05/21/2008 - (Basketball Betting) - The Chicago Bulls made the most of their 1.7 percent chance of landing the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, winning the lottery to claim the No. 1 overall selection on June 26.
The Bulls, who finished 33-49 and did not qualify for the playoffs this past season, have a lot of tough decisions to make during the offseason. Forward Luol Deng and shooting guard Ben Gordon are restricted free agents, and reserve guard Chris Duhon is unrestricted. Gordon led the Bulls in scoring (18.6 ppg), while Deng averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Bulls executive vice president-basketball operations John Paxson has to make difficult financial decisions on all of the above, but those choices will be overshadowed by his decision on which way to go in the draft. The top two prospects are forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State and guard Derrick Rose of Memphis. Both have excellent all-around games and should have an immediate impact during their rookie seasons.
What should the plan be for the Bulls?
No matter what Paxson decides to do with Chicago's crop of free agents, the Bulls should already have Beasley's name on a jersey for next season. The 6-10 forward is an awesome presence on both ends of the court, and will solve many problems for the Bulls. The athletic Beasley runs the floor well and will make Chicago dangerous in transition, while simultaneously adding offensive power in the low post and helping greatly on the boards.
The selection of Beasley would also make the team's other offseason issues less complicated. There would still be a place at small forward for Deng, and Gordon would fit in nicely as a scorer in the backcourt. It may not work financially for the Bulls, but from a basketball standpoint, it makes sense.
Even though starting point guard Kirk Hinrich had a poor 2007-08 campaign, he should bounce back next season. The Kansas product, who averaged 11.5 points and a team-high 6.0 assists in 75 games last year, would definitely be more productive with a player like Beasley in the lineup. His value to the Bulls makes the point guard Rose a less desirable No. 1 choice.
The 6-3 Rose is a tremendous talent and will be an excellent point guard for many years to come, but Beasley can play both forward spots and fills a void on the court for Chicago. The Bulls would have to look to trade Hinrich if they picked Rose, and that wouldn't be easy because of the guard's big contract, which still has multiple years and a lot of money left on it.
When all is said and done, it's a no-brainer. Beasley fits the suit in the Windy City.
THE HEAT IS ON
Pat Riley is not a very patient man, and is hoping he can fix Miami's problems right away. The Heat, who had the league's worst record at 15-67 and had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick in the lottery, instead landed the second pick in the upcoming draft and will take whoever Chicago does not select from the duo of Beasley and Rose.
The Heat already have Dwyane Wade in the backcourt and would be thrilled to pair him with Rose, while Beasley would fill a need in the frontcourt and would look good next to Shawn Marion. Either way, Miami will be happy with whoever is left at No. 2, if it keeps the pick.
Don't be shocked if Riley uses the second overall selection in a trade to acquire an All-Star-caliber player. If Riley wants to get back to the playoffs next season, dealing the pick might more quickly enable him to reach that goal. There will be plenty of high profile players available about whom Riley can inquire.
Denver is rumored to be listening to offers for All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, while Dallas' Josh Howard, Charlotte's Jason Richardson, and Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa of Phoenix may also be on the trading block.
Riley will try and build around Marion and Wade, but in addition the No. 2 pick, power forward Udonis Haslem has value and may have to be sacrificed in order for the Heat to make a blockbuster deal.
BIG CHANGES COMING IN NEW JERSEY
The Nets have two picks (10,21) in the upcoming draft, and will definitely be looking to make some big personnel moves aside from that selection during the offseason. When All-Star Jason Kidd was traded to Dallas prior to the deadline, it became obvious that more changes would eventually be coming. That time has arrived.
Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson will each be subject to trade talks throughout the summer, while starting point guard Devin Harris, who was obtained in the Kidd deal, is the player the team will build around. General manager Kiki Vandeweghe is reportedly talking to Denver about a potential deal that would bring Anthony and fellow Nugget Marcus Camby to New Jersey. Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and Andrea Bargnani of Toronto are two other big names that could be linked to possible trades with the Nets.
Vandeweghe has to be careful with his moves. He should try and avoid dealing his two first-round picks, unless he can package them both to move into the top five. Either USC's O.J. Mayo or Indiana's Eric Gordon would be a great fit next to Harris in the backcourt, if New Jersey can move up in the draft. Either way, the team should find a way to trade Carter and Jefferson, and start the franchise in a new direction.
<< Tsonga charges into Casablanca quarters
Casablanca, Morocco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga of France was an easy second-round winner Wednesday at the $575,000
Grand Prix Hassan II tennis event.
The second-seeded Tsonga trounced Algerian wild
<< Monaco, Ljubicic post wins in Austria
Portschach, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded and defending champion
Juan Monaco was a first-round winner, while third-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic
moved into the quarterfinals at the Hypo Group International tennis
tournam
<< Hitters again figure to take center stage in Astros-Cubs finale
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Due to the play of Lance Berkman, few paid attention to
Hunter Pence's recent 16-game hitting streak. However, the spotlight was all
on Pence last night, and the Houston Astros outfielder will try to lift his
club t
<< Phillies to conclude low-scoring series with Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite scoring just one run in their current set with
the Washington Nationals, the Philadelphia Phillies go for a series victory
over their NL East rival in tonight's finale of a three-game series at
Nationa
U.S. beats Argentina at World Team Championship >>
Dusseldorf, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States got a doubles
victory from Wayne Odesnik and Bobby Reynolds on Wednesday, as the Americans
surprised the reigning champion Argentines 2-1 in round-robin action at the
$2.34 m
Marcelino quits Racing post >>
Santander, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Racing Santander coach Marcelino Garcia
Toral has confirmed his decision to quit the club following the end of the La
Liga season.
The highly-rated Spanish tactician has been linked with a host of to
Rafa: Liverpool will be hungrier next season >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Benitez believes his Liverpool
players will return next season hungrier for success after ending this season
without a trophy.
The Reds were 11 points off the pace in the Premier League a
Yarr: NL All-Star outfield could have Pirate theme >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just like the deck of the Black Pearl, the 2008 National
League All-Star team could have a bunch of Pirates running around its
outfield.
The Pirates haven't had two outfielders on the same All-Star roster since
1992. Not
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
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Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
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