Wanted: A must-see player for Clippers
Basketball Betting Lines
07/23/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rapper Young Jeezy once boasted that mentioning his name
would bring an entire city out.
That same drawing power can be heralded by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight
Howard and a just handful of other players in the NBA.
Unfortunately the "other" team in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Clippers, hasn't
had the luxury of calling a true superstar player one of its own. Norm Nixon,
Marques Johnson and Derek Smith were respectable in their time in LA, as were
Danny Manning, Ron Harper, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. But none were
necessarily magnets for fans.
In order for the Clippers to step out of the shadows of the title-laden
Lakers, they're going to have to do better than running out the current crop of
high-level performers like Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon and Baron Davis. I'm not
saying those players will be the death of another Clippers' season in 2010-11,
but president Andy Roeser and assistant GM Neil Olshey could have pulled some
strings via trade before the draft.
Let's not forget the two reached out to - and reached for - James before the
multi-talented personality decided to take his talents to South Beach. The
Clippers should have known they had a snowball's chance in the Staples Center
parking lot to land the coveted free agent, and now they're left with basically
the same roster as before. The team was honored to have been invited to meet
with James and the main selling point was its "extraordinary nucleus of
players."
If the Clippers are alluding to the core of players that competed to a 29-53
record a year ago, than I'm missing something here. Why in the world would
James have ever wanted to perhaps finish his career in NBA purgatory? To me
it's almost comparable to a Detroit Lions representative trying to persuade
Peyton Manning or Tom Brady to play out their 2010 contract and head to Motown
for a chance of winning three or four games over the next few years.
Not a chance.
Instead of pipe-dreaming over James, I would have tried to package a player or
two and the Clippers' eighth overall pick in last month's NBA Draft for a
veteran presence, or at least someone with credibility. Instead, Los Angeles
brought back Craig Smith, added Willie Warren, Ryan Gomes and Randy Foye, and
selected Al-Farouq Aminu with the No. 8 pick. It later snagged Eric Bledsoe
with the 18th overall selection.
To me that spells another 20-to-30 win campaign, but don't tell that to new
head coach Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro, who was able to ignore heat from upper
management in Chicago and lead the Bulls to the playoffs, said in his
introductory press conference that he's looking forward and feels the
snake-bitten franchise is headed "in a different direction right now."
What direction are you alluding to, Mr. Del Negro? The Clippers were 28 games
out of first place in the Pacific Division in 2009-10 and were lucky to finish
third in the standings with Golden State and Sacramento doing slightly worse.
I guess the only direction is up when your team finishes 8-33 on the road and
15-37 in conference play.
Del Negro noted that coaching the Clippers was the right opportunity for him
and his family, and was able to beat out Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey for
the job. Olshey commented on how Del Negro had solutions, and was able to
overcome obstacles in Chicago en route to postseason appearances. Am I wrong
here when I say that having Derrick Rose, arguably one of the best point guards
in the game, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng would make drawing up X's and O's easier
on any head coach? The larger perception was that the Bulls underachieved under
Del Negro.
Let's see how the new coach does with a bunch of players only some in the City
of Angels, and Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz, could identify.
Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, missed his rookie season after
undergoing knee surgery and could be the name Clippers brass and fans will
continue to rest their hopes on. Several pundits pegged Portland top pick Greg
Oden - mired in a similar injury-laden situation - to do the same a few years
ago and he's been a bust so far. Griffin seems to have more upside than Oden
with his thick, muscular physique and just needs to develop an outside game.
But, Griffin also has to stay healthy, and has the added pressure of being
counted on as the face of the organization. There's little to suggest that he's
ready for that role.
With several other high Clippers draft picks washing out of the league in
recent years, a lot of hope is resting on the repaired knee of the young power
forward. Griffin's not going to garner the type of publicity James, Bryant or
Howard can, but he'll make a Clippers team that much better with a serviceable
supporting cast in Davis, Gordon and Kaman. Griffin said before the 2010 draft
that he'd learned how to be patient with his rehab and is eager to hit the
hardwood again. In my opinion, that should excite his teammates and coaching
staff more than any of the changes the Clips have made this offseason.
Whether Griffin succeeds or fails, for a Clippers fan base that annually eyes a
better tomorrow, the time is now for a big-time player to start filling the
seats that have been too often vacant when the home team is wearing red and
royal blue, as opposed to purple and gold.
<< Bengals sign third-round pick Ghee
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals have signed
cornerback Brandon Ghee, the team's third-round draft choice.
He was the 96th overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.
The 6-0, 192-pound Ghee made 56 tackles,
<< Cubs activate P Schlitter; option P Stevens
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have activated right-handed
pitcher Brian Schlitter from the 15-day disabled list.
He was placed on the DL on July 7, retroactive to July 3, with a right
shoulder impingement.
Sch
<< Canadian MLB Report: Axford making most of chance
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Multiple Canadian-born hurlers were
supposed to be impact pitchers for their respective teams in 2010, but the
first half of the year didn't exactly reflect those predictions. On the other
hand, some have ste
<< Wigan inks midfielder McArthur
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Promising Hamilton midfielder James McArthur
has joined Wigan for an undisclosed transfer fee.
The 22-year-old has penned a four-year contract at the DW Stadium, where he
will team up with former Accies c
<< Gaming: Can the WAC maintain its ATS Superiority?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last season was quite a turnaround for
the Western Athletic Conference, as the league's nine teams covered 21 of their
36 non-conference games (with two pushes) for an impressive 61% winning
percentage.
Sunderland completes Bramble capture >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is
adamant that the capture of Titus Bramble is a great deal for the club after
completing the signing of the Wigan defender on a three-year deal.
Bramble played
Tennessee Titans 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATE: July 31st
SITE: Baptist Sports Park, Nashville, TN
CAMP OBJECTIVES: With the Chris Johnson drama having been extinguished by the
extra money the Titans put in his pocket earlier this week, Jeff Fisher can
Houston Texans 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATES: July 30th
SITE: Methodist Training Center, Houston, TX
CAMP OBJECTIVES: If the Texans wish to build off last year's 9-7 finish and
make the playoffs for the first time in team history, they will need to
Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATE: July 30th
SITE: Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA
CAMP OBJECTIVES: The Steelers' season could hinge on how they play in the four
(or six) games that Ben Roethlisberger is serving his suspension, and inas
Baltimore Ravens 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
REPORT DATE: July 26th (Rookies), July 28th (Veterans)
SITE: McDaniel College, Westminster, MD
CAMP OBJECTIVES: If you're only as strong as your weakest link, than the Super
Bowl-hopeful Ravens have some critical summ
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NFL Football Betting Online
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
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