NBA title headed to Texas?
by Mark Rothstein
The Miami Heat will get their NBA Championship rings on Tuesday night when the new NBA season tips off, but if the oddsmakers have anything to say about it the Heat will be watching another team checking their ring sizes next October.
The NBA title appears to be headed to Texas this season, at least according to the oddsmakers at BetUS. The top of the NBA Championship Futures odds list belongs to the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. Both teams have been given +500 odds to take this season?s title.
The Mavericks came up two wins short of winning their first NBA title last season and they made a few changes to make another run this season. Dallas added Austin Croshere and Anthony Johnson to their already potent lineup, while cutting loose Marquis Daniels and Darrell Johnson. With Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry still around, and in-your-face owner Mark Cuban cheering them on from the stands, the Mavericks looked primed to make another run.
The Spurs also made a few moves in their attempt to return to the top. San Antonio said good-bye to Nazr Mohammed and Rasho Nestrovic, but added ex-Raptors Matt Bonner and Eric Williams. The core of the Spurs is still Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and their bench which includes solid veterans like Robert Horry and Michael Finley will make the Spurs hard to beat all season long.
There are a number of teams in contention for the title that reside outside of Texas. There is, of course, the defending champion Heat but according to our oddsmakers the Phoenix Suns have just as good a chance as Miami. Both teams are listed at +550 on the futures odds sheet.
The Heat should feel comfortable with their team considering it?s almost the exact same lineup that won them a championship last season. The most important players are still Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O?Neal, and Miami will probably go as far as their two superstars will take them. A little help along the way from the likes of Udonis Haslem, Antoine Walker and James Posey would help as well.
The Phoenix Suns finished first in the Pacific division again last season despite overhauling their roster and playing without injured power forward Amare Stoudemire. When you have All-Stars Steve Nash and Shawn Marion and get breakout seasons from Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, you can cope without a player like Stoudemire. Now the Suns get to see what they can do with all that plus a healthy Stoudemire. That?s a scary Halloween thought for the Lakers, who the Suns meet up with on opening night.
Rounding out the Top 5 on the futures odds list are the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons debuted at the top of the futures odds sheet last season, but after a lacklustre playoff run and watching big Ben Wallace bolt for Chicago, Detroit has lost some of their clout. The Pistons still have a solid starting lineup that includes Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. But Wallace?s replacement, Nazr Mohammed, hasn?t impressed oddsmakers enough to keep the Pistons in their old haunt among the very best in the league. Detroit was given +900 odds.
The bottom of the NBA Championship odds list is totally locked up by the pitiful Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers may have pulled off some impressive draft-day deals, but they?re still a few years away from contending for anything. That?s why they are a monumental underdog at +40000.
Article courtesy of BetUS.com.
by Mark Rothstein
The Miami Heat will get their NBA Championship rings on Tuesday night when the new NBA season tips off, but if the oddsmakers have anything to say about it the Heat will be watching another team checking their ring sizes next October.
The NBA title appears to be headed to Texas this season, at least according to the oddsmakers at BetUS. The top of the NBA Championship Futures odds list belongs to the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. Both teams have been given +500 odds to take this season?s title.
The Mavericks came up two wins short of winning their first NBA title last season and they made a few changes to make another run this season. Dallas added Austin Croshere and Anthony Johnson to their already potent lineup, while cutting loose Marquis Daniels and Darrell Johnson. With Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry still around, and in-your-face owner Mark Cuban cheering them on from the stands, the Mavericks looked primed to make another run.
The Spurs also made a few moves in their attempt to return to the top. San Antonio said good-bye to Nazr Mohammed and Rasho Nestrovic, but added ex-Raptors Matt Bonner and Eric Williams. The core of the Spurs is still Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and their bench which includes solid veterans like Robert Horry and Michael Finley will make the Spurs hard to beat all season long.
There are a number of teams in contention for the title that reside outside of Texas. There is, of course, the defending champion Heat but according to our oddsmakers the Phoenix Suns have just as good a chance as Miami. Both teams are listed at +550 on the futures odds sheet.
The Heat should feel comfortable with their team considering it?s almost the exact same lineup that won them a championship last season. The most important players are still Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O?Neal, and Miami will probably go as far as their two superstars will take them. A little help along the way from the likes of Udonis Haslem, Antoine Walker and James Posey would help as well.
The Phoenix Suns finished first in the Pacific division again last season despite overhauling their roster and playing without injured power forward Amare Stoudemire. When you have All-Stars Steve Nash and Shawn Marion and get breakout seasons from Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, you can cope without a player like Stoudemire. Now the Suns get to see what they can do with all that plus a healthy Stoudemire. That?s a scary Halloween thought for the Lakers, who the Suns meet up with on opening night.
Rounding out the Top 5 on the futures odds list are the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons debuted at the top of the futures odds sheet last season, but after a lacklustre playoff run and watching big Ben Wallace bolt for Chicago, Detroit has lost some of their clout. The Pistons still have a solid starting lineup that includes Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. But Wallace?s replacement, Nazr Mohammed, hasn?t impressed oddsmakers enough to keep the Pistons in their old haunt among the very best in the league. Detroit was given +900 odds.
The bottom of the NBA Championship odds list is totally locked up by the pitiful Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers may have pulled off some impressive draft-day deals, but they?re still a few years away from contending for anything. That?s why they are a monumental underdog at +40000.
Article courtesy of BetUS.com.
