "positive," said Kathy Weber, a team physician. But they've also been inconclusive, and the Bulls don't want to put the 22-year-old back on the court until they have more answers.\n"We've been as diligent as we can to rule out anything possible that would put him at risk," Weber said at a news conference Thursday night at the team's practice facility. "We're going to continue to do that until we feel it's safe for him to play."\nWeber said Curry isn't experiencing any arrhythmia now, and he isn't on any medication. He'll undergo six more weeks of testing, after which the Bulls should have a definitive answer on when he can return.\nWeber wouldn't elaborate on what those exams will entail, and general manager John Paxson said the team won't give any updates until the tests are complete.\n"We are being cautious with this thing," Paxson said. "We have to do whatever we possibly can to eliminate any possible concern before we put him back on the floor."\nCurry warmed up for the Bulls' game at Charlotte on March 30, but was a late scratch with what was listed as flulike symptoms. He was later diagnosed with an irregular heart beat.\n"It was just kind of a funny beat," Curry said. "I don't even know when it first happened. It was so subtle, it felt like it was always there. That particular day, it was pretty strong. I felt like it deserved some attention."\nCurry underwent tests in Charlotte, and was admitted to Rush University Medical Center for further exams when he returned to Chicago on April 1. When those were inconclusive, specialists in Boston and Minnesota were consulted.\nThough some causes have been ruled out -- Weber said no medications or supplements were responsible -- the Bulls want to know more before they clear Curry to play again.\n"Although everything has been positive, we still have some unanswered questions," Weber said. "Until we have that completely put to rest, we've opted to continue testing."\nWhile Curry said the process is frustrating, he wants more answers, too.\n"I realize that safety is first," he said. "I really think everything will turn out for the best, but right now, I've got to be cautious."\nOther NBA players have played through similar conditions without serious complications, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Derrick Coleman and Aaron McKie. And Curry plans to play again, too.\n"I definitely feel confident that I'll be back," said Curry, who smiled and looked relaxed when he arrived at the news conference. "That's why I'm not really stressed out."\nCurry's absence is a big loss for Chicago, which was already without starting forward Luol Deng. The rookie had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, and will be in a cast for the next 6-to-8 weeks.\nThe Bulls are 7-8 this season without Curry. They're 6-3 since he got sick, but have dropped their last two.\n"Eddy's meant so much to our success and our turnaround," Paxson said. "It's not going to be the same without him."\nAfter losing more than 30 pounds last summer, the 7-footer has become the inside force the Bulls envisioned when they drafted him fourth overall in 2001. He led Chicago with 16.1 points a game and was shooting 53.8 percent, fourth best in the NBA. He had scored at least 25 points in his two previous games before being sidelined.\nCurry's development has been a big factor in the resurgence of the Bulls, who have gone from NBA laughingstock to one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. At 44-34, Chicago has the third-best record in the conference and has clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the Michael Jordan era.\nWith four games left in the regular season, Chicago is still fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.\n"It's tough, but I'm extremely happy for everyone around here and for the organization," said Curry, a Chicago native. "It makes what I'm going through a lot easier because it makes me happy to see the guys doing well"