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Nba n1ggas bout to average 35 points over there

If i ever finish my analysis this will be part of it

if i ever finish my analysis this will be part of it


He He He OKIDOKI

The 2011-12 NBA season was supposed to open tonight with three games, highlighted by a matchup between last season’s top regular season club, the Chicago Bulls, and last season’s best team as things turned out, the world champion Dallas Mavericks. Regular season MVP Derrick Rose vs. NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki. It would have been a great way to tip off the season.

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But of course there is no NBA and there doesn’t appear that we will have any games in the near future with the lockout on Day 124 today. The good news is there are reports that an agreement is 95 percent done. The bad is that the final five percent has been the most difficult and involves a split of all Basketball Related Income (BRI). Players got 57 percent of BRI last season and have come down to 52.5 percent and no further. The owners are demanding a 50-50 split.

While they are just percentage points apart, it amounts to $100 million a season and more than $1 billion over a 10-year deal. The union’s concession of 4.5 percentage points represents a $180 million concession in annual salaries compared to the last CBA.

So far the small-market owners and others who support a hard-line approach have carried the day from the league’s side. But the fact that the NBA and players have gotten so close has most everyone looking for ways to bridge the final gaps that remain to a new collective bargaining agreement.

No new talks have officially been scheduled after negotiations fell apart last Friday, but the sides are expected to get together later this week and may bring back federal mediator George Cohen to help bridge the final gap. But it will take a minimum of three weeks from the day the sides agree to get the season started, and probably more like a month. So we have to see something done this week to have basketball on Dec. 1.

Oh, and there already is talk the NHL owners might lockout their players next September when that CBA expires.

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It's kind of amazing it took this long. But now, some 140 days into the lockout, one New York state senator is organzing "Occupy the NBA."

Via the NY Daily News, Sen. Malcolm A. Smith is putting together what he calls a "national movement" to protest the NBA's work stoppage along with restaraunt owners, season ticket holders, arena workers and disgruntled basketball fans in general.

And if David Stern and Billy Hunter don’t settle their differences in the next four weeks, Smith said the protest will move across the country in “A Day of Solidarity” on Dec. 11. Smith said he has contacted officials in Chicago and Los Angeles who are willing to organize similar protests in front of their respective NBA arena.

Smith said he reached out to other community leaders — including the Rev. Al Sharpton — after hearing complaints from constituents who “sell T-shirts, park cars or work in the restaurant.” At a press conference last week, the United Restaurant and Tavern Owners Association estimated bar receipts were down about 30% from last year since July — although regular-season games weren’t supposed to start until November.

Yeah, this is totally going to work. But that's probably not the intention. Like the Occupy Wall Street movement, it's more about message than results. (At least that's what I think the point is.) Obviously the overall goal would be for the lockout to end, but Smith is trying to take up the baton for the forgotten of this lockout -- the bar owners, restaraunt owners, t-shirt stand guys, the parking lot attendants. They haven't had a voice during these past few months so Smith is going to try and give them one. A noble effort, I say.

“What you’re really talking about is a number of people on the low end of the totem pole who need their jobs to allow them to continue to keep their families alive and moving forward,” Smith told the Daily News. “If you don’t want to settle it, we have season-ticket holders who want back their money. You have it, give it back. Stop bickering about the millions of dollars that you guys already make. And think about the little person.
“We will definitely be expecting a response from (commissioner Stern and union president Derek Fisher),” Smith said. “If you need me, I’ll sit down and help you negotiate the deal if you have to.”

One thing Smith is pushing for? Refunds on all season tickets whether or not games are played. The NBA has already promised full refunds on purchased tickets for canceled games, but Smith wants the league to pay out for games even if they're played.
Yeah, good luck with that.

National Basketball Association owners and players plan to meet after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday for settlement talks as the two sides strive to end a lockout and save part of the season.

The players allege the league’s lockout is an illegal group boycott that violates federal antitrust law, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

“Preliminary settlement discussions with the NBA immediately after Thanksgiving with regard to the lawsuit filed recently by the players” are scheduled, said an e-mail from Jonathan Schiller, of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, who is representing players in their legal battle with owners.

The league has locked out players since July 1, when the old collective bargaining agreement expired. The season had been scheduled to begin Nov. 1.

NBA players on Nov. 14 dissolved their union, a first for the group, to allow for antitrust lawsuits against the league after negotiations over a new labor deal collapsed. The sides were negotiating over how to split money from a league that had about $4.3 billion in revenue last season.

On Nov. 15, most of the league’s 450 or so players didn’t receive paychecks that would have been equal to 1/12th of their salaries. With average salaries last season at $5.1 million, that’s a $425,000 payday.

Commissioner David Stern said the entire season is in jeopardy. He already canceled games through Dec. 15 and said the league needs 30 days after an agreement to resume regular-season play, allowing for contract signings and training camp. The NBA usually plays 82 games.

The Minnesota case is Anthony v. NBA, 11-03352, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (Minneapolis).

Negotiations to end the N.B.A. lockout have quietly resumed, with the goal of reaching a deal in time to stage a 66-game season that would start Christmas Day. The talks began in earnest on Tuesday and are expected to continue on Friday, according to two people informed of the talks. If a deal is reached this weekend, it would give the league the approximately four-week window it needs to prepare for a Dec. 25 opening day.

That date is enticing to everyone involved, allowing the league to take advantage of the holiday setting and a captive television audience that, they hope, might be in a forgiving mood. Christmas is also the traditional tipoff for the N.B.A.’s national TV schedule.

A tipoff before New Year’s provides enough time for a compressed, 66-game schedule, 16 fewer than normal, despite starting eight weeks late. It would require extending the regular season into late April and pushing back the finals by a week.

Before owners and players can contemplate any of that, they must resolve the same prickly issues that killed talks two weeks ago: how to restrict the top-spending teams while still ensuring a robust free-agent market.

The parties essentially picked up where they left off Nov. 10, discussing a proposal that includes a 50-50 split of revenue, shorter contracts and tougher spending restrictions. The players rejected that deal, but on the basis of a half-dozen mechanical issues which, in the grander scheme, are fairly minor. They have already conditionally agreed to the 50-50 split and most of the new payroll restrictions.

Neither side has tried to put any new issues on the table, or backed away from previously negotiated points, according to those informed on the talks. That gives the parties hope that a deal not only can be achieved, but can be consummated quickly.

“Both sides could fairly say that it’s crazy to blow the deal up over these remaining issues,” one person close to the talks said Wednesday.

Still, no one is ready to espouse optimism, given how many times the talks have collapsed in the last two months.

The stakes and the parameters have changed since the parties last met. The players dissolved their union Nov. 14 and sued the N.B.A. on antitrust grounds the next day. Technically, the parties are now in settlement talks, not collective bargaining negotiations. The union will have to be reconstituted to adopt any new labor deal.

The resumption in talks was first reported by Yahoo Sports early Wednesday afternoon. The first official confirmation came Wednesday evening in a statement from the law firm representing the players in their antitrust suit. According to the statement, issued by the lawyer Jonathan Schiller, “preliminary settlement discussions” will be held “immediately after Thanksgiving.”

An N.B.A. spokesman declined comment, other than saying that the league “remains in favor of a negotiated resolution.”

In the context of a lawsuit settlement, the lawyers for both sides are technically in the lead now. It is presumed, however, that both Commissioner David Stern and Billy Hunter, the longtime head of the players association, are involved. Derek Fisher, who was the union’s president until it dissolved, has not been involved yet but is expected to rejoin the fray on Friday.

There is also a new face at the table: Jim Quinn, the union’s former chief outside counsel, who is now playing a pivotal role in this desperate final push. Quinn worked with the union on labor deals for 20 years and has strong relationships with Stern and Hunter.

Quinn’s involvement was first reported Tuesday by CBSSports.com, which characterized his role as a neutral “facilitator.” In fact, Quinn was recently hired by Hunter to help complete the deal, according to a person who has spoken with Quinn. It appears that Quinn may have supplanted Jeff Kessler, the union’s pugnacious outside counsel, as the players’ lead negotiator.

Kessler has a contentious relationship with Stern and is viewed by some on the owners’ side as an impediment to a deal.

Quinn played a similar role in the 1998-99 lockout, entering the negotiations at a late stage and helping push through a deal that saved a 50-game season. He is known as a reasonable voice who commands the respect of key figures on both sides.

Obstacles to an agreement remain, beyond the technical details. A dissident faction of agents and players — who believe the union made too many concessions — could still file its own antitrust lawsuit, potentially derailing the settlement and dooming the season. A number of B-list items must still be negotiated as well.

The parties need at least a handshake agreement this weekend to meet the Dec. 25 target. It would take about four weeks to get a season started, because of the time required to complete the labor deal, sign free agents and hold training camps.

While you were drinking away your Friday night, the NBA owners and players were making a deal, and NBA betting is back!
NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day lockout and hope to begin the delayed season on Christmas Day.
NBA commissioner David Stern stated the obvious when the news broke, "We want to play basketball."
The two sides supposedly met more than 15 hours on Friday, and also had a secret meeting earlier in the week, all to try and save a dying season. It appears after all this drama the NBA is only going to miss 16 out of the 82 games, the season should tip off on December 25th in order to play a 66-game season.
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Right now this deal is just a handshake between owners and players, and it could take another 3-7 days before all the I's are dotted. But the NBA is coming back, right around when we care about it.
"We expect our labor relations committee to endorse this deal...and we expect our Board of Governors...to endorse the deal," Stern said.
The NBA season should kick off with the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks followed by Miami At Dallas then Chicago at Los Angeles. Unfortunately, no odds yet. But NBA futures are up in the Bodog Sportsbook. The Miami Heat, that squad we all love to hate, is the favorite listed as 5/2 to win the 2012 NBA championship. Next is the Lakers at 11/2, then the Bulls at 7/1, the Oklahoma City Thunder at 15/2 and Dallas Mavericks at 17/2.
The worst teams? That goes to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors all listed at 150/1 to win it all.
Place your bets before the players come back from Europe and Asia!

In May 1996, Horace Balmer, the NBA's vice president for security, had two speakers flown to Norfolk, Va., whose messages were very disturbing. The two speakers were Michael Franzese, a former mob boss who fixed professional and college games for organized crime, and Arnie Wexler, who for 23 years was a compulsive gambler. Franzere said, ''I talked to the NBA rookies earlier this season" and it's amazing how many confided to me that they have gambling habits. I'm not going to mention their names, but if I did, you would know them" I personally got involved in compromising games with players, and it all came through their gambling habits." (THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT - May 11, 1996)

Twelve years ago, as a compulsive gamblers counselor, I was asked to fly to New York to the NBA office in Manhattan to meet with league officials, players, and union officials concerned about players' gambling. I was told, "We have a problem, and we're trying to find out how bad the problem is." Officials asked me to keep my calendar open for the spring of the following year and told me they wanted me to address every team and player in the league. They then flew my wife in, and we had a second meeting. They asked us to develop questions that were going to be given to the players to answer. "We need to know how big the gambling problem is in the N.B.A," they said.

When I hadn't heard from the N.B.A, I called and asked, "When do we start?" The talks were cancelled, and the response I got was this: "They said that the higher-ups didn't want the media to find out."

Some years ago, I was on a TV show with Howard Cossell (ABC Sports Beat). The topic was: "Does the Media Encourage the Public to Gamble?' NBA commissioner David Stern said: "We don't want the week's grocery money to be bet on the outcome of a particular sporting event." Yet on Dec. 11, 2009, commissioner David Stern told SI.com (the website for Sports Illustrated) that legalized gambling on the NBA "may be a huge opportunity." I wonder how many addicted gamblers placed the first bet they ever made on an NBA game? The National Gambling Study Commission said that there are "5 million compulsive gamblers and 15 million at risk in the U.S." Forty-eight percent of the people who gamble bet on sports.

Get the real scoop: Talk to me, Arnie Wexler, one of the nation's leading experts on the subject of compulsive gambling and a recovering compulsive gambler. I placed my last bet on April 10, 1968, and have been involved in helping compulsive gamblers ever since for the last 40 years. Through the years, I have spoken to more compulsive gamblers than anyone else in America and have been fighting the injustice of how sports, society and the judicial system deal with compulsive gamblers.

Athletes may be more vulnerable than the general population when you look at the soft signs of compulsive gambling: high levels of energy, unreasonable expectations of winning, very competitive personalities, distorted optimism, and bright with high IQs. It is time for college and professional sports to outline and execute a real program to help players who might have a gambling problem. Yet college and professional sports still do not want to deal with this. They do not want the media and public to think there is a problem. Over the years, I have spoken to many college and professional athletes who had a gambling problem. One NCAA study a few years ago reported: "There is a disturbing trend of gambling among athletes in college." You can't think that these people will get into the pros and then just stop gambling. Compulsive gambling is an addiction just like alcoholism and chemical dependency, and all three diseases are recognized by the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic and statistical manual. Nevertheless, we treat compulsive gambling differently than the other addictions. Society and professional sports treat people with chemical dependency and alcoholism as sick persons -- send them to treatment and get them back to work. Sports looks at compulsive gamblers as bad people and bars them from playing in professional sports. There are people in various sport's halls of fame who are convicted drug addicts and alcoholics, yet compulsive gamblers are unable to get into these halls of fame. In fact, as far as professional sports goes, an alcoholic and chemical dependent person can get multiple chances, whereas a gambler cannot.

If colleges and professional leagues wanted to help the players, they would run real programs that seriously address the issue of gambling and compulsive gambling. Education and early detection can make a difference between life and death for some people who have or will end up with a gambling addiction. One sports insider said to me: "Teams need to have a real program for players, coaches and referees, and they need to let somebody else run it. When you do it in-house, it's like the fox running the chicken coop. You must be kidding yourself if you think any player, coach or referee is going to call the league and say, 'I've got a gambling problem, and I need help.' "

Aww yeah we've got NBA rumors. Life is almost back to normal.

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that the New Jersey Nets have offered center Brook Lopez and two first-round picks to the Orlando Magic for superstar Dwight Howard. Now before you cry BS on this trade keep in mind that Howard is rumored to be making plans to bolt from the Magic when he hits the free agent market.

The Nets would also reportedly take on Hedo Turkoglu's ugly contract, and the other interesting note is that they will also pursue Nene and Tyson Chandler. The have point guard Deron Williams on the roster and it appears they are trying to keep the star point guard happy.

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Betting Analysis: Obviously, steer clear of the Orlando Magic NBA futures until the dust settles on this insanity. But don't think the Magic won't make the trade, they lost Shaquille O'Neal back in the day as a free agent and likely want to at least get something for their big man this time.

As for New Jersey, wouldn't hurt to put down a small bet on them and see if they land a big name or two. At this point their odds to win it all are hovering at a profitable 150/1.

Hey ballers, that contract you made with China during the lockout, now that the lockout's over you still have to honor it.
Three Denver Nuggets and one Phoenix Sun have found themselves in a bit of a pickle. After taking what was likely a monster payday to play in China J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler and Aaron Brooks (the Suns player) are now stuck on the team until the season is over. Which is in like... March.
There have been rumors about the players just ditching the team or misbehaving their way off the roster but China ain't havin' it. As one Chinese Basketball official put it: "They can play, get paid [in China] and return to the NBA in March, or they can not get paid, and return to the NBA in March."
Yeah. China is not playing. Don't expect to see these guys being productive in the NBA this year. And the NBA won't even try to touch them either to avoid any monster lawsuits.
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Betting Analysis: This obviously shatters the underdog betting chances of the Denver Nuggets, who shocked oddsmakers with their mishmash of shooters after trading away Carmelo Anthony. Currently listed at 60-1 to win the 2012 NBA Championship we'd put them down the list with the Toronto Raptors to win it all now.
The one thing the Nuggets had going for them, despite lacking one definitive superstar, is depth. With three of their marquee players stuck oversees, the Nuggets will struggle to continue playing their run-and-gun style.
As for the Suns, they'll struggle as well considering Brooks was the backup for aging point guard Steve Nash. Nash is on his last legs, without Brooks a less-servicable guard will likely get playing time. NBA odds list the Phoenix Suns at 75-1 to win it all.

You know those rumors about how New Orleans star point guard Chris Paul, a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, was going to sign next offseason with the New York Knicks? Yeah, they weren’t rumors. Paul’s agent reportedly has officially requested a trade to the Knicks – the awkwardness of this request is that Paul’s Hornets are owned by the NBA, so wouldn’t any trade be a potential conflict of interest?

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Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade request and says that as soon as the NBA lifts its lockout restrictions, Hornets general manager Dell Demps wants to meet with Paul and hear that directive from him. The Hornets probably have no choice but to deal their franchise player considering they would get nothing when he leaves at the end of this season. But several teams no doubt would make offers – the Boston Celtics already reportedly offered Rajon Rondo for Paul. However, most teams would only trade for Paul with a guarantee that Paul would sign an extension. And it appears he only wants to play in New York with friends Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.

Presuming Paul opts out of the final year of his contract and becomes a free agent after this season, he could sign a maximum four-year, $74 million deal with another team. The Knicks currently would have enough salary-cap room to offer him a four-year, $55.5 million contract with a starting salary of $13 million.

The Knicks gutted their roster in acquiring Anthony last season, so they would have to find a third team in any potential deal to find assets to send to New Orleans. Getting Paul certainly would make the Knicks immediate contenders – they are currently 20/1 to win the NBA title. The Orlando Magic would salivate at a chance to get Paul to make Dwight Howard happy – Howard also can be a free agent after this season. And Paul reportedly would love to play with Howard; Paul was hoping the two could play in New York but that's financially impossible.

Former NBA basketball player Antoine Walker was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and ordered to pay more than $750,000 in gambling debts to three Las Vegas casinos.

Walker, 35, pleaded guilty in June to felony bad check charges after he failed to pay back gambling debts from 2009 at Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and Red Rock Resort.

Walker, wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt, was in Clark County District Court on Tuesday morning but did not speak at his sentencing. He declined to comment after the hearing.

His sentencing was initially scheduled for Nov. 1 but was twice delayed because Walker lives in Chicago and was in training camp attempting to make a return to professional basketball.

As part of a deal struck with prosecutors, Walker will have to pay back $770,050 in restitution to the casinos and is prohibited from gambling. He was also given a one-year suspended sentence, which would go into effect if he fails to meet the terms of his probation.

Walker played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008, his last year in the NBA. He won a championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat and was a three-time all-star for the Boston Celtics.

After he left the Timberwolves, he played in two pre-season games with the Memphis Grizzlies then was waived. He played briefly in Puerto Rico in 2010 before deciding to attempt an NBA comeback.

It’s now a matter of time before the New Orleans Hornets will trade franchise player Chris Paul after the All-Star point guard met with Hornets brass on Monday and basically told them he wouldn’t be signing a contract extension with the team during this season. That means Paul will be an unrestricted free agent following this season and the Hornets would be left with squat when he walks. And now the Hornets want a resolution before their season opener to avoid the situation lingering until the trade deadline.

It’s no secret that Paul wants to play with the New York Knicks, but they simply don’t have enough to offer New Orleans after gutting the roster to get Carmelo Anthony out of Denver last season. Pretty much every team in the NBA will likely call the Hornets, with the exception of those who already have star point guards (Chicago, Washington to name two). But pretty much every team is going to want Paul to commit to a contract extension before sending a boatload of players to New Orleans.

However, a few teams reportedly will trade for Paul even without that commitment, including Boston, Dallas and Houston. They believe they can eventually convince him to sign a long-term deal. The Warriors and Hawks also figure to be big players for Paul. But it’s the two L.A. teams that are considered the front-runners. The Lakers could offer young big man Andrew Bynum, although L.A. might want to keep Bynum in a possible trade for Magic center Dwight Howard. In fact, there’s talk that the Lakers are willing to trade every player on their roster to get both Paul and Howard in a trade. L.A. is one of those teams that will go deep into the luxury tax to get superstars. The Clippers have more young talent to offer than the Lakers do, although reportedly L.A. has said that guard Eric Gordon isn’t available. And of course Blake Griffin is untouchable. But everyone else is in play, plus the Clips own a key chip: Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick, which could be No. 1 overall. But will the Clippers spend the money and would Paul sign there?

Certainly some team’s 2011-12 NBA futures odds are about to change significantly when Paul arrives, potentially before the Dec. 25 Opening Day.

Oh NBA, how can we I stay mad at you, you bring so much drama!
Commissioner David Stern along with NBA owners may block the trade that would make all-world point guard Chris Paul a Los Angeles Laker.
The deal would have the Lakers send Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets. The Hornets would then acquire Lamar Odom from the Lakers and Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round draft pick from the Rockets, while the Lakers would get Paul.
Paul response to being denied his chance in Hollywood? “Wow” is all he said on Twitter.
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So why is this happening?
First, the NBA currently owns the New Orleans Hornets, mostly because nobody else wants them. Second, a chorus of owners were irate with the belief that the five-month lockout had happened largely to stop big-market teams from leveraging small-market teams for star players pending free agency.
All the players involved in the trade have been told to report to their teams for the start of training camp on Friday.
Here’s the issue, as soon as the commissioner starts nixing trades because small-market owners tell him to, is the moment that the NBA becomes as scripted as Reality TV. What’s next? Kobe Bryant traded to the Charlotte Bobcats.
Media members are already calling for his the commish's head if he follows through. All this on the same day the NBA officially ended its lockout. This deal seems to be changing by the hour so stay tuned to see if the deal gets going again. But right now the commissioner has officially turned into the emporer from Star Wars.

Is the championship window for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers closed? All those years may finally be wearing down Bryant, as L.A. was shockingly swept out of last season’s Western Conference semifinals by the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. However, L.A. has opened as the second-favorite on Bodog’s NBA basketball odds at 5/1 to win the 2012 NBA championship and as the favorite to win the West at 2/1.

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Certainly any forecast for the Lakers would change dramatically if L.A. somehow is able to trade for Orlando superstar center Dwight Howard, who reportedly wants to play out in Hollywood, or Hornets point guard Chris Paul. New coach Mike Brown still has as much talent on the squad as any team, with Kobe, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum (suspended the first five games of this season for his ridiculous flagrant foul in the Mavericks series), Lamar Odom and Metta World Peace (i.e. Ron Artest). The Lakers could use another scoring guard to take the heat off of Bryant, and last year’s backup, Shannon Brown, is a free agent. Plus point guard is a question with Derek Fisher now 37 years old. L.A. is way over the salary cap so there’s only so much the Lakers can add unless it’s via trade.

Mike Brown no doubt will ditch the triangle offense of Phil Jackson and his pedigree at Cleveland was defense and an ability to co-exist with a headstrong superstar (LeBron James). There certainly will be an adjustment period to Brown with the lockout wiping out much of training camp and the exhibition season. Bodog lists L.A.’s win total for the 66-game regular season at over/under 48.5. As long as Kobe stays healthy, this team will contend for a title. And if Howard or Paul comes on board for a package built around Bynum, L.A. is probably the favorite.

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It’s amazing how one season can so dramatically change the outlook for a franchise, but Blake Griffin’s rookie year did just that for the Los Angeles Clippers, who now look like a future powerhouse in the NBA with another move or two. The Clips, who finished 32-50 and fourth in the Pacific Division last year, are 50/1 on Bodog’s NBA basketball odds to win the NBA title this season.

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In addition to winning the dunk contest, being named an All-Star and winning Rookie of the Year, Griffin averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 boards and 3.8 assists last season. He was a staple on nightly highlight shows and his presence alone could lure other stars to the Clippers. In fact, don’t rule out the Clippers making a play for Orlando’s Dwight Howard if the Magic finally decide to deal Howard. Hornets point guard Chris Paul also could be a target for Los Angeles.

L.A. has another young star in shooting guard Eric Gordon, who averaged 22.3 ppg last season despite missing 26 games with a right wrist fracture. L.A. must keep restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan and will likely be looking to trade center Chris Kaman. Mo Williams is solid at the point, but the future there is second-year player Eric Bledsoe (but he might have to be part of any Howard or Paul trade). L.A. badly needs an upgrade over Ryan Gomes at small forward. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince could be a free-agent target for that spot if the team doesn’t believe Al-Farouq Aminu will improve in his second season.

Teams better beat the Clippers now because this club will be a force sooner rather than later, especially holding Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick. L.A. opens the season Christmas night against Golden State.

The Toronto Raptors had one of the worst records in the NBA last season, and with no influx of talent over the offseason it's looking like it won't be any easier for them to pay off on the NBA betting lines at the Bodog Sportsbook in 2011-12.

Get these and the rest of your NBA futures today.

Toronto lost eight of its last 10 games last year to end up with a record of 22-60, good for fifth place in the Atlantic Division standings; they were ahead of only the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors then went and used their high first-round pick on Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas. The seven-footer, though, won't be leaving Europe this season, so he won't have any impact on Toronto's roster until 2012-13 at the earliest.

That'll leave the Raptors relying on basically the same group of players that could only muster 22 wins last season. As a result, Toronto sits down at the bottom of the NBA futures list to win the championship with the other league sad-sacks.

At last update, the Bodog Sportsbook had the Raptors at 150/1 to win the title along with the Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings.

So new head coach Dwane Casey, formerly an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, will have his work cut out for him as he tries to have the Raptors make an impact where basketball is a distant second to hockey in the winter.

Center Andrea Bargnani and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, the team's leading scorers from last season at 21.4 and 17.2 points-per-game, will again key the Raptors' offense in 2011-12, with power forwards Amir Johnson (9.6) and Ed Davis (7.7) both looking to make bigger contributions as well.

The Raptors will first hit the hardwood in a pair of exhibition games against the Boston Celtics on December 18 and December 21, with their regular-season slate getting underway in Cleveland on December 26.

The NBA's push to save face is finally complete, as they have traded Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers will send guard Eric Gordon center Chris Kaman, forward Al Farooq-Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick to the Hornets for Paul. The Clippers will also receive two future second-round picks.
The deal still has to be approved by commissioner David Stern, but considering Stern himself has released a statement it should go through without a hitch. But we have said that before.
"It is our belief that the proposed transaction we have tonight is a very good transaction and better transaction than the one on which I did not sign off four business days ago," Stern said. "... I knew that we were doing the best thing for New Orleans, that was my job."
Whatever Stern. Try to lay low so the boos don't rupture your eardrums.
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Betting Analysis: As you can imagine NBA futures are going to get a big shift from this deal. Paul will be passing to reigning slam dunk champion Blake Griffin, and considering how nasty Griffin was without any point guard help he has potential to be a monster with Paul feeding him the rock. The combination could put the L.A. Lakers' reign over the Pacific Division in jeopardy. Paul has never had a teammate with Griffin's ability and he's been at the top of the Western Conference.
As for what they've given up, the biggest piece lost presently is Gordon. The shooting guard was become a versatile scorer and would've been even better with Paul in the backcourt.

How much do the Cleveland Cavaliers miss LeBron James? Without him in their lineup they sank from 61 wins in 2009-10 to just 19 wins in 2010-11 – and that has them at the bottom of the NBA futures board at Bovada's online sportsbook heading into 2011-12.

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At last update the Cavaliers were tied with the Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Toronto Raptors at 150/1 odds to win the NBA championship in the lockout-shortened season, and they also trailed the pack at 80/1 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland, though, at least was able to replenish its roster at the draft in the summer, grabbing Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the first overall selection and then picking up Texas forward Tristan Thompson with the fourth overall pick.

Watch for the Cavaliers to give those two rookies every chance to make an impact this season and displace any veterans ahead of them on the depth chart.

Irving was expected to apprentice with Baron Davis at the point guard position, but Davis was dumped by the team on Wednesday using the new labor agreement's amnesty clause. That puts Irving right into the fire.

Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers in scoring with 18.0 points per game last season, and he'll start in the frontcourt again this season. Omri Casspi, acquired from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for J.J. Hickson, will be in the mix at forward as well with Thompson.

Anderson Varejao is then set to start at center, with Anthony Parker and Ramon Sessions providing more options in the backcourt for the Cavaliers – who will get their season underway at home on December 26 against the Toronto Raptors.