Stephen Curry may have had his bags packed and ready for New York City, but much to the disappointment of the New York Knicks, he’ll be going to the West Coast instead.

Coach Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors stole Curry right out from under the Knicks’ noses when he picked him 7th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.

To anyone out there who thinks Nelson is planning on trading Curry to the highest bidder (ahem, Phoenix Suns) — think again.

“He can unpack his bags and relax,” Nelson said after welcoming Curry to Oakland. “He can buy a house. We drafted him because we think he’s a terrific player that fits right into our program. He ain’t going anyplace.”

Curry will be paired up with Monta Ellis to create a quick and sharp-shooting backcourt. He will definitely see playing time this fall, as Nelson hopes Curry can help spark his offensive attack.

“I looked at the top 10, and [the Warriors] jumped off the page with the way they play,” Curry said. “I’m a fan of the game, so I notice these sorts of things. I’ve seen enough of them to know I’d fit in here, at least on the surface. It’s exciting to get here and think about what could happen with this offense and this coaching staff.”

If Curry is as exciting to watch in the NBA as he was in college, then Bay-area basketball fans better get ready for some highlight-reel-worthy plays this season.

One of the most interesting players in the 2009 NBA Draft is Stephen Curry of the Davidson Wildcats. The son of former NBA player Dell Curry, he has a silky stroke and a scorer’s mentality just like his father.

In his final season with Davidson, Curry averaged 28.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. He shot 45.4% from the field and hit 220-of-251 free throws.

The best thing Curry does is score the basketball. His shot is deadly from almost anywhere on the court and his quick trigger allows him to get his shot off with just a sliver of daylight.

Despite his elite scoring ability, Curry does have a few question marks. The biggest question is what position will he play? At 6-foot-3, he’s likely too short to play shooting guard. He also could struggle as a playmaker if forced to play point guard.

If you are a fan of Curry’s and you want to see him light up the scoreboard, you should root for him to land with a free-wheeling team like the New York Knicks or the Golden State Warriors. On such a team, he could quickly become one of the most explosive marksmen in the NBA.

Stephen Curry - 2009 NBA Draft (Image: Zuma Press)

Rick Pitino has “been there, done that” as far as the NBA is concerned. Twice actually. Is the third time the charm?

Will Rick Pitino take another stab at the NBA?

Not at the moment.

Although rumors around the Internet circulated that the Sacramento Kings were in interested in hiring him as a head coach,  ESPN.com reported that contact with the Kings was initiated by Pitino’s camp. Sacramento never considered him as it began drafting a list of potential candidates.

But Pitino told Louisville this morning that he had no intention of leaving his current coaching position.

May Sacramento wasn’t interested? Afterall, Pitino’s two NBA stints were with the  New York Knicks from 1987 to 1989 and with the Boston Celtics from 1997 to 2001, and neither jobs were successful.

Image: Newscom

Dwyane Wade has been marvelous during the 2008-09 NBA season. On Easter Sunday, he scored a new career-high 55 as the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks by a final score of 122-105.

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (Image: Newscom)

Wade scored his 55 without taking many shots. He finished the game 19-30 from the field, 6-for-12 from beyond the three-point line and 11-for-13 at the charity stripe. He also chipped in with nine rebounds and four assists in his 39 minutes of action.

With the win, the 42-38 Heat are now locked into the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will open the playoffs on the road against the fourth seeded Atlanta Hawks. If they advance past the first round, they will almost certainly face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.

Michael Beasley, the rookie forward for Miami, scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. The Knicks were led by the 21 points apiece by Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler.

Apparently, the New York Knicks do care about defense. At least a little bit. On Thursday, the Knicks signed center Mouhamed Sene. Although Sene doesn’t have many skills on the basketball court, there’s one thing he can do very well — and that is block shots.

The 6-foot-11, 22-year-old bigman out of Senegal has a huge wingspan and has shown an ability to block shots in his limited time in the NBA level. In 254 career minutes, he has 21 blocks. That equates to almost 4 blocks per 48 minutes, which is an attribute that would definitely help the Knicks.

As a team, New York is by far the worst shot blocking team in the league. Their average of 2.48 blocks per game is 1.17 blocks less than the next worst team in the NBA. In fact, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard averages 2.92 blocks by himself. Chris Andersen, a bigman on the Denver Nuggets who plays only 20.4 minutes per game, averages 2.46 blocks per game.

What has held back Sene in his career is his severely limited offensive game. Additionally, there have been some questions concerning his work ethic and his character. But if he can help the Knicks block a few shots, he’s a bigman project who could stick around in New York.

Here is a Mouhamed Sene highlight video:

David Lee, arguably the best player on the New York Knicks, had to sit out a game for the first time this season on Saturday night. Without Lee, the Orlando Magic were able to beat the Knicks by a final score of 110-103.

David Lee Injury, New York Knicks (Image: Newscom)

On the season, Lee is averaging 16.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 35.5 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 55% from the field and 75.8% from the free throw line. His points, rebounds and assists represent career-highs for the 25-year-old out of the University of Florida.

The good news for the Knicks is that this appears to be a short-term injury. Lee said that the tendinitis in his right knee flared up and wasn’t allowing him to warm up. He later went on to say that he only plans to miss this one game.

Last season, Lee played 81 out of the 82 games for the Knicks.

Yes. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics was an event that’s memorable for the sport, Basketball. It was when the following athletes competed:

• Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns
• Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics
• Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers
• Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks
• Magic Johnson, retired, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers
• Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls
• Christian Laettner of Duke University
• Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz
• Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors
• Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls
• David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs
• John Stockton of the Utah Jazz

Coached by Chuck Daly of the New Jersey Nets.

Final standing of the US Basketball Team, 8-0. So, yea — they took home the gold. Hahahaha. I can only imagine how their opponents may have felt when they were playing them. Stunned and star-struck. Great times. :D

Wikipedia