Mike Celizic

It is dangerous to draw conclusions from a civil suit filed by an ex-con against a basketball player – even a player for the Knicks. Given the nature of the complaints enumerated in the suit — after you read them, you want to take a shower — it’s dangerous even to talk about them.

Still, something has to be said about the latest sordid tale to tar the Knicks. So, after reading the news accounts of the allegations levied against Knicks center Eddy Curry, let’s point out the obvious: Be careful of whom you hang out with.

This is advice that goes both to Not-Very-Fast Eddy and any team that decided to employ such as he. From the day Isiah Thomas traded with Chicago for Curry in 2005, Knicks fans have wondered what Thomas ever saw in him. Of course, Knicks fans wondered what Thomas saw in many of the bodies he swapped in and out of Madison Square Garden before his reign of error finally ended last year. But Curry always was one of the bigger mysteries.

Curry had one good season with Thomas coaching him before sinking into irrelevance. This year, he’s played in just one game, both because of gimpy knees and his inability to haul his bulk up and down the court in coach Mike D’Antoni’s running offense. He’s joined on the team’s lost-in-inaction list by point guard Stephon Marbury, another highly paid star no other team would touch.

The lawsuit is just plain icky. Curry’s former driver, a sterling fellow named David Kuchinsky, has accused the player of sexual harassment, racism, verbal abuse and, oh, by the way, not paying him. So what this is really about is what so many other things are about: money.

But it’s also about judgment. Before signing on with Curry, Kuchinsky’s address had been a prison cell, where he served time for burglary. He’s also spent time on probation for resisting arrest.

Thomas’ bad judgment in trading for Curry pales beside the center’s total lack of judgment in hiring a convicted burglar — and allowing him to live in his home — to be his driver.

Curry’s attorney, Kelly Saindon, is reported by The New York Post to have said, “"It's shocking that Eddy opened his home to a convicted felon out of prison, and gave him a job when he couldn't find a job, and this is what comes out of it.”

I’m sure most of you remember the parable about the woman and the snake. When she succumbs to his sibilant seduction, he sinks his venomous fangs into her. As she’s dying, she asks how he could repay her hospitality in such lethal fashion. The snake reminds her that she knew what he was when she took him in.

I’m not saying that no one should ever hire an ex-felon. That’s like imposing a life sentence on people. But I do think that if you’re going to have somebody living in your home shared by your wife and three children, maybe you should look for somebody without the rap sheet. We’re not talking about working a factory floor or sorting mail here. If the guy decides to become a recidivist, he’s not going to lift a stapler or laptop from the company, he’s going to take something from your home.

Curry denies all the charges, as one would expect. It’s important to remind ourselves that we do not know the truth of the allegations and, if the lawyers get together to settle things behind closed doors, we may never know. Just the same, this is a cautionary tale with real lessons.

For sports teams, it is to be careful whom you hire. Thomas excelled in hiring people with character issues, maybe because he saw them as kindred spirits. This is the guy who was successfully sued by a former team vice president, Anucha Browne Sanders, for sexual harassment.

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For athletes, it’s the same: be careful with whom you associate. In this case, the one allegation that is likely to be litigated — or settled privately — is Kuchinsky’s claim that Curry owes him $68,000 in back salary. And the lesson there is to be sure that you pay the people who work for you – and make sure your accountant keeps the canceled checks.

The rest of the stuff is just a lot of gory detail thrown into the complaint to get the attention of the newspapers and get all of us to think about Curry in a negative light. It might be true and it might be all made up. But for the most part, it’s irrelevant, especially as it will never be proved.

But even without the naughty bits, the story still calls Curry’s character — and by extension his team’s — into question. Is this a guy making millions who stiffs a chauffeur out of what amounts to chump change? And if so, do you want him on your team?

More on Knicks |  Isiah Thomas

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