NBA summer leagues shed more light on the draft
Basketball Betting Lines
07/16/2010 -
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This year's rookie crop got its first taste of
the NBA in the recently completed Orlando Summer League and the one in Las
Vegas which concludes on Sunday. Though it's not the competition the player
will see in the regular season, you can still get a good feel of the skill and
talent level in this setting.
In watching these games, it wasn't difficult to come away with some of the
steals and blunders of the draft. Here's some of the talent that stood out to
me in good and bad ways:
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: John Wall exhibited the talent that earned him the first
overall pick, but the point guard will have to cut down on the high turnover
totals that plagued him in college along with working on his perimeter game.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Evan Turner, by his own admission, struggled pretty badly
in Orlando. He was used to controlling the ball at Ohio State and didn't
seem comfortable playing off the ball with Jrue Holliday running the offense.
Holliday, by the way, looks like he's really ready to make a real impact this
season.
NEW JERSEY NETS: Power forward Derrick Favors looked like the project he was
labeled before the draft. He needs a lot of work on his post-up game and mid-
range jumper. I think DeMarcus Cousins would've been a better choice at this
spot. New Jersey's second pick of the first round, Damion James, was very
impressive and looks like he's ready to make more of an impact than Favors in
his first season.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Wesley Johnson had problems creating his own shot off
the dribble, which is something you definitely don't want to see from the
fourth overall pick in the draft. I have a strong feeling the T-wolves will
regret this selection.
SACRAMENTO KINGS: Sacramento has to be thrilled with the play of Cousins, its
first-round pick. He scored inside and out, rebounded and passed the ball
extremely well while showing a really good feel for the game. The former
Kentucky center could turn out to be the second-best player in the draft.
DETROIT PISTONS: Greg Monroe did not look comfortable working in the low post.
He appears to have a small forward's game in a power forward's body.
UTAH JAZZ: A lot of people questioned Utah's selection of Gordon Hayward with
the ninth overall pick, and his play in Orlando showed why. He struggled to
get his shot off and his lack of foot speed hurt him on defense. I thought
Paul George would have been a much better choice than Hayward.
INDIANA PACERS: Speaking of George, he was clearly one of the standout players
in the summer league. His athleticism, size and length will be assets along
with his excellent basketball skills. George was selected 10th overall, but
looks like he should have gone a bit higher. And speaking of going
higher, Indiana's second-round pick (40th overall), Lance Stephenson, looks
like he should have gone much earlier in the draft. Character questions scared
off a lot of teams, but there doesn't seem to be much doubt about his skill
set.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: The defending champs didn't select until 43rd and 58th
picks overall, but it looks like they came away with some NBA talent in small
forward Devin Ebanks and power forward Derrick Caracter. Ebanks showed good
play on both ends of the floor, while Caracter's play had me wondering how
this kid lasted until the third-to-last pick in the draft. He can score with
either hand around the basket, has a nice mid-range touch and showed the
ability to pass the ball out of the post, which is helpful in the Lakers'
triangle offense.
BOSTON CELTICS: Luke Harangody was one of the standouts in summer league play
and looks like one of the draft's big steals after being taken 52nd overall.
The Notre Dame power forward showed the willingness to bang inside and the
ability to step outside and hit 3-pointers.
<< Leafs' Kadri in for some heavy lifting
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nothing says pressure like holding the
weight of a Stanley Cup-starved city on your shoulders.
But regardless of how you look at it - fortunately or unfortunately - that is
the reality for Toronto Maple Le
<< Blue Jays' Anthopoulos building on youth
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When your pockets aren't deep and you live
in the American League East, you need to do things a little differently. With
a new general manager in town, it seems as though the Toronto Blue Jays have
finally com
<< Orioles recall INF Bell
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles recalled infielder Josh
Bell from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, a move that coincided with the club
placing catcher Matt Wieters on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a
right h
<< CFL East: Trying to separate fact from fiction
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Hamilton and Winnipeg preoccupied with
each other and Montreal being Montreal, the Toronto Argonauts are finding
themselves in a division trying to find itself.
A contradicting start to the season has
<< Royals start homestand with Oakland in town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams trying to climb into contention in the American
League start up their post-All Star break schedules this evening at Kauffman
Stadium, where the Kansas City Royals open up a six-game homestand with the
first o
Celtic adds Murphy from Sunderland >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic have completed the signing of
Sunderland striker Daryl Murphy on a three-year contract.
The 27-year-old joins fellow Bhoys newcomers Charlie Mulgrew, Joe Ledley and
Cha Du-Ri in Neil Lenn
Warriors' sale could mean tough sell for NBA in upcoming CBA fight >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is an adage in politics - never
let a serious crisis go to waste.
In these tough economic times, rank and file workers across America have
never been more suspicious of management.
Most agree that
Podolski claims he is committed to Cologne >>
Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cologne's Germany international forward
Lukas Podolski has vowed to stay with his current club this summer, despite
links with a possible big-money move abroad.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a fine Worl
NL East: With playoffs in sight, Braves make a switch at short >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It appears as though the Atlanta Braves got tired of
waiting for Yunel Escobar.
The Braves dealt the 27-year-old shortstop to the Blue Jays on Wednesday in a
five-player trade that sent 33-year-old Alex Gonzalez to the Bra
Hamburg completes signing of Diekmeier >>
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamburg have completed the signing of
right back Dennis Diekmeier for an undisclosed fee on a four-year contract
from Nurnberg.
The 20-year-old has played for Germany at three junior levels and m
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
NFL Football Sports Betting
Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
|