Chicago ? This babying of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler is getting ridiculous.

If the Chicago Bulls’ young standouts can’t do the job, get them out of there until they can. And judging by the evidence in the first 14 games, it doesn’t appear as if they are ready.

You would think Curry, at 6-feet-11-inches and almost 290 pounds, could get hit in the head with more than one rebound a game. But even after the embarrassment of failing to get a rebound in his first two games this season, Curry had just one rebound in 15 minutes when the Bulls lost at Golden State last week and one rebound in 10 minutes when the Bulls lost in Sacramento.

You want more minutes? Get two rebounds. Keep someone from making a layup on occasion.

Curry has been moaning about not playing enough, and he is averaging just 18.2 minutes per game. Good thing. The Bulls might not have any victories if he were playing more.

Curry and Chandler start, which is not a good thing. It is understandable why coach Bill Cartwright is starting them – he is trying to give them confidence. He’s giving them a chance to show something, which is commendable. They should be grateful because Cartwright knows what is happening.

The Bulls have been in a hole all season. They yield an average of 27.6 points overall in the first quarter. The average goes down every quarter thereafter: 25.3 in the second, 24.1 in the third and 21.6 in the fourth. The first quarter also happens to be when Curry and Chandler play the most, the fourth quarter the least.

Anyone see a correlation?

This is not to say they are failures, or they won’t someday be good NBA players.

But it’s time to show something or sit down for a while. All these pleas for patience from general manager Jerry Krause just send a message to Curry and Chandler that not much is expected of them.

These aren’t babies. They have been basketball players for years. Chandler was featured on national TV five years ago. They have been in big tournaments and big games. They have traveled with an NBA team for more than a year, playing in summer leagues and special camps for centers. They have had the chance to be tutored by a former All-Star center and to be around talented veterans. Age is not an excuse.

Kids go in the military after high school and are expected to provide for the national defense. Age is not a reason for not performing.

And all these guys have to do is grab some rebounds against players who are smaller than they are, stay between them and the basket and run a little harder. Can it be that difficult? I don’t think so.

What the Bulls need to do is get another veteran frontcourt player, someone like Cleveland’s Tyrone Hill, Miami’s Brian Grant, Golden State’s Adonal Foyle, Atlanta’s Alan Henderson or Memphis’ Lorenzen Wright. Thin out the ranks as well.

But it’s not likely to happen because Krause doesn’t like to admit mistakes.

Take either Curry or Chandler out of the starting lineup, probably Curry, who could build some defensive confidence by playing against second-team guys. Get veterans on the floor sooner in games and deal for another one. Get rid of some of the backup kids – there are too many babies around. That’s not the way to build a team. Four is enough. Eight is too many.