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It seems that NBA players are doing absolutely everything except preparing for the NBA season as the lockout that threatens to have the NBA betting campaign delayed or cancelled shows no signs of coming to an end.

LeBron James says he's not looking at offers to play overseas right now, but plenty of other players are looking into their options. Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are reportedly talking to teams in the Turkish league, while Ron Artest could join the British Basketball League, and Earl Clark has signed with China's Zhejiang Lions – a team that's trying to get Dirk Nowitzki to play with them as well with a lucrative offer.

Meanwhile, James has been busy doing charity work in Akron, while Heat teammate Dwyane Wade has a softer view on playing on an international club – he says he'll consider it if the NBA isn't up and running in the fall.

James, Wade, and the Heat remain at the top of the NBA futures board at the Bodog Sportsbook as the owners and players look for some middle ground in their work stoppage. The Heat are pegged as the 5/2 championship favorites right now, ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (11/2) and the Chicago Bulls (7/1).

Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder are at 15/2 on that odds board, with the defending-champion Dallas Mavericks at 9/1, and the Boston Celtics at 10/1. Those odds should see little movement as long as the labour talks see little movement – unless of course a star player on one of those teams ends up hurting themselves while playing elsewhere.

The complete NBA futures list is available at the Bodog Sportsbook, and that could be the extent of NBA betting for some time if NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter is to be believed – he says the 2011-12 season is probably going to end up being cancelled.

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

The NBA players miss a season.

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.

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

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!

Basketball fans in the Philippines got a treat over the weekend, as Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose dazzled a crowd in Manila during an exhibition game between locked out NBA players and all-stars from the country's hoops league.

Basketball fans in the United States? Well, they got to see a shaky YouTube highlight reel of the event on Sunday.

Is that the kind of thing we can expect to see this fall when NBA players are supposed to be dazzling crowds in North America and we're supposed to be wagering on their basketball betting lines?

It could be, if we're to believe the current pessimistic attitude of NBA pundits about the league's chances of starting on time (or at all) this season. With the NFL lockout, at most we expected to lose some preseason contests (so long, Hall of Fame Game). With the NBA lockout, we're thinking we might have to make due with college hoops.

And that could leave the NBA futures stagnant for some time, with the Miami Heat locked in as the 5/2 title favorites until there is some movement on the labor issues.

The Los Angeles Lakers follow along next at 11/2 on the NBA odds at Bodog Sportsbook to win the hypothetical 2012 NBA title, with the Chicago Bulls at 7/1, the Oklahoma City Thunder at 15/2, and the defending-champion Dallas Mavericks at 9/1.

Looking for an underdog on the futures board? The Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Toronto Raptors are the longest of the longshots on the NBA title odds at 150/1 right now; the only way we see them competing for the next NBA championship, though, is if the lockout is lifted only for them this season.

Get all your NBA betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.

The Turkish team that already has signed New Jersey Nets All-Star point guard Deron Williams to a contract to play in that country during the NBA lockout now has its eyes on the NBA’s second-biggest star (behind LeBron James): the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

Turkish club Besiktas is in talks with Bryant's representatives about the possibility of Kobe also joining the team during the NBA lockout. Besiktas signed Williams to a $5 million deal last week that allows him to leave if/when the NBA lockout ends.

"It is a fact that Kobe Bryant's managers have contacted us," coach Ergin Ataman said Thursday.

Ataman said Bryant was waiting for an offer from Besiktas. The club, however, said it would need a sponsor to be able to pay for Bryant's contract. For what it’s worth, Bryant recently signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with a Turkish airlines. Kobe grew up in Italy and has always said he would be interested in playing in Europe, mentioning China and Turkey as possibilities. No NBA player has more of a marketing imprint in Europe than Kobe. He reportedly wants $1 million a month to play with Besiktas – Williams is getting $500,000. Representatives of other NBA players also have contacted Besiktas, Ataman said, without identifying any of them. If a player is seriously hurt playing in another pro league, his NBA club is allowed to void that player’s contract should it so desire.

The Turkish League season starts a few weeks before the NBA season is set to begin, but it is widely expected that the NBA season will not start on time because the owners and players are so far apart on a new collective bargaining agreement.

NBA season or not, Bodog Sportsbook has 2011-12 basketball futures now!

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.

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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.

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The Phoenix Suns have had a pretty gaping hole at power forward since Amare Stoudemire left town, but the team thinks it might have a replacement in former Kansas star Markieff Morris, who was taken No. 13 overall by Phoenix in June’s draft. Can Morris become the first Sun since Stoudemire to win NBA Rookie of the Year? The former Jayhawk is 18/1 to win the award on Bodog’s NBA futures odds.

It was perfectly fitting in a way where Morris was picked by Phoenix. He was born seven minutes ahead of twin brother Marcus, another star at Kansas. And brother Marcus was then drafted with the No. 14 pick by Houston, five minutes after Markieff.

Markieff played both power forward and center at Kansas. He was second-leading scorer on the team (behind Marcus) with a 13.6 ppg average. He led the Big 12 in field goal percentage (58.9) and rebounding at 8.3 boards per game. His field goal percentage also ranked 12th nationally. The Suns had Morris in the Top 10 of their draft board. They addressed a need for front-line help on defense and rebounding while keeping to their style with a 6-foot-9, 241-pounder who runs well and spreads a defense with his shot – Morris hit 42 percent from behind the 3-point line last year.

Suns general manager Lance Blanks said he expects Morris to "impact the roster" immediately and that the front office would push for him to play. Right now Channing Frye is listed as No. 1 at the power forward spot for Phoenix, but he’s essentially a 3-point shooter, not a banger or an athletic finisher. Morris couldn’t ask for a better player to set him up for easy baskets than Suns point guard Steve Nash.

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The New Jersey Nets certainly could use help at just about every position but point guard and center, but probably no other spot on the floor had to be addressed more this offseason than shooting guard. The Nets hope they found an answer by trading up in the 2011 draft for former Providence star Marshon Brooks. Could he be the first Net since Derrick Coleman in 1990-91 to win NBA Rookie of the Year? Brooks is 18/1 on Bodog’s NBA odds.

Brooks can certainly score as he finished second in the nation last season behind BYU’s Jimmer Fredette in scoring. Brooks averaged 24.6 points as a senior with Providence. He was named third-team All-American, the first Friar to be an All-America since 2004.

The Nets had Brooks ranked in the Top 15 on their board, but when he slipped to No. 25 they made the move for him, sending the No. 27 pick and a 2014 second-round choice to Boston for the rights to Brooks, who was taken at that No. 25 by the Celtics for New Jersey.

Brooks’ scoring average jumped 10.4 points from his junior to senior season and he had games of 52 and 43 points for the Friars (he scored 20 or more points in 26 of 32 games). That 52-point game on Feb. 23 against Notre Dame broke the Big East single-game scoring mark. His 20 field goals against the Irish also set a conference record for the most field goals in a game. He also established the Big East single-season scoring mark with 468 points in 18 league games; that’s an average of 26.0 ppg, the fifth-highest average in 32 years of Big East play. Brooks was the only player in the nation that averaged at least 24.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Right now the Nets have journeyman Anthony Morrow as No. 1 on their depth chart at shooting guard, so Brooks should see the floor plenty as a rookie – assuming there is an NBA season in 2011-12.

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If you are one of those naïve fans of the NBA who thinks that we might actually see basketball next season after one of the most thrilling season in recent memory, well, here’s a wake-up call: Not even NBA Players’ Association leader Billy Hunter himself thinks that we won’t have a 2011-12 season.

Of course the players have been locked out by the NBA owners for more than a month now. And while there was always optimism that the NFL lockout would be solved before games were lost, that’s not the case in the NBA. That’s because while every NFL team makes a profit, the NBA says 22 of its 30 teams lost money to the tune of $300 million last season. And the two sides can’t even agree on that and are hundreds of millions of dollars apart in how to divide the $ billion in total revenue.

The players have offered to reduce part of their percentage split of revenues, but this proposal wasn't to the level of satisfaction of the owners.

"We agreed to go from 57 to 54," Hunter said. The owners, according to Hunter, reportedly submitted a proposal which called for a billion dollars in rollbacks, not to mention a hard salary cap.

Hunter told an American Bar Association conference on Wednesday that if he "had to bet on it," he would wager that there will be no NBA season.

"We're $800 million apart per year," Hunter said, adding, "something has to happen that both of us can use as leverage to save face."

Bodog Sportsbook isn’t giving up on the season: Bet on NBA futures now!

The full 2011-12 NBA schedule will be released by the league on Tuesday, but already word has leaked out on the NBA’s biggest game of the season: the Christmas Day matchup. Reports are that the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks will host the Miami Heat in the featured Christmas matchup. Of course Dallas beat the Heat in six games in this year’s NBA Finals.

The Heat were in the NBA’s featured spot this past Christmas as well, with LeBron and Co. beating the Los Angeles Lakers 96-80. Dallas last played on Dec. 25 in 2008 at the Portland Trail Blazers. For what it’s worth, the Mavericks swept the Heat in the 2010-11 regular season.

ESPN is reporting that the Mavericks will open defense of their title — and raise the championship banner — on Nov. 1 vs. reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. The Heat currently are scheduled to open their regular season on the road against the New York Knicks. All this presumes there will be an NBA season, with that very much in doubt. The owners have locked out the players and the sides remain miles apart on a new collective bargaining agreement. Just last week the league laid off more than 100 employees.

Should the lockout shorten the schedule, games against the opposite conference will be the first to be canceled. For example, when the last lockout truncated the 1998-99 season to 50 games, the San Antonio Spurs only played six against Eastern Conference opponents.

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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.

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