The Chicago Bulls can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. Chicago leads the series 3-2.
The Bulls pulled ahead with a 95-83 win on Tuesday. Though the Bulls didn’t have a particularly special night on the glass — they had just four more rebounds than the Hawks—they did do a better job defensively.
More importantly, Chicago did a better job in the paint. Josh Smith and Al Horford destroyed the Bulls in their last loss, racking up 43 points and 21 rebounds. The Bulls didn’t let those two have their way this time, holding the forwards to 28 points and 17 rebounds.
Of course, it’s easier to defend down low when Atlanta’s outside shooters are stinking up the joint. Joe Johnson was 6-for-15 for just 15 points, including 0-for-5 from the three-point line. Jamal Crawford was even worse, going 1-for-9 from the field with just two points. Johnson and Crawford were terribly inconsistent and underwhelming during the regular season; they turned on the jets in the playoffs, but they’ve finally regressed and Atlanta is paying for it.
With the series seemingly in hand, NBA betting fans can turn their attention to Chicago’s long-term prospects. The Bulls are third with 7/2 odds to win the NBA championship, but they won’t even get out of the East if they can't get a more consistent offensive effort around Derrick Rose.
While Rose continues to impress, his teammates are often a letdown. Carlos Boozer has been the biggest concern. Boozer is averaging just over 10 points per game during the playoffs, but it looked like he ended his funk with a 7-for-10, 18-point performance in Game 4. No dice, as Boozer was 4-for-11 for 11 points on Tuesday.
Get the best NBA playoff team and player props at Bodog Sportsbook!
The Okalahoma City Thunder have taken control of their series against the Memphis Grizzlies, grabbing a 3-2 lead after Wednesday’s win. The Thunder will try to finish off the NBA betting series in Game 6 on Friday.
The Thunder won 99-72 on Wednesday, and it was a bit of an odd one. Kevin Durant led the team in scoring, naturally, but he did it with just 14 field-goal attempts and 19 points. Fellow star Russell Westbrook took just 10 shots and wound up with 11 points.
In a rare change of pace, Oklahoma City got scoring from plenty of other players. Seven total players contributed nine-plus points, including a surprising 18-point performance from Daequan Cook.
But Durant and Westbrook didn’t have to dominate with the club doing the little things right. The biggest difference was on the glass, as Oklahoma City outrebounded Memphis 50-33. The Thunder also played some tough defense, with Memphis shooting just 36 percent from the floor.
The blowout win was a huge victory for Oklahoma City not just because they took the series lead, but because it allowed Durant and Westbrook to get some rest. Both players put in 50-plus minutes in Game 4’s triple-overtime affair (including a whopping 57 from Durant), but they got some serious rest on Thursday—Durant played 31 minutes while Westbrook played 25 minutes.
The Grizzlies are counting on their big men to bounce back. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have been absolutely massive for Memphis during the postseason, but their impact was minimal in Game 5. Randolph had just nine points and seven rebounds, while Gasol put up 15 points and five rebounds. Both were a little tired after the triple-overtime game, so expect them both—particularly Randolph—to bounce back on Friday evening.
Get the best NBA player and team props at Bodog Sportsbook!
For all the talk about how the old world order has crumbled, we still get a repeat of the 2006 NBA Finals: the Dallas Mavericks versus the Miami Heat. The big difference is both teams have improved dramatically since then. Miami has LeBron James and Chris Bosh alongside Dwyane Wade, while Dallas has Jason Kidd paired up with Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat also have home-court advantage this time around. The NBA betting odds are in Miami’s favor at –170 for the series and –4.5 for Tuesday’s Game 1.
The only other player besides Wade remaining from the 2006 champions: Udonis Haslem. The Heat won four in a row straight up and ATS against the Chicago Bulls with Haslem playing over 20 minutes per game in his first meaningful action since November, when he had surgery on his left foot. Haslem is arguably Miami’s best player aside from the Big Three of James, Wade and Bosh. Coach Erik Spoelstra used those four players and veteran swingman Mike Miller as his go-to lineup in crunch time against the Bulls, with great success.
As for the Mavericks, the only holdover from the 2006 Finals besides Nowitzki is Jason Terry, who was playing a lot of point guard back then. Now Terry is free to bomb away from the two-spot as Kidd’s backcourt partner, coming off a Dallas bench that includes the pesky J.J. Barea and the rejuvenated Peja Stojakovic, who’s hitting 39.7 percent of his trey attempts this postseason.
Dallas may have the depth advantage and a sound defensive game plan under coach Rick Carlisle, but Miami is top-heavy with talent. Check out the NBA Player Props section at Bodog and you’ll find King James pegged at 1-1 to take the Bull Russell Trophy as playoff MVP. Nowitzki is next at 2-1. May the best man win.
Shaquille O’Neal retired via Twitter this week – Shaq always was ahead of the curve when it came to social networking. There’s no question that Shaq is a lock Hall of Famer after a 19-season career that netted him four championships, 15 All-Star appearances and three NBA Finals MVP awards (only Michael Jordan has more Finals MVPs with six).
So what now for Shaq? Well, Bodog’s NBA odds let you bet on what’s next for the Big Diesel. Certainly it should be entertaining whatever he does as Shaq was arguably the most entertaining NBA player ever. The betting favorite for Shaq to do next is an MMA fight at -150. He has long been a UFC fan, and is a friend of UFC president Dana White. He has joked in the past about fighting guys like Chuck Liddell, Hong Man Choi and Brock Lesnar. And Shaq even appears in a UFC video game.
Perhaps Shaq returns to the big screen – remember he was the star of the awful movie “Kazaam” and also appeared in “Blue Chips” and “Steel.” Shaq appearing in a major motion picture is the second-favorite at +200. Maybe Shaq’s NBA career isn’t really over. Some NBA types believe that he could sit out the first 75 percent or so of next season (assuming there is one as the NBA is headed for a lockout) and then return to join a contender and try for a fifth ring to tie former archenemy Kobe Bryant’s total. Shaq back in the NBA is at +500.
The Diesel always has had a love for law enforcement and said it was his dream to be a cop. Back in 2005 he joined the Miami Beach police force (while with the Heat) temporarily after completing more than 1,200 hours of training and attending the police academy in Los Angeles. Shaq the cop is +1000. Finally, Shaq loves to rap – remember the rap song about Kobe that went viral? Shaq putting out an album as his next move in 2011 is at +1000 as well.
Shaquille O’Neal officially announced his retirement on Friday in a press conference after doing so a few days earlier via Twitter – only the media-savvy Shaq would do it via social networking. Certainly Shaq’s next stop could be as an NBA analyst, rapper, movie star or even a return to the NBA (he says no way to the latter). You can bet on his next option on Bodog’s NBA odds. But another prop available is whether the Miami Heat or Orlando Magic, two of Shaq’s six NBA teams will retire his jersey first by the end of 2011.
For sure Shaq’s jersey will be retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had the most successful run of his 19-season career. Shaq won three NBA titles with the Lakers (from 2000 to 2002), one MVP award and all three of his NBA Finals MVP awards, which is second only in total to Michael Jordan. O'Neal averaged 27 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks in 514 regular-season games with the Lakers, a jump from his career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks.
Of course Shaq started his career in Orlando before defecting to the West Coast as a free agent. He still lives in Orlando and actually held Friday’s press conference at a gym at his home there. Shaq played his first four seasons with Orlando and led the Magic to one Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets. He left for the Lakers after the 1995-96 season. Many thought the Magic could have had a dynasty with Shaq, Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson and others if he had stayed. Shaq had two of his three highest-scoring seasons in Orlando, averaging 29.3 points in 1993-94 and the following year, when he won the first of two scoring titles. The Magic retiring Shaq’s jersey before the Heat is at +200.
Shaq probably didn’t play with the Heat long enough to deserve his jersey in the rafters. Although the Heat did retire Michael Jordan’s jersey for some reason as MJ never played there. O’Neal had really only two great seasons in Miami — in 2004-05 he finished second in MVP voting and in 2005-06 he helped the Heat to the franchise’s first and still only NBA title. Shaq would play a total of 73 more games for Miami the following two seasons, getting traded to Phoenix midway through the 2007-08 season. Miami retiring Shaq’s jersey before the Magic is at -300.
Get the best NBA player props at Bodog Sportsbook!
Retired NBA legend Mark Jackson is finally going to get his shot at a head coaching gig.
The Golden State Warriors hired Jackson to replace Keith Smart Monday. This will be the former NBA point guard and current ABC analysts for shot at a coaching job.
Jackson’s deal is three years and $6 million with a team option for a fourth year according to ESPN’s Ric Bucher. Though Jackson lacks any pro coaching experience, his leadership skills in his 17-year NBA career and abilities as a floor general apparently won the Warriors’ brass over.
"He epitomized leadership as a player in this league for 17 seasons and we think that characteristic — and many other positive traits — will translate very well into his coaching duties with our young team," owner Joe Lacob said in a statement. "He was a leader and a winner both on and off the floor in this league and we're convinced that he is the right person to guide this team into the future and help us achieve the success that we are striving for as an organization."
Jackson played point for New York, the L.A. Clippers, Indiana, Denver, Toronto, Utah and Houston. He won Rookie of the Year in 1988 and ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists list with Magic Johnson and John Stockton.
"I am really elated about this opportunity and I'm looking forward to the challenge of building the Warriors into a perennial contender," Jackson said.
Bet on NBA Finals odds in the Bodog Sportsbook! The Dallas Mavericks are currently listed as -3 favorites Bodog, be a player.
Struggling from the field and nursing a 100-plus fever all evening, Dallas’ Dirk Nowtizki was still clutch in crunch time.
Nowtizki finished just 6-19 from the field, but was 9-10 from the line and had 10 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter to help the Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 86-83 and even the best-of-seven series 2-2. His signature play was big layup with 14.4 seconds on the clock to give the Mavs a three-point lead.
But he didn't do it all alone. After Game 3 Nowitzki hinted that he wanted more help from his teammates (especially guard Jason Terry) and he got it down the stretch.
Terry was 6-15 from the field but was key in a huge 4th-quarter run and made the two free throws after Nowitzki's big layup to seal the win. Center Tyson Chandler kept the Mavs in it with 13 points and 16 rebounds, giving Dallas nine offensive rebounds in a game reliant on second chance points. Shawn Marion chipped in another solid game with 16 points off 7-12 shooting while Deshaun Stevenson, came off the bench with energy and sank 3-7 from downtown.
“We all saw [Nowitzki] go through walk through, he was barely able to talk, every time he tried to speak he was coughing up, he was weezing,” Chandler said. “So we knew as a supporting cast we really had to step up and get for him tonight.”
The side story in Game 4 will be the play of Miami’s LeBron James. The man who took his talents to South Beach finished with just eight points on 3-11 shooting to go with nine boards and seven assists. That said, the Heat had momentum most of the contest with outstanding defense and a 32 points, six rebound, two steal and two block performance from Dwyane Wade. Forward Chris Bosh had a great game in the loss as well with 24 points and six boards.
However, just like Game 2, James and Wade couldn’t make the 4th-quarter plays to keep the Mavs at bay.
This is just the first playoff game where James scored less than 10 points in his NBA career, and the Heat are 0-7 when he drops less than 15. He’ll need to play better for the Heat to regain the series lead.
Game 5 of these exciting NBA Finals will be at Dallas at 9 p.m. ET
Bet on NBA Finals Odds in the Bodog Sportsbook! Bodog, be a player.
No matter what Dwyane Wade tries to do, 4th quarter time has been Dallas time.
The Mavericks finished with a 17-4 run to knock off the Miami Heat 112-103, taking a 3-2 lead into Miami, one win from their first NBA Championship in franchise history.
Although Dirk Nowitzki came up big again with 29 points and six rebounds, including a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line, it was Jerry Terry that made the nail-in-the-coffin 3 with 33.3 seconds remaining to finally finish off the Heat. Terry finished up with 21 points six assists and 3-5 from downtown. Another huge contributor was guard J.J. Barea, who started for the Mavs once again and came up with 17 points and five dimes.
“We’re a very resilient team,” Terry said. “You know, we’ve been battling all playoffs long… we’re determined and this is our time.”
The Heat have more issues than just a 3-2 deficit in the Finals. Wade left in the first quarter with a hip injury and hobbled throughout the contest when he did return. He was able to finish with 23 points, but the injury could be an issue in Game 6 and perhaps even Game 7. To make matters worse Wade appears to be the only consistent piece of the Heat offense. LeBron James looked lost again on Thursday night, finishing with a triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) but shooting 8-19 from the field and looking like a role player rather than a superstar.
The good news is the Heat will get Game 6 at home on Sunday, June 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
Get on NBA Finals Odds in the Bodog Sportsbook. Bodog, be a player.
The NBA Finals have taken a total U-turn as the Dallas Mavericks can clinch the first title in franchise history and get a little revenge for 2006 in Game 6 back in Miami on Sunday night. However, the Heat are 5.5-point favorites with the total at 187 on Bodog’s NBA odds.
Miami seemed totally in control of this series with a 2-1 lead, and frankly the Heat have pretty much owned 15 of the 20 quarters of this series. The problem is that the one quarter Miami has had problems with is the fourth quarter. This was never more evident than in Game 5. Trailing 99-95 with less than five minutes left, the Mavericks went on a 10-1 blitz to take a 105-100 lead. It was the key portion of a 17-4 bashing they gave the Heat to finish the game as Dallas won 112-103. The Heat has led in the fourth quarter of every loss during the Finals. Those 112 points were the most Miami has given up in these playoffs.
Dallas knew it needed to win because since the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format, the team heading home with a 3-2 lead has never lost the championship.
And what’s up with LeBron James? Yeah he had a triple-double in Game 5 after managing just eight points in Game 4, but James scored just two fourth-quarter points in Game 5. That gives him 11 fourth-quarter points in five Finals games. He was just 8 of 19 from the field and just 1 of 2 from the line, continuing the troubling inability to get to the line, now with just 16 foul shots in the five games. In the fourth quarters of this series, Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki has outscored James 52-11, including 24-3 at the free-throw line.
Mavs sixth man Jason Terry again came up big in Game 5. Terry finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range. The Mavericks were 13-of-19 shooting from behind the arc. When he’s on, Dallas wins. In the two Mavs’ losses, he has zero fourth-quarter points. And it’s probably no coincidence that Dallas has won two straight since it inserted J.J. Barea into the starting lineup. He had 17 points in Game 5.
The big injury to watch is to Miami’s Dwyane Wade. He missed portions of Game 5 with a hip injury but certainly will play today. The question is whether that limits him. The two days off following Thursday’s game should help. Wade, who finished with 23 points, acknowledged he wasn’t 100 percent by the end of Game 5. Mavs center Brendan Haywood has played just a few minutes in the past three games because of a hip injury, missing Games 3 and 5, but hopes to return for Game 6.
Get the best NBA Finals odds and props now at Bodog Sportsbook!
Despite facing the most stacked squad since the 1927 New York Yankees, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks went into Miami and got their first NBA Championship in franchise history with a 105-95 win.
Nowitzki once again struggled from the field, finishing with 21 points on 9-26 shooting. However, Dallas’ pesky guards, J.J. Barea and Jason Terry, picked up the slack, scoring 15 and 27 points respectively and at times outplaying LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
“I still really can’t believe it,” said Nowitzki, who was also named NBA Finals MVP. “We worked so hard and so long for it, the team has been unbelievable riding through ups and downs and always staying together … I still can’t believe it.”
Wade, nursing a bad hip after a Game 5 injury, finished with just 17 points on 6-16 shooting while James once again fell short of expectations, scoring 21 with six assists and six turnovers. The best of the “Big 3” was Chris Bosh, who scored an efficient 19 points and eight rebounds.
The Achilles heel for the for the Heat was again the 4th quarter. Miami couldn’t make the shots down the stretch to cut into Dallas’ lead, settling for bad shots and turning the ball over at key moments.
In an NBA Finals filled with drama the 4th quarter ended on somewhat of a wimper. Down 10 with two minutes remaining Miami could only sit back in a half-court set and let Dallas bleed out the clock. When the final buzzer rang out Nowitzki quickly shuffled off the locker room on his own before before escorted back out for the NBA Finals trophy and Finals MVP ceremony.
Along with this being the first NBA Championship for Nowtizki and Terry, it’s also the first for guard Jason Kidd, who was originally drafted by the Mavericks way back in 1994.
You can still bet on NHL Stanley Cup Final odds in the Bodog Sportsbook. Bodog, be a player.
All you are hearing on television today is people piling on LeBron James after his disappointing performance in the Heat’s NBA Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Yet every team in the NBA would probably take Miami’s roster right now over their own. And the Heat have opened as Bodog’s favorites to win the NBA title next year at 5/2.
It’s hard to know exactly what the NBA will look like next season because it’s widely assumed that the owners will lock out the players when the current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this month. It could be a long work stoppage because the NBA owners and players are much, much further apart than the NFL owners and their players are. One thing the NBA owners want is a hard salary cap and a rollback of salaries – thus it’s possible that the Heat’s Big 3 of LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh could be broken up after just one season, although it’s unlikely.
The second favorites on Bodog are the L.A. Lakers at 11/2 even though they were swept in the Western Conference semifinals by Dallas and saw Coach Phil Jackson retire. But the Lakers still have arguably the best overall roster in the NBA, although there is talk that either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum could be traded this offseason.
The Chicago Bulls, who lost to the Heat in five games in the East Finals, are the next favored team to win the 2012 NBA title at 6/1. The Oklahoma City Thunder are next at 8/1 followed by the champion Mavericks. The reason Dallas is considered behind these other clubs is that the Mavs are a veteran bunch and age might start to catch up to them.
The longest shot to win the title next season? That would be the Toronto Raptors at 150/1.
Bet on next season’s NBA futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
One of the hottest trade rumors on the eve of Thursday’s NBA draft is that the San Antonio Spurs might trade point guard Tony Parker to a team with a high lottery pick. Reportedly the Spurs have talked to the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, who hold the fifth and seventh picks, respectively. The Kings are especially looking for a point guard and have spoken to Denver about Raymond Felton. The Kings started Beno Udrih for most of last season at the point.
San Antonio figures it has a replacement already on the roster in George Hill. Parker didn’t play all that well in the Spurs’ first-round loss to the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in May then later told French reporters he thought the franchise’s days of contending for a title had all but ended. Parker later backed off those comments, saying the reporters got carried away with his remarks. Trading Parker could make the Spurs a player in the free-agent market a year from now if they get the right kind of contracts in return. Reportedly San Antonio is insisting that any team that wants Parker has to take on the bad contract of Richard Jefferson as well.
Parker, 29, signed a 4-year, $50 million extension last October. He averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 assists per game following his injury-riddled 2009-’10 campaign. He has won three NBA titles with the Spurs since joining as a first-round pick in 2001 and was named Finals MVP in 2007. Among guards, Parker has been one of the most prolific scorers inside of five feet the past three seasons. He has the fourth-most points from that range, outscoring Kobe Bryant by 20 despite playing in 35 fewer games.
The collective bargaining agreement between NBA players and owners expires at midnight tonight, meaning it’s almost certain that ownership will lock out the players on Friday for the first work stoppage in the NBA since the 1998-99 season that was shortened to 50 games.
Negotiators for owners and players will meet Thursday, but the sides remain far apart on just about every major issue, from salaries to the salary cap, revenues to revenue sharing. Hundreds of millions of dollars still separate proposals from the owners and players, almost certainly too large a divide to bridge in negotiations at the last minute.
League executives and owners want a new financial system for the NBA with a tougher salary cap (essentially a hard cap), shorter contracts and a greater share of basketball-related income — everything from ticket sales to TV revenue to merchandise. Saying 22 of 30 teams lost money last season, they want players' salaries and benefits drastically reduced, by as much as $800 million per season. Players want to protect many of the benefits they enjoy under the current deal, such as a soft salary cap, contract lengths that can extend to five or six years and more than half of basketball-related income. Players currently enjoy a 57-43 split in total revenue and get in excess of $2 billion annually, as guaranteed by owners when the two sides averted a lockout in 2005.
One report suggest that if the players don't except the owners' latest offer (which includes a $62 million flex-cap), they will then ask for a hard cap of $45 million and start the lockout on Friday, with a majority of owners ready to lose the entire 2011-12 season. The report also states that if the current offer is rejected, a guarantee of $2 billion in annual player payroll will also be withdrawn.
For what it’s worth, the Miami Heat are the 2012 NBA title favorite at 5/2 on Bodog’s NBA futures.
Bet on NBA futures now at the basketball leader: Bodog Sportsbook!
Assuming there is a 2011-12 NBA season, Bodog has released Rookie of the Year odds. And the favorite at 9/2 is former University of Arizona forward Derrick Williams, the No. 2 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in June’s draft.
Williams averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for Pac-10 regular-season champion Arizona during the 2010-11 season en route to earning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. He ranked second in the Pac-10 in both scoring and field-goal percentage (.595). Williams' 56.8 percent mark from behind the arc also ranked as the second-most prolific three-point shooting season in Arizona history. His 1,227 total points is the most ever by a Wildcat in his first two seasons. Williams also was just the fifth player in Pac-10 conference history to earn Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year Awards in consecutive seasons or less, joining Jason Kidd, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Mike Bibby and Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Love. Williams joins Bibby as the highest-picked Arizona basketball player to be drafted to the NBA. Bibby was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 draft.
The Timberwolves, who had the NBA’s worst record last season at 17-65, have never had a Rookie of the Year. Williams might not start from Day 1 with Minnesota because they have Michael Beasley as Williams’ position of small forward. And that’s really the only knock on the 6-foot-8 Williams is whether he’s a small forward or power forward in the NBA. Williams insists that he is best suited for the small forward position. The last No. 2 overall pick to win top rookie honors was Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant back in 2008.
Bet on 2011-12 NBA futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
Despite already having a young point guard on the roster in D.J. Augustin, the Charlotte Bobcats couldn’t pass up former Connecticut star Kemba Walker with the ninth overall pick in June’s draft. The Bobcats have had one NBA Rookie of the Year in their history and he also happened to be a former Huskies star: Emeka Okafor. Can Walker be the second to win top rookie? He is 15/2 on Bodog’s NBA futures odds to win the award.
Walker of course carried UConn to an improbable 11-game winning streak to close last season as the Huskies won five games in five days to win the Big East Tournament and then six more in a row for the national championship. Walker was the most outstanding player of the Big East tournament and the Final Four. He averaged 23.5 points and 5.7 assists in the NCAA tournament, and had 16 points and nine rebounds in the 53-41 win against Butler in the championship game. That performance vaulted him into the lottery. Walker finished his junior season with 11 games of 30 points or more and finished the 2010-11 season with 965 points — both school records.
The Bobcats figure to be offensively challenged next season (if there is one) because they traded Stephen Jackson in a three-team swap with Milwaukee and Sacramento and took very raw (i.e. zero offensive skills) center Bismack Biyombo with their No. 7 overall pick in the draft. They also needed a backup point guard to step in for Shaun Livingston, who went to Milwaukee with Jackson. So Walker should see plenty of playing time as a rookie. He’s explosive but he needs to show that he can handle the point in the NBA because he’s too small to play shooting guard.
Bet on 2011-12 NBA futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
You have to love the confidence of former Kansas star Marcus Morris, who was taken No. 14 overall by the Houston Rockets: You can't see the future," Morris said, "but I definitely, definitely, definitely think I'm going to be one of those guys who's an All-Star in the league." Could Morris become the franchise’s third NBA Rookie of the Year and first since Steve Francis in 2000? He is 15/1 to win the award on Bodog’s NBA futures odds.
Morris, a three-year starter at KU, was the Big 12 Player of the Year last season, leading the team in scoring by averaging 17.2 points per game. He ranked second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage with a 57 percent clip and averaged 7.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9 Morris played power forward in college but he could switch to small forward in the NBA. The Rockets believe he is suited to defending at either forward spot. Ironically the Rockets took another 6-foot-9 power forward with the 14th pick last year in Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson. And with the 20th pick in this year’s draft they took another power forward in Benetton Treviso’s Donatas Motiejunas. And the Rockets already have a good power forward in Luis Scola. So it seems rather likely that Morris will move to small forward, where he was used often at Kansas, because he has decent range from the perimeter.
Marcus Morris' twin, Markieff, also a forward from Kansas, was taken one pick earlier than his brother, with the 13th overall choice by the Phoenix Suns. It was almost fitting that they were picked back-to-back considering they were born seven minutes apart. Officially they were drafted five minutes apart. For the first time since they became familiar with basketball the Morris twins will play for different teams.
Despite already having a rather crowded backcourt with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, both of whom are essentially shooting guards, the Golden State Warriors chose Washington State shooting guard Klay Thompson with the 11th overall pick in June’s draft. Could Thompson become the first Warrior since Chris Webber in 1993-94 to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award? He is 12/1 to be named top rookie on Bodog’s NBA futures.
There are rumors that the Warriors are going to trade Ellis, and this draft pick would seem to confirm those despite the team saying they planned to keep Ellis. Of course nothing can happen until the NBA lockout ends, and that’s probably not going to happen for months.
"This, in no way affects the motivation to trade any player," general manager Larry Riley said.
Thompson’s stock skyrocketed during pre-draft workouts to the point that many considered him the top shooting guard prospect (although Jimmer Fredette was drafted one spot earlier). The Warriors like Thompson's pedigree as he is the son of 1978 No. 1 overall pick Mychal Thompson, who was chosen by Portland and had a 12-year NBA. Klay Thompson, meanwhile, is the highest-ever pick to come out of Washington State. The 6-foot-7, 205-pounder averaged 21.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists for WSU last season, leading the Pac-10 in scoring and finishing 11th in the nation.
Thompson isn’t considered much of a defender. And he was arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana the night before the Cougars met UCLA in a crucial Pac-10 game. He was suspended for the contest but returned to score a Pac-10 tournament-record 43 points against Washington. The question is how much playing time he might get unless the Warriors do trade Ellis.
One of the first big NBA stars to officially announce he will play overseas if there is a lockout is New Jersey’s Deron Williams. The point guard has signed with Turkish club Besiktas. That’s the same team that also signed Allen Iverson to a two-year, $4 million deal in October of last year.
Williams has an out clause in the event the NBA kicks off on time in late October, which is considered rather unlikely. The Turkish basketball season begins in mid-October. Williams, who was traded to the Nets from the Jazz in February, underwent surgery in April to repair strained ligaments in his shooting wrist. He has already resumed basketball activities, and was training in California with other Nets under contract last month. He is scheduled to become a free agent after this season, with Nets telling Williams they will try to land Dwight Howard to entice Williams to re-sign with them. Williams, a two-time All-Star, has two years and $34 million left on his contract with the Nets, with an option to terminate next summer. It is unclear what effect his playing for a European team might have on his Nets contract, although Commissioner David Stern has indicated that the league would not stand in the way of players going overseas during a lockout. If Williams were to get hurt playing in another pro league, however, the Nets could terminate his contract.
Besiktas, which plays its home games in Istanbul, finished sixth in the Turkish League standings last season with a 19-11 record. Williams is the biggest NBA star to actually sign a contract with a European team, although other players have said they will go to Europe if the NBA lockout goes into the fall.
FIBA makes member nations honor each other's contracts. So NBA players with contracts, like Williams, are only available to the likes of Turkey's Besiktas because NBA owners have locked out players, making them unemployed. So long as that's true, he's free to sign elsewhere. But when the NBA is back in business, Williams is back in the NBA.
Bet on 2011-12 NBA futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
The Utah Jazz have only had one player named NBA Rookie of the Year in franchise history and that was way back in 1981 with guard Darrell Griffith. Could new Jazz guard Alec Burks win the honor this season? The former Colorado Buffaloes star is a longer shot on Bodog’s NBA futures at 18/1 to be named top rookie.
The Jazz, the last team Burks auditioned for in pre-draft workouts, selected the 6-foot-6 shooting guard with the No. 12 pick. Burks finished his sophomore season at Colorado averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He owns the school’s third all-time highest scoring average with 19.0 points per game. He set the Colorado freshman (512) and sophomore (779) scoring records and shot 50-plus percent from the field in 39 games. In his first season with the Buffaloes, Burks was named 2010 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, the first Colorado recipient ever, after shooting .538 percent from the field. Burks is the first CU player to be drafted in the first round since David Harrison was selected by Indiana with the 29th overall pick in 2004.
Burks has the versatility to play shooting guard and a little point guard. He should get major minutes right away because shooting guard is easily the Jazz’s weakest position – journeyman Raja Bell is currently listed atop the depth chart. Burks certainly will need to improve his range as he shot only 29.2 percent from 3-point range in college. He openly acknowledges it’s priority No. 1 to address. Burks and No. 3 overall pick Enes Kanter (7/1 to be top rookie) represent the first two lottery picks for Utah in a single draft.
When star players are talking about heading to Turkey to play basketball next season, you know things aren't looking great in negotiations to settle the NBA lockout.
That's Nets guard Deron Williams who's agreed to play for Besiktas for (reportedly) $5 million if the NBA isn't up and running by September. That club also wants to lure Kobe Bryant overseas, and Dwyane Wade says he wouldn't rule out the possibility of playing in Europe either.
Still, don't expect to see futures for the Turkish league up on the basketball futures page at Bodog anytime soon. Optimistic NBA fans, though, can wager on the 2012 NBA championship in hopes that the season actually gets played.
Wade's Miami Heat lead the way on those odds right now at 5/2, with Kobe's Los Angeles Lakers at 11/2, and the Chicago Bulls third at 7/1. The Oklahoma City Thunder (15/2) and defending-champion Dallas Mavericks (9/1) round out the top five teams.
Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen and New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire have both said they won't consider overseas offers this summer; their teams are at 10/1 and 20/1 odds, respectively, on the Bodog futures list right now.
There's also still NBA prop betting on the menu this summer, with Derrick Williams listed as the 9/2 favorite to win the 2011/12 Rookie of the Year award if the season takes place.
Jimmer Fredette is next at 5/1 odds on Bodog's ROTY chart, with Kyrie Irving at 11/2, Enes Kanter at 7/1, and Kemba Walker at 15/2. Ricky Rubio, who is finally expected to make his NBA debut this fall, is at 8/1 odds to grab the award.
Head over to the hoops page at Bodog's sportsbook throughout the summer for the latest odds and props.
The Bulls pulled ahead with a 95-83 win on Tuesday. Though the Bulls didn’t have a particularly special night on the glass — they had just four more rebounds than the Hawks—they did do a better job defensively.
More importantly, Chicago did a better job in the paint. Josh Smith and Al Horford destroyed the Bulls in their last loss, racking up 43 points and 21 rebounds. The Bulls didn’t let those two have their way this time, holding the forwards to 28 points and 17 rebounds.
Of course, it’s easier to defend down low when Atlanta’s outside shooters are stinking up the joint. Joe Johnson was 6-for-15 for just 15 points, including 0-for-5 from the three-point line. Jamal Crawford was even worse, going 1-for-9 from the field with just two points. Johnson and Crawford were terribly inconsistent and underwhelming during the regular season; they turned on the jets in the playoffs, but they’ve finally regressed and Atlanta is paying for it.
With the series seemingly in hand, NBA betting fans can turn their attention to Chicago’s long-term prospects. The Bulls are third with 7/2 odds to win the NBA championship, but they won’t even get out of the East if they can't get a more consistent offensive effort around Derrick Rose.
While Rose continues to impress, his teammates are often a letdown. Carlos Boozer has been the biggest concern. Boozer is averaging just over 10 points per game during the playoffs, but it looked like he ended his funk with a 7-for-10, 18-point performance in Game 4. No dice, as Boozer was 4-for-11 for 11 points on Tuesday.
Get the best NBA playoff team and player props at Bodog Sportsbook!