Clippers Turning Heads

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1978, the Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the easiest betting options to avoid when it comes to gambling on the NBA. Having only made the playoffs three times in 32 years, it is easy to see why most sportsbooks recommend that fans sports betting online avoid the Clippers. However, ever since 2008 when the Clippers drafted Eric Gordon in the first round, the team has been slowly building itself up.

Now in 2010, Eric Gordon, along with star power forward and 2009 first overall draft choice Blake Griffin, are leading a young Clippers squad out of obscurity. On Monday night, the Clippers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 113 to 90 for the club’s first three game winning streak since 2007.

Prior to the LA Clippers 23 point victory over the Timberwolves Monday night, the team had won back to back road games for the first time in almost two years. The recent success of the team can be placed largely on the shoulders of the trio of Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and veteran point guard Baron Davis.

As many fans may recall, the Baron Davis signed as a free agent with the LA Clippers back in 2007 and the idea in theory was that he was the missing piece to a then semi-decent veteran Clippers squad. However, due to injuries and a lack of commitment by Davis, the Clippers ended up with Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin. Not a bad couple of consolation prizes.

Now in 2010, aside from Gordon, Griffin and Davis, the Clippers finally have a Head Coach who knows how to win in former Chicago Bulls bench boss Vinny Del Negro. In two years with the Bulls, Del Negro took the young team from obscurity to the playoffs in back to back years. This season, the Bulls look amazing, and ideally by the time Del Negro’s contract is finished with the Clippers, they too will be a powerhouse in the NBA.

Low Key Trade May Have Bigger Implications

Earlier this week a three way trade between the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets, for three relatively unknown players, flew under the radar for most sports wagering sites. However, looking closer at the deal, and betting handicappers will realize, that the New Jersey Nets may have just become the front runner to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. Today we will study the three team deal and its implications on a potential Carmelo deal.

The deal itself saw, the New Jersey Nets send disgruntled swing-man Terrence Williams to the Houston Rockets, for guard Sasha Vujacic from the Los Angeles Lakers and two first round draft picks, one from the Rockets and one from the Lakers, while the Lakers received forward Joe Smith from the Nets.

Now how this all affects the Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony is two-fold. Firstly, the Nets have been speculated as one of several teams that could both afford and put together an enticing package for Anthony. Secondly, the two draft picks the NJ Nets received from the Lakers and Rockets, came at an interesting price. The Lakers draft pick is speculated to be a late first round pick as the Lakers are once again the odds on favorite to win the NBA title.

Meanwhile, where the intrigue begins is with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets, traded away their first round pick in the 2012 draft, however the pick itself is lottery protected. What this means is that if the Rockets were to fall to a lottery position, they would have the draft pick returned to them, while the Nets would receive a compensatory pick in a future draft.

The two draft picks that New Jersey acquired earlier this week, are likely to be used in a bigger deal to make a bid for Carmelo Anthony. What’s more, the Nets received the Houston first round pick, even though the Rockets own the New York Knicks first round pick. Essentially suggesting, that the Rockets and Knicks made a back room deal to prevent, the Knicks from helping the Nets acquire Anthony.

Early Season Success Or Are The Spurs For Real?

Going into the 2010-11 NBA betting online season, and all the hype was surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and the new look Miami Heat. However, 23 games into the season and it is decade long sports wagering site powerhouse, the San Antonio Spurs living up to all of the other teams hype. At 20 wins and three losses, the San Antonio Spurs, make us consider the question, is this a team just taking advantage of early season woes of their opponents or are they this season’s NBA Champion?

The San Antonio Spurs record of 20 and three through the first 23 games of the season is considered to be the second best win loss record through the first quarter of NBA games in league history. Through the same 23 game margin, the 95-96 Chicago Bulls and 08-09 Boston Celtics tied for the NBA record with 21 and two overall records.

Thus far in the season, the 2010-11 Spurs are averaging a franchise best 106.9 points per game. Putting this into perspective, last season’s Spurs squad only averaged 101.9 points per game, which was among the middle of the pack in team offenses for the NBA.

In seasons past, the San Antonio Spurs have had to rely heavily on their big three of Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan, however this season; the San Antonio secondary has been almost as amazing as their big three. Perhaps the biggest improvement thus far in 2010-11 has been the play of former New Jersey Net and Milwaukee Buck, Richard Jefferson. Jefferson, a player that has dominated on every team he’s been on in the past, struggled
mightily a season ago adapting to the Spurs playbook.

Yet a season later, and a small sample size in 23 games, Jefferson appears to be back to the old three point shooting monster from his Nets days. With Jefferson leading the charge for an improved secondary, the Spurs appear to be the favorite to win this season’s NBA Title.

How To Bet The NBA

Sports betting handicappers both online and in person have come to love gambling on their favorite NBA teams. Alongside the NFL, NBA betting is the most popular brand of sportsbook wagering on the internet. For the fan unfamiliar with how to bet on the NBA, here is a guide on how to do so.

Essentially if you know how to bet on the NFL then you know how to bet on the NBA. However, the two leagues differ considerably from one another. For instance, the NBA is an eight month league, best compared to the MLB.

What this means for bettors, is that they can expect a lot of hot and cold streaks as teams battle to the make the playoffs. As a result, you should focus as much on your money management skills as you do on handicapping each team. Meaning to say, betting the same small amount for each game you wager on is integral. Just because you handicap every team in the league, does not justify over betting on one team while keeping the rest of your bets the same amount.

Remember, the difference between a sports fan and a sports handicapper, is that handicappers bet with their brains while fans bet with their hearts. This means, every team bet on should have the same value.

Moreover, the NBA line almost never changes per game, which tells us that value will be hard to come by. The only time you may really find any value on the NBA line, is during the opening weeks of the season, as sportsbooks are getting accustomed to new look teams, the same way that bettors are.

NBA Buys A Team

NBA betting fans received some shocking news earlier this week as they learned that the NBA was buying the New Orleans Hornets. Historically, one of the NBA online betting league’s most struggling franchises, the Hornets appeared to have turned a corner over the last few seasons, as they made the playoffs. However, after seeing the NHL buy the Phoenix Coyotes last season, the NBA felt it was their duty to the fans to buy the Hornets in order to keep the team afloat.

The League said in an announcement on Monday that it would spend $300 million to purchase the New Orleans Hornets from long time owner George Shinn.Shinn had been the owner of the Hornets for the last several years but over that time was losing more money than he could afford. When a deal for the sale of the team fell apart last month, the NBA stepped in to relieve Shinn as owner.

Initially, the plan was for Shinn the majority owner of the Hornets to sell the team to former minority owner Gary Chouset. However, the deal fell through when Chouset changed his mind after seeing the low attendance numbers and previous season’s debts.

One of the NBA’s first measures once taking over the New Orleans Hornets will be to rework the lease with the city of New Orleans over the stadium. The current contract between the Hornets and city expires in 2014.

Yet it should be noted that with a potential players union strike looming, the Hornets franchise may end up moving to a new city. Potential landing spots if the team were to move, include Seattle, Kansas City, and possibly Las Vegas.

If Seattle were to become the home of the Hornets, it would be the second franchise Seattle has had in the NBA. In 2007 the Seattle Supersonics relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City where they currently play as the Oklahoma City Thunder.

King James Returns Home In Fashion

Last night was one of the busiest in the history of the online betting sites industry in terms of action for one basketball game. It was during the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat that future hall of fame superstar Lebron James returned to Cleveland. King James former home was a hostile one and for fans that bet on the Cavaliers to pull the upset, they were surly disappointed.

In his return last night to Cleveland, Lebron James teased the Cavaliers fans. James poured in an astounding 38 points, eight rebounds and two assists, stats that the Cleveland faithful had come to love. What’s more, James led his new team the Miami Heat to one of the biggest blowouts in Cleveland since the beginning of the decade.

For seven years, Lebron James was leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs. However, James along with his teammates could never get over the hump and win the NBA title. With seven years of winning basketball, James spoiled Cleveland. So when he left for South Beach in the summer, Lebron didn’t just leave, he took the fans hearts with them.

Rather than simply leaving and signing with his new team, James felt it was his duty to rip Cleveland’s hearts out. Call it an ego boost, but for James to go on national television for a one hour special, to announce his decision to leave Cleveland, was one of the dirtiest most hurtful actions one could do.

Meaning to say, Thursday December 2^, 2010 blowout win of 118 – 80 by the Miami Heat over the Cleveland Cavaliers, could have been accepted if it was dealt with any other way. For James to blowout his former team would have been fine in itself. But after the summer antics between James and the Cavs, the typical James performance, just felt wrong.

NBA Power Rankings—Nov. 12

• Lakers

Despite the loss to Denver, LA still looks like the league’s most dangerous team.

• Celtics

Beatdown in Miami made it official: the Celts are the Beasts of the East.

• Hornets

Who would have thought that New Orleans would be the only undefeated team left in the NBA three weeks into the season?

• Jazz

We knew Paul Millsap could score, but 46 points? The Jazz are for real.

• Magic

The lineup needs some fine-tuning and the Magic need to beat a quality opponent.

• Heat

Their 5-4 start has been nothing short of embarrassing. Think LeBron is regretting his choice more and more?

• Spurs

Winners of five straight are showing no signs of age.

• Nuggets

Rebounded nicely against the Lakers after a horrendous loss to Indiana.

• Blazers

B-Roy is injured again, but Joel Przybilla is finally set to return.

• Mavericks

Nowitzki and Kidd are looking refreshed, but injuries are always a source of concern.

• Bulls

The Bulls could be the second-best team in the East when they get Carlos Boozer back.

• Thunder

Their current position in the NBA standings isn’t a good indication of the talent on this squad.

• Suns

Phoenix is still fun to watch, but they’re having a harder time winning games without Amare.

• Bucks

Brandon Jennings is evolving into a real leader, and the Bucks are improving day-by-day.

• Hawks

A three-game skid after a 6-0 start doesn’t inspire confidence.

• Grizzlies

Memphis needs to pick up its ‘D’ before it can pick up any wins.

• Warriors

Big basketball scores aren’t a problem; defensive consistency is.

• Knicks

The Stoudemire experiment is producing the expected results: Amare isn’t a franchise player.

• Cavaliers

Who would have thought that the Cavs have a realistic shot at beating the Heat in December?

• Rockets

Houston has been surprisingly awful to start the season, and now Yao is injured.

• Nets

Steady improvement is all Avery Johnson is looking for.

• Pacers

Indiana is still a bad team, but at least the players look like they’re having fun.

• Wizards

John Wall makes the Wiz one of the more exciting teams to watch.

• Kings

DeMarcus Cousins’ stock is dropping rapidly.

• Sixers

On the other hand, rookie Evan Turner is showing signs that he can indeed play.

• Bobcats

Charlotte is last in scoring and second-to-last in rebounds per game.

• Timberwolves

The Kevin Love situation continues to perplex, but Michael Beasley is starting to find his groove.

• Pistons

Trade rumors are already rumbling through the Motor City.

• Raptors

The Raps simply don’t have the star power or experience to challenge teams on a nightly basis. DeMar DeRozan needs to show some consistency.

• Clippers

Poor Blake Griffin-even his outstanding early-season play hasn’t been enough to help the Clippers out of the cellar.

Top Point Guards In NBA

The NBA season is only a few weeks old and already fans around the league are betting on the best point guards in the game. In a rather premature move, 2010 first overall draft selection and Washington Wizards point guard John Wall has many online sports betting columnists using his name in the same conversation as stars such as Chris Paul and Derek Fisher. Here are three point guards we see as the elite of the league thus far.

• Devin Harris New Jersey Nets - The Nets would like to put the 2009/2010 season behind them as they lost over 70 games. As a result, the team got rid of its veteran line up and replaced it with a young fast tempo team that in a few years should be amazing. In saying that, many would believe that the team does not have any stars yet. Enter Devin Harris, the franchise’s first true point guard since Jason Kidd went back to Dallas a couple of years ago. Harris led the Nets to a two and zero start, before they dropped their last three ball games. However, Harris has put the team on his back in this early season and should be able to do so in the coming months and years.

• Steve Nash Phoenix Suns - Anywhere he goes, this Canadian sensation has made his team that much better. Nash has played over 15 seasons in the NBA and won the league’s MVP trophy in back to back years. At 36, Nash is the oldest on this list by a large margin. Nevertheless, he still averages almost 20 points per game to go along with close to eight assists and four rebounds a game.

• Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls – To say Rose has been incredible in his first two and a half seasons as an NBA star would be an understatement. The Bulls formerly known as Michael Jordan’s team are now known as Derrick Rose’s team. With NBA franchise star Carmelo Anthony recently telling reporters he would like to play in Chicago with Rose, it is no wonder people are already considering Rose as an elite guard.

Key Injuries in the NBA

1. Carlos Boozer

• For the past three years, freak injuries to important players have become the norm. Two years ago, Golden State’s Monta Ellis mangled his ankle while riding a moped in his home state of Mississippi. Last year, Portland’s Joel Przybilla re-ruptured his already-torn patella by slipping in the shower. This season, Carlos Boozer-Chicago’s prized offseason acquisition-broke his hand before the start of the season by tripping over a bag in the dark.Boozer is out for the next few weeks at least, and his absence could end up costing the Bulls heavily in the NBA standings.

2. Mike Miller

• After signing Wade, James, and Bosh to lucrative contracts this summer, most of the talk surrounding Miami concerned the thinness of the Heat’s bench. To address their depth issues, the Heat signed sharpshooter Mike Miller, who instantly became a frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year.However, Miller injured his thumb in practice just before the team’s season opener, and is not expected back until the New Year. The Heat will end up being fine, but who’s going to score off the bench? Miller’s health is vital for Miami’s championship aspirations.

3. Gilbert Arenas

• While it’s never acceptable to make fun of injured athletes, Arenas’ most recent injury is tragically comic. After drawing the ire of his coach as well as the national media for faking an injury in a preseason game, Arenas returned to action only to experience pain in his hamstring. That pain quickly moved down to his ankle, and it was revealed before the Wizards’ season opener in Orlando that Arenas would be out for at least the next two contests due to an inflamed ankle tendon.

4. Greg Oden

• It seems like ages since Oden has shown up in any weekly basketball scores. After breaking his kneecap in a freak accident in December of last year, Oden has been rehabbing all summer, but still doesn’t know when he’ll be back. It’s easy to mock the Trail Blazers for passing on Kevin Durant in favor of Oden, but Oden still has the chance to become an all-star caliber player if he can stay on the court.The 22-year-old has had a nightmare of an NBA experience so far, but if he can manage a lasting comeback this year, he could be the missing piece in Portland’s quest for success.

5. Martell Webster

• Webster suffered a bad fall during the playoffs with Portland last season, but looked fully recovered in his first preseason with the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Webster’s back flared up before the start of the season and he is now being forced to sit out 4-6 weeks to recover. Wolves GM David Khan is crying foul and attempting to demand extra compensation from the Blazers for trading a broken part, but he’ll probably just have to content himself with watching rookie Wesley Johnson receive increased playing time on the wing.

Top NBA Players Of All Time

Sports betting and whiskey have a lot in comparison, for instance through time the greater it gets. When it comes to NBA betting, this analogy is non-more evident, as fans have bared witness to some of the greatest basketball players of all time. Here are our two NBA players we consider the best of all time.

• Michael Jordan – Jordan is one of the only people in sports who no matter what happens in their personal life, it won’t overshadow their on court performance. Prior to arriving in the Windy City, Jordan was winning NCAA tournaments on his own at UNC. Heck, he inspired a lot of future NBA stars to go to UNC first as each of them wanted to be the next Jordan.

When MJ arrived in Chicago, you just knew that city was going to get a boost. For years they had been the joke of the NBA, yet by the time Jordan had finished playing in Chicago, stars wanted to sign there. Now most may argue that Jordan’s supporting cast of Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen were great, but really it was Michael Jordan who carried the team. Jordan won six NBA titles, five MVP trophies and scored 32,292 points.

• Wilt Chamberlain - Before Jordan there was Chamberlain. A legend in the 1950s and 1960s, without his contributions to the game we wouldn’t have seen, Bird, Magic or Jordan grace the game. Sure he only won two NBA titles in his long illustrious career, but Chamberlain has two records that will never be touched by anyone.

Firstly, Chamberlain is the only player to have multi 100 point games in the same season. What’s more, is the only player ever to score 4,000 points in a single season. When Chamberlain left the NBA he finished with 31,000 points and 24,000 rebounds. What’s more Wilt Chamberlain is one of only two players to grab more than 50 rebounds in a single game.

« Previous Page — Next Page »