What is the next big surprise? When will it happen? We are inside of 48 hours until the league’s moratorium ends, so fasten your seatbelts, folks. This summer’s free agency period has provided as much suspense and excitement as the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to terms with LaMarcus Aldridge and David West while retaining Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green in hopes of returning to the Finals. West said he wanted to play for a title
The Third Banana Awards, Team by Team
I noticed recently that ESPN’s Bill Simmons had been using the term “Third Banana” when referring to the third-best player on a team. A simple concept, but it did get me thinking. Who are the best “third bananas” in the NBA? I decided to put together a list ranking every team’s third-best player, and then I’d put that player into an overall league ranking, from 1-30. Ultimately I was hoping to stumble upon a correlation between how high a teams Third Banana
NBA Gambling: Notes from the Quarter Pole – Bet The Lakers!
The gambling life ain’t easy, folks — which is where today’s tale begins. But by the time you get to the end of today’s column, hopefully you’ll be amused by my personal adventures and enlightened by my leaguewide analysis. We are at the quarter-pole of the NBA season, and trends have emerged. First, to truly appreciate what it means to gamble on the NBA on a daily basis, you had to experience what it was like to bet on the Philadelphia 76ers
Over/Under Odds Released for NBA Team Wins
With the NBA season win total over/unders coming out earlier this week at the Las Vegas Hilton (LVH) in Las Vegas, here is a chart of those odds, the team wins from last year and the percentage changes between the two: [Read more…]
Abrams: NBA Futures Market Transitions Into April
With March Madness officially behind us and a little over two weeks left in the NBA regular season, the majority of sports gamblers turn their focus back to the NBA. Attacking the NBA futures market and NBA playoff odds before the regular season ends can be a very profitable way to walk into the playoffs. In this column, we are going to analyze some of the differences between what the futures market looked like a little over a month ago and
Fantasy Spin: September 27, 2012 – Part I
Southwest Division Fantasy Preview Part I The difference between an NBA team’s real ability and its importance in fantasy leagues can be enormous. In the Southwest, there’s one truly great team that actually frustrates fantasy owners. Two other teams with virtually no chance to be contenders on the court are potential sources of fantasy bargains. This is the fourth installment of our week-long series. I examined the low-scoring Atlantic on Monday, Jeff looked at the high-powered Northwest on Tuesday and Bruce visited
Trade Reaction: Is Lamar Odom Headed Back To Los Angeles?
I know, technically, this isn’t an NBA Draft trade, but technically, it is a “draft day” trade. So we’ll go ahead and file it here. The Mavericks could find themselves in all-out rebuild mode, and earlier, we saw them turn UNC’s Tyler Zeller into three prospects. Now, they’re on the verge of dumping Lamar Odom. After lasting only about four months in Dallas, the Mavericks are working hard to find a deal for him. As of late Thursday night, there were conflicting
Tonight’s best game: Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas
All the drama surrounding Vinny Del Negro’s coaching situation evaporated during a five-game homestand that saw the Los Angeles Clippers win all five games. However, most of the team’s struggles have come on the road, where they have dropped five of their last six games. Things won’t get any easier for the Clippers, who play nine of their remaining 14 games away from the Staples Center. Seven of those contests are against teams with a winning record. Chris Paul and the Clippers hope