08/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been some significant moves in the Western Conference during the offseason which should impact the way the West will be won during the 2008-09 campaign.
Houston traded for Ron Artest, New Orleans inked swingman James Posey and Golden State has had to re-shuffle its roster. The Lakers have had a quiet summer, while the Clippers will have a new look.
Take a peek at where the squads in the Western Conference project at this time:
1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS - The Lakers are the defending Western Conference champions and get the top spot by default. They decided not to match Golden State's offer to physical big man Ronny Turiaf, but did re-sign guard Sasha Vujacic, who had a strong offseason. MVP Kobe Bryant makes the Lakers the team to beat in West.
2.SAN ANTONIO SPURS - Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are still the nucleus of the Spurs, who were knocked out by the Lakers in five in the West finals. San Antonio did re-sign center Kurt Thomas and inked free agent guard Roger Mason, who adds athleticism. The Spurs are still one of the elite teams in the NBA.
3. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS - It would not be a surprise if Chris Paul leads the Hornets to the top of the conference during the upcoming season. All-Stars Paul and David West have arrived, while athletic center Tyson Chandler and sharp-shooting Peja Stojakovic are the right complementary players in head coach Byron Scott's system. Swingman James Posey, who played a big role in Boston's championship run, adds defense and valuable big-game experience.
4. HOUSTON ROCKETS - All-Stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady have yet to get the Rockets past the opening round of the playoffs, so Houston traded for Ron Artest, who averaged 20.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 57 games for Sacramento last season. If Artest can keep his mind on basketball, the Rockets may have found the player who can get them out of round one in the postseason and actually help them compete for a championship. The last time Houston won a playoff series was 1997.
5. UTAH JAZZ - The Jazz have been almost silent this summer. Power forward Carlos Boozer and point guard Deron Williams, who signed a lucrative contract extension, are good enough to keep Utah in the top five in the West.
6. PHOENIX SUNS - New head coach Terry Porter will slow things down in Phoenix, which may bring two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash back to earth. Shaquille O'Neal is no longer the dominant force he once was, while Amare Stoudemire has shown that he is recovered from his knee injury and is once again a dominant presence down low. The window is closing fast in the Valley of the Sun.
7. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS - Trading for point guard Jerryd Bayless, who was selected 11th overall by Indiana in the draft, was brilliant. Bayless will fit in perfectly with big men LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and All-Star guard Brandon Roy. Oden, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, did not play last season because of a knee injury and should be ready to make his much- anticipated debut. This is going to be one of the fun and exciting teams to watch this season. Big things are on the horizon in Portland.
8. DALLAS MAVERICKS - Jason Kidd is not the answer. Dallas was eliminated by New Orleans in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, and has not done enough during the offseason to move it up the ladder in the West. The Mavericks did sign free agent center DeSagana Diop, but that will not have much of an impact. Former MVP Dirk Nowitzki is still a great player, but he needs some new teammates who mesh better with his game. For now, this is a team that will struggle to make the playoffs.
9. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - Two-time All-Star point guard Baron Davis, forward Matt Barnes and swingman Mickael Pietrus all left via free agency. The team did sign athletic Corey Maggette, who will add scoring, forward Ronny Turiaf and traded for lead guard Marcus Williams. Head coach Don Nelson will be back on the bench and will have the Warriors battling for one of the final playoff berths in the conference.
10. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS - It's been a busy summer for LA's second team. Losing free agent forward Elton Brand to Philadelphia hurts. However, the Clippers were able to ink Baron Davis to a multi-year deal. They also traded for 2006-07 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby and signed veteran swingman Ricky Davis. The Clippers may be better than expected.
11. DENVER NUGGETS - All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are in for a long and frustrating season. Denver dealt Marcus Camby to the Clippers to trim the payroll. Camby was the only Nugget who attempted to play defense. Head coach George Karl could be ready to call it quits by mid-season, and Anthony and Iverson may ask for their tickets out of town as well.
12. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - The Timberwolves look like they actually may have a plan. They selected O.J. Mayo with the third overall pick in the draft and then dealt him to Memphis in a deal that yielded them Kevin Love, who was the fifth overall pick by the Grizzlies, and sharp-shooting forward Mike Miller. Big man Al Jefferson, who averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds, is on the verge of becoming an All-Star and is the cornerstone of the franchise. It won't happen overnight, but the Timberwolves have a roster full of young player who are getting better.
13. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES - Rookie O.J. Mayo, high-flying Rudy Gay and point guard Mike Conley Jr. give head coach Marc Iavaroni a nucleus that can grow into his up-tempo style of play. Memphis wants to be young and athletic. Like Minnesota, this project will take some time.
14. SACRAMENTO KINGS - Playoffs are not in the vocabulary of this franchise right now. The Kings are looking to go young and build around sharp-shooting guard Kevin Martin. Ron Artest was traded to Houston, and center Brad Miller may have a new home as well before the new season tips off. This team is in rebuilding mode.
15. OKLAHOMA CITY - Another team that is rebuilding. The former Seattle SuperSonics have a new home and are trying to put together a talented team built around Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant. Forward Jeff Green will have a bigger role, while UCLA's Russell Westbrook was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the draft and will be given a chance to have an immediate impact.
<< NASCAR hands out stiff penalties to Gibbs Racing
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR came down hard on Joe Gibbs Racing
Wednesday for cheating during Saturday's Nationwide Series race.
Drivers Tony Stewart and Joey Logano were each stripped of 150 points and
their respective
<< Marlins, Giants resume series in San Francisco
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins will be trying to put together a
winning streak for the first time this month when the young club takes the
field tonight against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
Florida kicked off an import
<< Dodgers send Billingsley to hill versus Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The pitcher who has emerged into the unlikely ace of the
Los Angeles Dodgers' staff will be asked to play the role of spoiler when the
National League West contenders resume a three-game series against the
visiting Colorado R
<< Rays put baseball's top record on the line in finale with Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thanks to wins in the first two games of this series the
Tampa Bay Rays now have the best record in all of baseball. Tonight, they will
try to sweep the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the second time this
season in a three
CC: Closer to an MVP than a Cy Young? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The CC Sabathia for NL Cy Young Award talk is starting to
pick up some steam. Actually, "picking up steam" is the wrong phrase, but
everyone seems to be asking me these days if he has a shot at winning the
award.
If anyth
Dolphins trade CB Daniels to Browns >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins traded cornerback Travis
Daniels to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice
Wednesday.
Daniels, a fourth round draft choice out of LSU in 2005, played in
Reds place Hairston on DL >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds placed infielder Jerry
Hairston Jr. on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained right
hamstring.
The move is retroactive to August 18.
In 63 games this season, Hai
Panthers release veteran DT Scott >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers reached an injury
settlement with defensive tackle Ian Scott Wednesday and released the veteran.
Scott, who was signed in the offseason after the Panthers traded defensive
tack
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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