Former UCLA stars ready to shine
Basketball Betting Lines
09/07/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Labor Day has passed, the kids are back in
school and the leaves will soon begin to fall here in the northeast.
That means the calendar has flipped to September and most of America is gearing
up for football and postseason baseball.
Here on the basketball beat, we are still seven weeks away from the NBA season
and still firmly focused on the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. Personnel
moves have slowed to a trickle and while there are a few key contributors left
on the open market, most of the NBA's general managers have built the
foundation for their respective teams and mapped out a strategy for the 2010-11
season.
Typically, contenders try to tweak a few things here and there, while the
pretenders cry "salary cap constraints," and make plans to take a few steps
backwards in hopes of landing the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, a prize
that figures to be either North Carolina's Harrison Smith or Baylor's Perry
Jones next summer.
This year, however, things have been a bit different. With their eyes on the
prize and the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat
completely revamped their club, pulling off one of the biggest coup's in NBA
history by luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to South Beach to play alongside
Dwayne Wade.
Meanwhile, the two-time defending champs went the more traditional route,
convincing Phil Jackson to stay on as head coach and tweaking a veteran-laden
roster by adding defensive-minded role players like Matt Barnes and Theo
Ratliff.
Players like James, Bosh, Wade and Kobe Bryant are constants, however. You
know they are going to be good -- real good. By and large, you even know what
veteran complementary pieces like Barnes and Ratliff are going to offer.
The fun stuff starts with young players poised for vast improvement. In fact,
every year a group of players really elevates their games. Some are surprises
and some are expected to reach that next level.
Here's one man's view of the five players that are ready to take the next
step in 2010-11:
1. - Kevin Love - power forward - Minnesota Timberwolves - I've always
"Love'd" Kevin's game dating back to his days at UCLA. With Al Jefferson being
shipped out to Salt Lake City, Love will get every opportunity to be the focal
point of Kurt Rambis' interior group. Love hasn't garnered a ton of minutes
for Team USA over in Istanbul but he makes the most out of every single second
Mike Krzyzewski gives him and has outplayed the team's other big men -- Lamar
Odom and Tyson Chandler. Love has a top-tier basketball IQ, is a plus rebounder
and plays defense with the kind of effort coaches crave. Offensively, he's
deadly with the medium-range stuff and can stretch out to 20-feet or so. Health
is the only concern when talking about Love. He missed the first 18 games last
season with a broken hand.
2. - Jrue Holiday - point guard - Philadelphia 76ers - The book on Holiday
before the 2009 draft was the cliched "raw with the huge upside." Normally, I
shrug off talk like that since it's become commonplace among NBA personnel
people. But one longtime scout who I respect assured me Holiday would be the
best point guard from that '09 draft in five years, a bold statement
considering Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, Brandon
Jennings, Ty Lawson and Darren Collison also went in Holiday's class. When the
Sixers turned the keys over to Holiday last season, you could see exactly what
all the fuss was about. A true quarterback that thinks pass first, Holiday is
already one of the top 10 defensive point guards in the league. Experience
should turn the former UCLA guard into an All-NBA defender and a more
consistent jumper could turn him into an All-Star.
3. - Blake Griffin - power forward - Los Angeles Clippers - Griffin, of
course, missed his entire rookie season after suffering a stress fracture in
his left knee. You always have to be concerned with leg injuries when you are
talking about bigs and the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Griffin plays with the sort of
recklessness that will put enormous stress on his body. That said, a stress
fracture isn't going to affect Griffin's rare work ethic and outstanding
athleticism. He lacks polish on the low post and isn't the can't-miss franchise
guy like a James or Dwight Howard, but Griffin should team with Chris Kaman and
rookie Al-Farouq Aminu to give new Clips coach Vinny Del Negro an imposing
frontcourt.
4. - Rodrigue Beaubois - swing guard - Dallas Mavericks - The Mavs need to get
younger and Beaubois flashed some serious athletic skills during limited
playing time in his rookie season. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry aren't exactly
ready to step aside but Beaubois offers a change of pace that could be a shock
to the system of the opposition if he plays with consistent effort.
5. - Darren Collison - point guard - Indiana Pacers - Collison, another former
UCLA star, was really good while filling in for the injured Chris Paul during
his rookie year in the Big Easy. However, with Paul entrenched for now in New
Orleans, the Hornets dealt Collison to Indiana where the second-year player now
has an opportunity to grow with one of the game's best young scorers, Danny
Granger. Collison probably doesn't have the size or strength to hold-up on the
defensive end on a consistent basis but he's already proven he has the ability
to run a team and get his own shot.
<< Youzhny reaches Open quarters
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny
was a fourth-round winner Tuesday at the 2010 U.S. Open.
The 12th-seeded Youzhny handled former top-10 Spaniard Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-2,
4-6, 6-4 at the USTA Billie J
<< Alabama still No. 1; Boise State gains first-place votes
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alabama remained the top team in the latest
Associated Press college football poll, but Boise State gained additional
first-place votes after its thrilling victory over Virginia Tech on Labor Day.
The
<< Top 10 holds steady through Labor Day racing
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion mare Zenyatta continues at the top
of this week's NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll. There were no changes or
additions to the top 10 for the first time this year.
Zenyatta, 2008 and 2009 cha
<< Unexpected twist: Cincinnati's offense broken
CINCINNATI (AP) -An unexpected problem has Cincinnati revamping its offensive line after only one game.The Bearcats' offense evaporated during a 28-14 loss at Fresno State on Saturday night. A unit that is full of playmakers failed to score in the s
<< Kelly: Prepping for Mich QB Denard tough
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Notre Dame dealt with a mobile quarterback in beating Purdue last week. The Irish have a much bigger challenge this week.Coach Brian Kelly says there's a big difference between defending Purdue's Robert Marve, who could move i
Dolphins GM Ireland takes over full club operations >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins have announced that
general manager Jeff Ireland will assume full control over all aspects of the
football team and support staff, effective immediately.
Bill Parcells, who had be
Devils, Kovalchuk finally seal the deal >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was anything but a smooth process, but
Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils were finally able to consummate their
long summer courtship in the early morning hours this past Saturday.
Two months afte
Montero helping Sounders FC across the river >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a record of 12-7-11, a playoff spot as the Western
Conference's No. 3 seed, a U.S. Open Cup Championship, and almost half-a-
million in paid attendance, Seattle Sounders FC was coming off one of the
most successf
Cal Poly, UC Davis to join Big Sky Conference >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-rumored talk of the Big Sky
Conference losing the University of Montana, and perhaps other schools, took
on another twist Tuesday.
Big Sky football is expanding.
One of the top conferences in t
Magic name Foyle to front office position >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic on Tuesday named former NBA
player Adonal Foyle as the team's director of player development.
The 35-year-old Foyle retired in August following a 13-year career. He was
originally selec
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NFL Football Betting Online
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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