The short answer is “I don’t know.”

Not enough? I don’t blame you. I wrote the following during my running diary on draft day:

There’s a rumor that the Warriors might send Andris Biedrins, Marco Belinelli, Brandan Wright and the #7 pick to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire. That seems like an awful lot to give up given the trades we’ve seen go down in recent days. But Stoudemire is a borderline franchise player, so a good center (Biedrins) and three prospects (Belinelli, Wright and the #7 pick) doesn’t seem crazy.

The Warriors drafted Stephen Curry when he fell to #7. At that point, it wasn’t clear whether or not he’d be headed to Phoenix as part of this trade. Paul Coro of AZCentral.com reported that he “likely” was headed to the Suns.

Golden State’s selection of Davidson point guard Stephen Curry at No. 7 was likely made for the Suns as part of an Amaré Stoudemire trade that can’t be completed until Wednesday. That is because Phoenix would be acquiring Warriors center Andris Biedrins, a base-year compensation player, as part of a Stoudemire deal that would include more Warriors players, possibly power forward Brandan Wright and/or shooting guard Marco Belinelli.

The Suns were hoping they could land Curry or Arizona power forward Jordan Hill with the Warriors’ seventh pick but had their choice after Minnesota took neither with its fifth and sixth picks.

The next day, Coro reported that the deal was all but done, but hinged on whether or not Curry was included…

With its first-round pick, Phoenix selected 6-foot-10 Louisville forward Earl Clark, but the bigger news was that sources said the Suns expect to complete a trade with Golden State that would send Amare Stoudemire to the Warriors next week for Davidson point guard and No. 7 pick Stephen Curry, center Andris Biedrins, power forward Brandan Wright and shooting guard Marco Belinelli.

If Curry is not included, the deal will not be made. A trade cannot be completed until Wednesday because Biedrins, a 23-year-old Latvian 7-footer, is a base-year compensation player whose trade value will not match his contract number until then. The deal needs Biedrins at his $9 million salary, which stays flat through 2013-14, to make the trade work under NBA financial parameters.

Later, Golden State head coach Don Nelson said that the Warriors were going to keep Curry.

Nelson firmly declared the Warriors won’t trade Curry on Friday, quashing suspicions about Golden State’s intentions in selecting the former Davidson star who led the nation in scoring last season.

“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.”

Coro tried to clarify the Suns-Warriors deal on Friday.

The Suns had an agreement in principle with Golden State about a deal that would send Amaré Stoudemire to the Warriors for Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli and the No. 7 pick. It was the Suns’ understanding that the Warriors were drafting Curry for them.

But with Biedrins’ base-year compensation status, a deal can’t be completed immediately because his cap number is lower than his actual $9 million salary until July. The Suns were expecting to have to wait about two weeks (until July 8th) for the deal to be completed.

That is a lot of time, especially when there already is a lot of talk out of Golden State about the Warriors keeping Curry. That about-face apparently would nix the deal for the Suns.

Even today, there is still a belief in Phoenix that the deal will get pushed through under the initial agreement. But Golden State may have been shocked that Curry was available and is having a change of heart. There was nothing binding about the agreement.

Coro wrote yesterday that a deal sending Stoudemire to Phoenix was not dead yet.

More insiders have backed up the assertion that Phoenix thought it had a done deal going into the Warriors’ No. 7 pick on Thursday night and believed it had Davidson point guard Stephen Curry once the pick came up. If the Suns did not think that Curry was Phoenix-bound, would they have taken UCLA point guard Jrue Holiday at No. 14 instead of Louisville forward Earl Clark?

We don’t know that answer. We just know the Suns did not think it was very likely that Holiday would drop to them at 14 (he went 17th to Philadelphia). If anything, it appeared that Holiday was rising as the draft neared. For the Suns, the call on Holiday was going to be weighing a short track record at UCLA against the potential star quality of a hard-working, defensively strong 6-foot-4 point guard who has the court vision and willingness to pass. But they really did like Clark all along and said weeks ahead of the draft that length and defense could be priorities with the pick.

In the end, the Suns really were closer to getting Arizona power forward Jordan Hill than Curry. If Golden State planned to keep Curry all along if he was available, the Suns never had a chance at him. Had Curry gone higher as expected, the deal could have get done with the Warriors taking Hill for the Suns.

All right, so what is going on here?

It sounds as if the Warriors and Suns made an agreement for a Stoudemire swap, and when Golden State took Curry at #7, the Suns thought that pick was made for them. If the Warriors agreed to send Curry to Phoenix, but then had a change of heart, then they reneged on the deal. Being surprised about Curry’s availability at #7 isn’t a fair defense because the two teams would have had to have discussions about all of the possible scenarios. At some point, Suns GM Steve Kerr must have said “if Curry is available at #7, we want him as part of this deal” and Warriors GM Larry Riley either agreed or disagreed. If he agreed, then the Warriors reneged. If he disagreed, then the Suns (or Coro) are being disingenuous about Curry actually being part of this deal. If the two didn’t discuss the possibility of Curry falling to #7, then both general managers are incompetent.

It’s not like Curry was a sure bet to go in the top six. Sure, Minnesota’s decision to draft two pure point guards back-to-back was unorthodox, but the Kings could have easily went with Ricky Rubio at #4 and the T-Wolves might have paired Tyreke Evans with Jonny Flynn at #5 and #6. Evans had a terrific workout in Minnesota and is big enough to play off guard, so it wouldn’t have been shocking had Minnesota passed on Curry there.

One thing is certain — it’s going to be interesting to watch this unfold. Curry didn’t work out for Golden State and most indications is that he didn’t want to land in Oakland. He is saying all of the right things now, but he’s a mature kid, so that’s no surprise. Nelson and Riley might be covering their bases when they say that he’s not going to be traded. If the Stoudemire deal falls through due to one of his health issues (eye, knee), then they don’t want to alienate Curry.

As for a Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry backcourt, I think it can work. Ellis is more of a slasher, while Curry is a shooter. Even though their both small, their games actually complement each other more than most people think. Nelson isn’t going to be concerned about size because he feels that with the pace at which the Warriors play, an Ellis/Curry combo will put a lot of pressure on the offensive end of the court and in transition.

If a deal does finally go through, it will be interesting to see if Curry is included. After all of this drama, I don’t see the Suns settling for just Biedrins, Wright and Belinelli (even though that’s not a bad deal given this economy and the certainty that Stoudemire will eventually change teams in the next year). If Golden State is set on keeping Curry, but still wants to do business, they may have to throw in a future first round pick (or include Anthony Randolph instead of Wright) to sweeten the pot for the Suns. Golden State would then move forward with Ellis and Curry in the backcourt, Stephen Jackson or Corey Maggette at small forward, Randolph at power forward and Stoudemire in the middle. Conversely, the Suns would then rebuild around Clark, Biedrins and Wright, and whomever they get for Steve Nash.

Chris Bosh discussed Miami as a possible destination next summer.

“As of right now, I’m not sure. I like Miami, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know what comes along with being a part of that organization. I don’t even have any friends in Miami, which was the funniest part. A close friend of mine hit me yesterday and was like ‘Hey there’s another article out’ and I was like ‘What now?’ ‘Apparently a friend in Miami said you’re going to Miami.’ He sent me the article and I read it, and I’m like, ‘now they’re just making stuff up.’”

For Heat fans, re-signing Dwyane Wade and signing Bosh would be a dream scenario next summer. The best thing Miami has going for it (other than South Beach, of course) is Wade, so if Bosh signs he better hope that Wade doesn’t pull an Elton Brand and bolt. Speaking of…

Dwyane Wade discussed his hometown of Chicago as a possible destination next summer.

“I’m not ruling out a lot of places, including Chicago, but I’m not really thinking about those places. Like I said, 2010 is the year when I will sit down and open up my options and, hopefully, I’m still blessed and healthy to have those options and then go from there. But Miami is my number one option and I’ve made that clear. That’s where I want to be and, hopefully, we can get everything right here in Miami.”

Wade is just keeping his options open. He has said repeatedly that he’d like to stay in Miami, but he’s keeping the organization’s feet to the fire by insinuating that he still might leave if the franchise is unable to surround him with good players. The Heat are projected to have significant cap space next summer, so they could conceivably sign Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or even LeBron James.

If the Knicks draft Jordan Hill, then David Lee may be moved in a sign-and-trade.

Adding Hill would mean the Knicks will attempt to deal free agent David Lee in a sign-and-trade in July, possibly with Portland.

The Eastern Conference’s road to The Finals no longer goes through LeBron James’ palace. It goes through Dwight Howard’s Magic Kingdom.

An ability to defend the post is tantamount — something King James’ Cavaliers failed to do. Currently, the Knicks probably have the NBA’s worst post defense. Hence, Donnie Walsh’s fascination with Hill.

Portland doesn’t make a lot of sense other than the fact that they could use some toughness and rebounding inside. I don’t know what’s in it for the Knicks. The Blazers don’t have any expiring contracts, so New York would need to pry away one of the Blazers’ young pieces. With Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge seemingly off the table, would Portland give up Rudy Fernandez or Greg Oden to land Lee? Jerryd Bayless, Travis Outlaw, Sergio Rodriguez and Nicolas Batum are other possibilities.

The Knicks currently project to have about $34 million in cap space heading into the 2010 season, enough to sign two big name free agents. If they take on more than $4 or $5 million in salary as part of this potential trade, they’re only going to have enough cap space to sign one superstar. (Unless of course, they can rid themselves of Eddy Curry or Jared Jeffries.)

According to the LA Times, the Magic need to get rid of Rafer Alston.

The Magic’s first order of business during this all-important off-season must be to do whatever’s necessary to get rid of point guard Rafer Alston.

You heard me. “Skip to My Lou” must skip outta town if the Magic is to move forward with Jameer Nelson as the starting point guard and de facto leader of the team. Just call it addition by subtraction.

Alston only has one year remaining on his contract, so he shouldn’t be difficult to move and it shouldn’t have much of an impact on the Magic’s attempt to re-sign Hedo Turkoglu. He’s a borderline starter in this league, so it’s not inconceivable that Orlando could keep him to backup Jameer Nelson, since he says he won’t be a distraction.

The Golden State brass reportedly promised Ellis that they wouldn’t draft a playmaking guard.

One source indicates that Ellis came out of the Nelson/Riley meeting with the understanding that they would not draft a play-making guard to usurp Ellis’ standing.

I assume that Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans would all fall into that promise-won’t-draft category.

This is a little different than promising not to draft a point guard. While I would classify Rubio, Jennings, Flynn, Evans and probably Holiday as “playmakers,” I would not describe Curry that way. Curry is at his best when he’s shooting, and if he’s spotting up with his feet set, even better. He and Ellis could conceivably share the backcourt duties in Golden State, and might actually fit well together.

Turkoglu looking for $10 million per season?

When Turkoglu opts out of the final year of a six-year, $36 million contract on June 30, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent starting July 1. He’ll assuredly be looking for a five-year contract and likely one worth the $10 million a season that Corey Maggette got last summer from the Golden State Warriors.

Turkoglu is a lot better than Maggette, but that doesn’t mean that he’s going to get the same kind of contract. The Maggette signing was even considered lavish last year when it went down (and the NBA economy was better), so why should the Magic base Turkoglu’s contract on a bad deal that the Warriors made in knee-jerk reaction to losing Baron Davis and missing out on Elton Brand? The Magic should pay him his market value and he should take it. I don’t think there are too many teams in a position to give him $10 million per season, so I’d start with a deal averaging $8 million and go from there. I think the Magic could get this done for $8.5-$9 million per season. Turkoglu needs to remember who gave him a chance to flourish. More importantly, he has a good thing going in Orlando and he shouldn’t sacrifice several guaranteed playoff runs for a few extra million.

Luke Walton is a genius.

Luke Walton said he told general manager Mitch Kupchak and Coach Phil Jackson during his season-ending meeting on Tuesday that “if we can bring everyone back, we’ll definitely be competing for an NBA title, at least for the next couple years.”

Really? He’s saying that if the team that just won the title can bring everyone back, they’ll be a contender next season. Did he major in rocket science at the University of Arizona?

If Phil Jackson retires, will Coach K take over?

At least one well-informed NBA informant insists that Lakers coach Phil Jackson will hang up the clipboard this summer and his successor could be Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski — especially if his highly-influential agent (Kobe Bryant) puts the heat on Lakers management.

File this one under pure speculation. Besides, other than a crapload of money, I don’t see the upside here for Mike Krzyzewski. The Lakers just won the title and are expected to win it again next season. If he takes over, and the Lakers lose, he’ll get the blame. If they win, then no one will give him any credit because they were supposed to win.

Can you imagine how this will affect all the Laker and Duke haters around the country? Their heads will explode.

Yesterday’s rumors…
Does Ben Gordon have a promise from the Pistons?