Bulls ready to contend in improved East
Basketball Betting Lines
08/04/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Conventional wisdom says the Chicago Bulls
failed this offseason.
After all, the Bulls were supposed to be in hot pursuit of the game's biggest
prize, LeBron James, and came up empty. In fact, when one ill-informed ESPN
talking head proclaimed Chicago the favorite to land the narcissistic one,
dozens of lemmings fell in line to drink the Bristol Kool-Aid, convinced the
Windy City would land LeBron.
Instead, King James took his throne to South Beach and the Bulls were forced
to scramble and cultivate a Plan B that included signing power forward Carlos
Boozer away from Utah, and inking a number of complimentary parts like Ronnie
Brewer, Kyle Korver and Kurt Thomas.
The moves certainly weren't sexy. but if you look at what new coach Tom
Thibodeau has at his disposal, Chicago now looks like a player in the revamped
Eastern Conference.
Thibodeau, a defensive mastermind, inherited a pair of elite frontcourt
defenders in Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, the game's best young point guard,
Derrick Rose, and a solid small forward in Luol Deng. The addition of Boozer,
Brewer, Korver and Thomas to that mix looks tailor-made.
Rose will be able to play pick-and-roll all day with Boozer, and the former
Jazz stalwart is also a top-tier scorer with his back to the basket, meaning
the Bulls will be a much tougher team to defend in the half-court come playoff
time.
Meanwhile, Thomas brings toughness on the glass, Korver, one of the game's
best pure shooters, will help space the floor, and Brewer is the type of
slasher that could excel running the floor with Rose.
"We've got basketball players," Rose told Bulls.com. "I don't know about
everybody else's team, but my team is ready to fight. We've got guys that just
want to win. They aren't about their stats or anything. We've got legit
winners."
Steve Kerr, the sharp-shooting guard that was a part of five NBA championship
teams, including three with the Bulls, is impressed with what's going on in
Chicago.
Kerr, who has returned to the broadcast booth with TNT after serving as the
general manager of the Phoenix Suns, recently gushed over the Bulls talent.
"They've got two unbelievable frontcourt defenders with Noah and Taj Gibson,
they've got the great point guard play of Derrick Rose and now you've got the
low-post scoring that Chicago has been lacking for years with Boozer," Kerr
said. "They've done a nice job of quietly putting some pieces in there on the
wings. They've got a really deep mix of players and I think they are going to
be really good."
Good enough to compete with a Heat team that has quietly added veterans like
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Juwan Howard and Eddie House to its Superfriends trio of
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh?
"Obviously, Miami has the most talent but when you look at Chicago's mix, I
just really like it," Kerr said. "I actually think that (the Bulls) are the
most well-rounded team in the East."
<< Guadalajara reaches first Copa Libertadores final
Santiago, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guadalajara secured a place in its first
Copa Libertadores final after recording a surprising 2-0 win over Universidad
de Chile in the second leg of their two-legged semifinal clash.
The two sides play
<< Knee still keeping Redskins' Haynesworth from test
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -On the seventh day, Albert Haynesworth rested again.This time, he had some company.The fitness of the Washington Redskins defensive lineman remains unresolved one week into training camp. Haynesworth did not attempt the team's con
<< Lurie says Vick guilty of mistake in judgment
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie says Michael Vick's mistake in judgment shouldn't be confused with any wrongdoing.NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Vick on Tuesday he will not face disciplinary action following a shoot
<< Fever will keep Lookin At Lucky from Travers
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Haskell Invitational winner Lookin At
Lucky will miss the $1 million Travers at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday,
August 28 after coming down with a fever on Tuesday.
Trainer Bob Baffert announced
<< Crawley given extension at BC
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College women's basketball coach
Sylvia Crawley has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension through
the 2014-15 season.
Crawley has a record of 40-27 in two seasons with the Eagles.
Izzo: Allen will not play for Spartans next season >>
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Allen will not be in a Michigan
State uniform for his senior season after failing to meet guidelines placed on
him by head coach Tom Izzo.
Allen started 27 of the 36 games he played in as a ju
Montreal's Calvillo tops CFL Players of the Month >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo and
defensive end John Bowman, Hamilton kick returner Marcus Thigpen and
Saskatchewan slotback Andy Fantuz have been selected as the CFL's top
perform
Strasburg could return next Tuesday >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg
could return to the rotation next Tuesday.
Strasburg has been on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right
shoulder. He was scratched from a July
Elder to coach App State wide receivers >>
Boone, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just as former Appalachian State star Armanti
Edwards is making the transition from quarterback to wide receiver in the NFL,
one of his former backups is making a similar move at his alma mater.
Trey Elder, a fou
Motte placed on DL, Cardinals recall Salas >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals placed reliever Jason
Motte on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday due to an AC sprain of his
right shoulder.
Motte has excelled out of the Cardinals bullpen this season, pi
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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