Ok, Kobe
and the Lakers hoisted the NBA Championship trophy a few weeks back (was it
even that long), but that was the past, now teams have to look to the future,
as the NBA Draft approaches.
By the way, the Lakers are listed at +225
at SPORTSBETTING.com to win
back-to-back titles. Online sportsbooks are already seeing action on the Lakers
to repeat, while bettors are also thinking the Cavaliers learned a lesson in
their loss to Orlando,
and betting volume has been coming in on them at odds of 4-1.
With an eye to next season, the Milwaukee
Bucks dealt Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen and Kurt
Thomas (a complete steal for the Spurs by the way). The Bucks see themselves
listed at +10,000 to win the 2009/10 NBA title while the Spurs are at +2000.
Come Thursday, the entire NBA will be
thinking about next season and the future as the draft will take place at Madison Square
Garden in New York.
If you've been following all the mock
drafts, it seems almost certain that the Los Angeles Lakers' wimpy roommates,
the Los Angeles Clippers, will select Oklahoma Sooners power forward Blake
Griffin with the first selection, although we're thinking Griffin should pull a
Steve Francis and refuse to play for the Clips.
After that things could go a number of
different ways.
After the Memphis Grizzlies select second overall,
the former Seattle Sonics, aka the Oklahoma City Thunder, make their selection.
Who will go third overall? SPORTSBETTING.com has a prop
betting option up letting you wager on who will go third overall.
Standing at 7'3" and weighing in at 267
lbs, University
of Connecticut center
Hasheem Thabeet could be good for what ails the Thunder.
While the experts say it is a stretch to
compare Thabeet to Hakeem Olajuwon, they also say he is more like a Dikembe
Mutombo-Thabeet is listed at +250 to be the third selection and like they say,
"You can't teach height."
Averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2
assists and 1.7 steals a game last season for the Arizona State Sun Devils,
shooting guard James Harden could be the way to go with the third pick and is
also listed at +250 to be No. 3 overall.
Basketball is truly becoming a global game
with the likes of Pau Gasol and Yao Ming and another non-American is receiving
some hype going into the draft.
Spanish point-guard Ricky Rubio could be
the third pick and if he is, he would pay out at +250 too.
The most likely scenario however, based on
the odds, is that someone other than Rubio, Harden or Thabeet will go third
overall as any other player (Field) would pay out at +150.
Everyone familiar with basketball has no
doubt heard about the quality players that the University of North
Carolina has churned out; after all, Michael
Jordan is a Tar Heel alumnus.
Going into this year's draft there are four
UNC prospects; Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green.
Will all four get drafted (+500), three
(+100), two (+140), one (+500) or none (+10,000)?
The NBA draft will allow the weak a chance
to bolster their rosters and will be the last chance for hoops betting until
the fall.
Check out SPORTSBETTING.com for all the NBA
Draft prop betting options.