New!! Curry invaders eyed in rob of other NBA star

BY FRANK ISOLA and JOTHAM SEDERSTROM

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Monday, July 30th 2007, 1:42 PM

The gun-wielding thugs who robbed NBA star Antoine Walker in his Chicago home this month could be the same crooks who ransacked Eddy Curry's suburban home, authorities said yesterday.

Chicago police investigators continued to work with cops in nearby Burr Ridge to establish if the same trio of thugs was involved in both crimes.

"There are similarities: You have two pro ballplayers, you have jewelry and you have cash. We're not going to rule it out," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Neighbors described seeing unfamiliar cars circling the secluded suburb in the weeks leading up to the Saturday home invasion, in which Curry, 24, his wife and an employee were bound and robbed at gunpoint by three thugs.

The masked men stole jewelry and cash, but nobody was harmed, law enforcement officials said.

"Almost every day we have people - lookers, we call them - and they just drive by and look at all of our houses," said neighbor Kathy Bernatowicz, 53, who estimated seven home invasions have occurred this year. "We never knew if they were casing the place or taking a tour of the homes."

Burr Ridge Mayor Garry Grasso said the crooks did not force their way into Curry's $6.2 million home.

"The door may have been unlocked or the garage was open, but there's no indication they forced their way in," he said.