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.

Shaquille O’Neal is on the move again. This time, Shaq will join LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The LeBron and Shaq show will attempt to bring an NBA championship to the city of Cleveland for the first time.

In return for Shaq, the Phoenix Suns received Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, cash and a second round pick in next year’s draft. The Suns did the deal for financial reasons as Pavlovic has an unguaranteed contract and Wallace is said to be leaning toward retirement.

The 37-year-old O’Neal is coming off of a very good season. He averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.7 assists per game. He shot 60.9% from the field and 59.5% from the line.

The Cavs need Shaq to give LeBron some help. In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, the Cavs struggled to find offensive options. They also struggled to defend the rim. Shaq should help in both regards.

Marketing-wise, this is a dream for Cleveland and the NBA.

Shaq and Lebron (Image: Zuma Press)

Within the last 24 hours, there has been a lot of talk about Amare Stoudemire getting traded. The most heated rumor had the Phoenix Suns power forward being dealt for Al Jefferson and the 6th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. This trade came courtesy of Boston.com.

Could Amare Stoudemire get traded for Al Jefferson? (Image: Newscom)

Supposedly, the Minnesota Timberwolves want to shake up their roster and that could include trading Jefferson. If they do want to trade Jefferson, getting Stoudemire in return could be one of their better options. However, Minnesota trading Jefferson and the sixth overall pick makes too much sense for the Suns.

After getting the basketball world in an uproar, Boston.com later reported that a different source claimed that the Stoudemire for Jefferson trade wasn’t going to happen. But, according to the report, the Suns remain interested in potentially trading Stoudemire.

For Phoenix, a trade this offseason appears to be a necessity. They can’t afford to return the same core that missed the playoffs last season. If Stoudemire isn’t the one traded, expect a Shaquille O’Neal trade or even a Steve Nash trade.

Steve Nash’s time with the Phoenix Suns may be up. As one analyst puts it, the sun may be setting on Nash’s storied career in Phoenix. This doesn’t mean that Nash will be done playing basketball for good. Though he’s been in the league for 13 seasons, I fully believe he’s got two maybe three more seasons in him — back  problems and all. The guy can still play, and he proved that  this season, even as his team began to crumble around him.

Steve Nash may no longer be a Phoenix Sun after this season.

First, his new coach Terry Porter was fired. Then his best friend, Raja Bell, gets traded. THEN, Boris Diaw is let go. Every decision that Steve Kerr has made as a GM has apparently done more bad than good for the setting Suns, who failed to make the playoffs for the first time in  nine seasons.

Yet, despite all of that, Steve Nash still wants to remain in Phoenix.
It kind of makes you wonder what Kerr will do next. Letting Nash go would be a mistake, in my opinion. But it’s not up to me. Unfortunately, it’s not really up to Nash either.

Photo provided by Newscom

After injuring his left knee on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns is expected to miss between one and three weeks of action. The injury happened in the third quarter of the game when his knee awkwardly bent inward. The official diagnosis is a bone contusion.

Leandro Barbosa Injury - Source: Newscom

On the season, Barbosa’s numbers are down across the board. The former Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 24.7 minutes per game.

The Barbosa injury is yet another blow to Phoenix’s chances of making the playoffs. Currently, the Suns are the ninth seed in the Western Conference. To make the playoffs, they would most likely have to catch the Dallas Mavericks. Currently, the Mavs lead the Suns by four games in the standings.

Barbosa will join All-Star Amare Stoudemire on the sidelines. Stoudemire suffered an eye injury that required surgery and forced him to miss the rest of the 2008-09 NBA season.

Image details: 2007 ESPY Awards - Arrivals served by picapp.com

The annual 2008 ESPY Awards will air live on ESPN on Sunday, July 20th at 9 pm est / 8 pm cst, and keeping with their tradition of including outdoor sports and motorsports within their equation, NASCAR will be represented with nominees in three separate categories this year.

Every year, the ESPY’s select from a pool of nominees for their racing-specific athlete category for “Best Driver“. A NASCAR driver has won this award in 9 of the 15 years, and 4 of the last 5. The most recent winners of this award were Jeff Gordon in 2007 and Tony Stewart in 2006. Representing NASCAR this year are 2006 and 2007 Sprint Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson (whom has never won the award), current Sprint Cup points leader, Kyle Busch, and Dario Franchitti (though Franchitti was nominated for his win in the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and for winning the IndyCar Series championship last season). They will compete against Lewis Hamilton, Tony Schumacher, and Scott Dixon.

Kyle Busch’s surge to 7 wins this season in the Sprint Cup Series and 14 altogether in NASCAR’s top-three series has also earned him a nomination as the “Breakthrough Athlete of the Year“, but he’s going to be looking at some pretty stout competition in this category, particularly as he goes against Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Also nominated for this award are Stephen Curry (basketball) and Ana Ivanovic (tennis). Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears won the award last year.

Much to his own surprise, Jamie McMurray is up for an award himself. He’s been nominated for the “Best Finish” award for his 0.05 second victory over Kyle Busch in the 2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He will be up against Western Kentucky’s 3-point buzzer shot to advance over Drake University in the NCAA Tournament; the San Antonio Spurs’ victory over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals in double overtime; and the Pittsburgh Penguins triple overtime win against the Detroit Redwings in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

Additionally, IRL star, Danica Patrick, is nominated for the awards of “Best Moment” and “Best Female Athlete.”

Go here for a complete list of the 2008 ESPY Nominees and go to ESPN.com for listing information on the event itself.