Chris Paul's "Big Three" Fantasy May Be Just That
Basketball Betting Lines
07/23/2010 -
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul is looking to follow in the
footsteps of his good friend LeBron James and form his own trio of star players
in the hopes of winning an NBA championship. The Hornets' talented point guard
reportedly has told the club he wants to be traded and has given a wish list of
four teams to which he'd like to be dealt. The Knicks top that list with the
Magic being his second choice, followed by the Mavericks and Trailblazers.
I can't blame Paul for wanting to leave New Orleans to pursue a title, but
he'll have a much more difficult time putting himself in the kind of position
LeBron did in Miami since he's not a free agent like James was. In all
likelihood, the exchange of talent it would take to acquire Paul would leave
that team with a very weak supporting cast, and some clubs may not even have
the players it will take to make the deal. Let's take a look at what the four
teams face that are on Paul's wish list.
KNICKS: Paul would join Amar'e Stoudemire in New York, but that's where the
good news would begin and end. A trade for Paul would leave the rest of the
roster, which isn't very good at this point, even worse. The Big Apple may be
his first choice, but I say it would be his worst choice if he hopes to win an
NBA Championship.
MAGIC: I'm sure Dwight Howard would love to have Paul join him in Orlando and
give him the chance to play with a point guard that actually makes other
players better. But I have to wonder if the Magic have the pieces to pull off
this deal. Other than Jameer Nelson, I don't see any other players that would
be attractive to the Hornets. Even if the Magic were able to acquire Paul,
they'd still be a long way from competing with the likes of the Lakers and
Heat. After the Big Two of Howard and Paul, you're left with a supporting cast
that's weaker than last year's that failed so badly in the playoffs.
MAVERICKS: The combination of Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki has produced some
very good teams in Dallas, but zero NBA championships. Even though Paul would
be a significant upgrade over the aging Kidd, it wouldn't be nearly enough to
make Dallas serious title contenders.
TRAIL BLAZERS: Of the four teams reportedly on Paul's wish list, Portland has
the best talent to make the deal, but once again would probably be left with a
roster that wouldn't be in a position to contend for a championship.
QUICK DRIBBLES
It's a free agent signing that won't get much attention, but the Lakers made a
terrific move with the addition of Matt Barnes. He's an excellent defender who
can also knock down the open jump shot, and there should be plenty of those
available playing with Kobe and Gasol.
The Heat re-signed free agent point guard Carlos Arroyo. "By re-signing Carlos,
we feel we have accomplished another big step in adding to this team," Heat
president Pat Riley said." A big step? I didn't realize bringing back a player
that averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 assists in 22 minutes would elicit such a
reaction.
Former Knicks guard Allan Houston reportedly is the front-runner to be the
club's next general manager under team president Donnie Walsh. I guess owner
James Dolan wants the Knicks to continue to be irrelevant by hiring a GM with
no experience or track record.
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<< Kurt Thomas joining Bulls
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The Chicago Tribune was one source reporting the agreement Thursday night.
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Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Saskatchewan Roughriders have added
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Johnson appeared in two games for Toronto last season and averaged 46.4 yards
on 16 punts.
The 29-year-old Idaho
Cardinals go with winless starter Suppan in Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Suppan takes another crack at his first win of the
season this afternoon when the St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game series
with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Suppan has gone 0-3 with a 4.20 earned
NL West-leading Padres resume trip at Pittsburgh >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres have had a rough go of it lately on
the road. A trip to Pittsburgh, though, could be just what they need, as the
Padres open a three-game series against the Pirates tonight at PNC Park.
The Padres, who
Braves kick off road swing in Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves bring the National League's best record
into Florida this evening when they kick off their nine-game road trip with
the first of three games against the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.
Atlanta just too
Duensing set for first start of season as Twins battle Orioles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Brian Duensing will have a tough act to follow when the
Minnesota Twins pitcher makes his first start of the season in tonight's clash
with the Baltimore Orioles from Camden Yards.
Minnesota took the opener of this four-g
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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