Lakers add Barnes, Ratliff
Basketball Betting Lines
07/22/2010 -
El Segundo, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers added depth to their
frontcourt by signing veterans Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff.
The Thursday move for Barnes to sign with the Lakers came just three days
after he posted a message on his Twitter account saying he was joining the
Toronto Raptors via sign-and-trade deal, but that fell apart.
Barnes sent another message from Twitter Thursday declaring that his signing
with the Lakers was official. "This is a dream come true!!!," Barnes wrote.
The Los Angeles Times reports Barnes received a two-year contract, but left
money on the table for a more lucrative offer from Cleveland. He'll reportedly
earn $3.6 million from the Lakers, but Yahoo! Sports reports Barnes could have
earned $7 million over the same period from the Cavaliers.
Barnes, 30, averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 81 games for the Magic
last season. He started 58 contests and averaged just under 26 minutes per
game.
In 444 career games over seven seasons with the Clippers, Kings, Knicks,
Sixers, Warriors, Suns and Magic, Barnes has averaged 7.3 points and 4.4
boards. He played college ball at UCLA.
The Times reports Ratliff's deal is for one year for the veteran's minimum of
$1.35 million.
The 37-year-old Ratliff, entering his 16th NBA season, averaged 5.1 points,
4.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in 28 games for the Charlotte Bobcats last
season. He started the season with San Antonio and averaged 1.6 points and 1.9
boards in 21 contests with the Spurs.
"I've had a long and very rewarding career, and joining a storied and
legendary franchise such as the Lakers adds an even more special element,"
Ratliff said. "I look forward to playing for Coach (Phil) Jackson and with
great players such as Kobe (Bryant), Derek (Fisher), Pau (Gasol), Lamar
(Odom), Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum and all my other new teammates, and hopefully
to helping the Lakers win a third straight championship."
Originally selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1995 NBA
Draft (18th overall), Ratliff has twice been named to the NBA All-Defensive
Second Team (1999 and 2004) and has led the league in blocked shots three
times (2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04).
<< Lee finally wins with Texas; Rangers edge Angels
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee pitched 8 1/3 solid frames for his
first win in a Texas uniform, leading the Rangers past the AL West rival
Angels, 3-2, in the first of four games.
In just his third start for Texas since
<< A-Rod moves one step closer to 600; Yankees down Royals
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez hit home run No. 599 and drove in
four runs total, and the Yankees defeated the Royals, 10-4, in the start to a
four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Rodriguez hit his 16th homer of the season a
<< Chivas defender Bornstein out with knee injury
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA captain Jonathan Bornstein will be
sidelined two weeks with a knee injury suffered Sunday in the SuperLiga match
against the Houston Dynamo, the Major League Soccer club announced Thursday.
Bornst
<< Notre Dame-Miami to renew rivalry in 2012
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Miami and the University
of Notre Dame football programs have agreed to play each other in 2012, 22
years after the schools last met.
The game will be played at Soldier Field in Chica
<< Phillies fire hitting coach Thompson
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies, who have
struggled at the plate and are seven games behind NL East-leading Atlanta,
fired hitting coach Milt Thompson Thursday night.
The move came hours after the
Henry scores in New York debut >>
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thierry Henry scored in his debut for Red Bull
New York on Thursday in a 2-1 loss to English Premier League club Tottenham in
the Barclays Challenge at Red Bull Arena.
Henry scored in the 25th minute to hand N
Duval boots 7 FGs as Als rout Hamilton >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal kicker Damon Duval tied a career-high
with seven field goals as he helped lead the Alouettes to a commanding 37-14
win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Percival Molson Stadium.
Duval finished the n
Cain, Giants blank Diamondbacks >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain fanned nine batters over eight
shutout innings and Buster Posey continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-4
with an RBI as the Giants blanked the Diamondbacks, 3-0, at Chase Field.
Cain (8-8
Broncos' Dumervil agrees to extension >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil has
agreed to a contract extension, just over a month after he signed his free
agent contract tender.
Terms of Dumervil's extension weren't disclosed, but source
Donovan's late goal helps Galaxy tie Earthquakes >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Landon Donovan scored in the 90th minute and the
Los Angeles Galaxy remained unbeaten at home in Major League Soccer with a 2-2
draw Thursday night against the San Jose Earthquakes at The Home Depot Center.
Edso
Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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