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Bosh all but gone from TorontoBasketball Betting Lines06/28/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With July 1 fast approaching, the much- anticipated NBA free-agency period is set to begin. The reality, which should have long been apparent for the Toronto Raptors and their fans, is that the organization will not be retaining the services of five-time All-Star Chris Bosh. Star free agents like Bosh have plenty of options. There are many scenarios for the forward to evaluate before signing the biggest deal of his life. If Bosh were willing to take a pay cut, he could play for the NBA team of his choosing next season. The ability to continue his prime years in the destination of his choice is an appealing option, though the money likely to be placed on the table by lesser teams will be enticing in its own way. While Bosh will be paid like a franchise player by whatever team he signs with, it is unlikely that he will be the number one option for a team with legitimate hope for a championship. It has been widely speculated that Bosh will seek to pair up with another top free agent on the market, which includes the likes of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. He could form a dynamic combo with one of those players and give himself a legitimate opportunity to win a title. At this stage in Bosh's career, that seems to be his greatest concern. If he signs with a mediocre team for more money, Bosh will be confronted with a similar scenario to the one he faced in Toronto, where he amassed just three playoff victories over his seven-year tenure. While he's a multi-skilled star and one of the top power forwards in the NBA, he has proven that he's not a closer or a player who can take a team to the next level on his own. He needs more support than he was provided with in Toronto. Point the blame in whatever direction you like; the bottom line is Bosh, as the centerpiece of a franchise, accomplished personal accolades more than anything else. As for any hopes that he might remain a Raptor, while general manager Bryan Colangelo has proven to be creative over his career, convincing Bosh to stay in Toronto is a task too difficult for anyone. The Raptors are in a state of flux, and playing for a mediocre team in the Eastern Conference is not something star sign up for. There comes a time in many players' careers when winning trumps everything. It seems that Bosh has reached that point, and there are better opportunities for him to accomplish that feat in another city. That is the reason why, with the current state of the team, it is a foregone conclusion that Bosh will be donning a different uniform next season. LIFE AFTER BOSH The prospect of losing Bosh is something for which the Raptors organization has been preparing for quite some time. While many will argue that the Raptors have to get something back for him via a sign-and-trade, it may not necessarily be the best option. Being able to add pieces to the roster and avoid getting nothing back for Bosh would be a best-case scenario, providing the return made sense. However, there is no point to take a bad contract in exchange for Bosh's eventual departure. For that reason, if he walks, it could end up being a better alternative for the franchise. Along with Bosh, it is no secret that a major push to move Hedo Turkoglu is currently underway. Furthermore, it is likely either Jose Calderon and/or Jarrett Jack will be traded somewhere else this offseason. Simply put, the Toronto Raptors are undergoing a serious makeover, and the immediate future looks rather bleak. Without the likes of Bosh and Turkoglu, the Raptors will need to bring in a combination of players who can score and, more importantly, rebound. A lack of rebounding has been one of the Raptors greatest deficiencies, along with a perimeter defender who can create his own shot and slash to the bucket. Regardless of the new faces that will be calling the Air Canada Centre home next season, someone will need to elevate their game to the next level. A lot of that responsibility will fall into the hands of Andrea Bargnani. The former No. 1 pick is coming off the best season of his four in the NBA. He set career-highs in field-goal percentage, points, rebounds, blocks, and three pointers made. Bargnani has lacked consistency on both ends of the floor, and been criticized for his lackluster defensive skills. However, he showed improvements on the defensive end and looks to be turning into a legitimate shot-blocker. He can still evolve as a player, and especially needs to improve on the boards. The seven-footer has yet to reach his ceiling, which is why Colangelo now has the opportunity to build this team around him. Come Thursday, it may be his best option.
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Online Sportsbook Football BettingThe 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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