Category Archives: kobe bryant

Are the Lakers Planning a Big Move this Offseason?

kobe bryant los angeles lakers lamarcus aldridge nba demarcus cousins kevin love goran dragicThe Los Angeles Lakers were an embarrassment last season. After major injuries to Julius Randle and Kobe Bryant, the roster was full of D-League talent and aging veterans. If you pay close attention to sports betting odds, the current outlook for next season doesn’t look great either.

The Lakers are not used to being in this position. They always just restock instead of doing a long-term rebuild. Kobe doesn’t have much time left, so he is certainly in management’s ear in hopes of winning one more title to tie Michael Jordan’s ring count.

They are now trying to free up enough cap space to make a run at some of this offseason’s top free agents. They gained $9 million more by declining Jordan Hill’s team option.

Which free agents are the Lakers targeting this Summer?

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers sad mad NBA black mamba OMGI wonder if Kobe Bryant ever wonders if he should have retired after blowing out his Achiilles’ tendon? I’m sure it crossed his mind a few times in-between the gym and the bank…where he cashes those huge checks. He now finds himself trying to play with Swaggy P.

The Lakers are expected to be near the bottom of the NBA standings. Does Kobe have a little magic left in him? If things go bad, how does Kobe handle losing?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Despite Poor Record, Lakers Betting Odds Still High

The All-Star break is over and the second half of the NBA season has officially started.

After looking for some possible bets to make, I found a few smart bets and many betting odds that have zero value. Many of those odds involve the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are currently 25-29 and 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but still have the ninth best odds to win the NBA Championship this season.

I don’t want to pick on the Lakers too much, because those odds are no fault of their own, it’s the public’s fault. The bookmakers set the odds at the point where they get the most action and the public still thinks they have a shot at cashing. Since the Lakers are one of the most popular teams in the NBA, their odds are usually inflated.

What are the betting odds for the Los Angeles Lakers winning a 2012-13 NBA Championship? Also, should the people who bet on the Lakers look for another way to bet online? Continue reading

2012 Olympics: Basketball Odds + Prop Bets

Our friends over at Bovada.lv hooked us up with the betting odds and prop bets for the basketball event during the 2012 Olympics.

I’m a big fan of straight odds, but there are some interesting prop bets on the board that should interest many gamblers.

I enjoy the historical prop bets that have Michael Jordan’s stats from 1992 face Lebron James’ 2012 stats. Charles Barkley/Kevin Durant and Magic Johnson/Chris Paul have similar prop bets.

Are you going to put some money on the Olympics? Team USA is heavily favored to win the gold in London, so betting on them would be super patriotic, right? (At least that’s what I tell myself)

Men’s Basketball Props

Basketball – Men’s – Odds to win the Gold Medal
USA                                         1/8
Spain                                        13/2
France                                      28/1
Argentina                                  28/1
Lithuania                                   33/1
Russia                                      33/1
Brazil                                        40/1
Australia                                   100/1
Great Britain                              250/1
China                                        400/1
Nigeria                                      500/1
Tunisia                                      1000/1
Basketball Men’s – Odds to win Silver
Spain                            4/9
France                          7/1
Argentina                      7/1
Basketball Men’s – Will USA and Spain meet in the finals?
Yes                              4/5
What will be the average margin of victory for the USA Men’s Basketball Team at the 2012 Olympics?
Over/Under                    25.5
What will be the largest margin of victory for the USA Men’s Basketball Team?
Over/Under                    45.5
What will be the smallest margin of victory for the USA Men’s Basketball Team?
Over/Under                    12.5
Will the USA win both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Gold Medals?
Yes                  -600   (1/6)
No                    +400   (4/1)
Lebron James – PPG for the tournament?
Over/Under                    17
Lebron James – APG for the tournament?
Over/Under                    4.5
Lebron James – RPG for the tournament?
Over/Under                    6.5
Kobe Bryant – PPG for the tournament?
Over/Under                    13.5
Kevin Durant – PPG for the tournament?
Over/Under                    17
Carmelo Anthony – PPG for the tournament?
Over/Under                    13.5
           
Historical Matchups – Who will Average More Points Per Game
(Whole Tournament)
Lebron James                            -2
Michael Jordan (1992)                +2
(Note: Jordan averaged 14.9 pts per game)
Kevin Durant                              +1
Charles Barkley (1992)               -1
(Note: Barkley averaged 18 pts per game)
Kobe Bryant                              -.5      
Karl Malone (1992)                     +.5
(Note: Malone averaged 13 pts per game)
Historical Matchups – Who will Average More Assists Per Game
(Whole Tournament)
Chris Paul                                 Pick
Magic Johnson (1992)                Pick
(Note: Magic averaged 5.5 assists  per game)
Game 1 Lines
USA                 -24.5                -8000               167.5
France              +24.5                +1400
Total Points – Team USA
96
Total Points – Team France
71.5
Margin Of Victory
USA by 1-5                               18/1
USA by 6-10                              10/1
USA by 11-15                            6/1
USA by 16-20                            9/2
USA by 21-25                            4/1
USA by 26 or more                    1/1
France by 1-5                            50/1
France by 6-10                          200/1
France by 11-15                         250/1
France by 16-20                         300/1
France by 21-25                         350/1
France by 26 or more                 400/1

By: TwitterButtons.com

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Why "Shaq To Cavs" Could Be Bad For Lebron

The rumor mill is busy tonight with a pending Shaquille O’Neal trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs will send Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace to Phoenix for basically two expiring contracts. Shaq resurrected his career last season and wants to win another championship before he retires. He got into great physical shape, thanks for the Phoenix Suns trainers. This trade is great for Cleveland, but is it good for Lebron James?

Cleveland is Lebron’s team from the first day he grabbed a wine-colored jersey. He has been hyped as the “next great player” and a championship would be a given. He has flourished with the talent around him, but never seemed to have enough talent to get him a ring. Lebron has never had a true big man, even though Big Z is a good player, he isn’t much of a physical presence in the paint. Shaq will help Cleveland and probably land Cleveland a championship.

Do you remember the talk about Kobe Bryant won a championship with Shaq and didn’t win one without Shaq until this past season? All the talk on sports radio and with fans never really recognized that Kobe even won any championships, since they were just with Shaq. Will the same argument be made if Lebron wins a championship with Shaq and then struggles the next couple seasons?

The Cavs do need a big man, it’s a no-brainer. The way that Dwight Howard man-handled them and scored at will, even with the offensive post-moves of a toddler. The Cavs need a tall-wing player more than a big man. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu hurt the Cavs more than Dwight Howard, it’s not even close. The backcourt in Cleveland are short and fast, but not physical. If the Cavs made a trade for Vince Carter or maybe even sign Trevor Ariza. A tall wingman isn’t available in this year’s draft. If Lebron James is Michael Jordan, he needs a Scottie Pippen. It’s going to be hard when you 2nd best guard is Mo Williams, a guy who seems to disappear in big games.

If things go rough the first month of the season, expect Shaq to throw out a couple of Tweets that will bash Lebron or Mike Brown. Shaq is a fun-loving guy, but when he’s on a contender, he tends to be not so light-hearted. You are always gambling when signing Shaq, I’m not saying that he’s like Terrell Owens, but you have to worry a little. The Phoenix Suns training staff is the best in a league and works miracles on guys. If Shaq and Grant Hill play more than 90% of games in a season, you know that they are doing some special. When Shaq leaves the training staff, is he still going to be motivated enough and stay healthy for a full season?

Can a season with Shaq, turn Lebron into a bitter Kobe-like player? If Cleveland wins next season, will Lebron leave and try to win in another city without Shaq? There are so many question marks with this trade. The Cavs are smart and realize that they may only have one season to make a run with Lebron, but I’m wondering if the cons outweigh the pros for Lebron James.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

David Stern Just Got A Boner!

The Boston Celtics just defeated the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 Of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight and everyone will have the Lakers/Celtics Finals that they hoped for. The NBA Finals ratings have been down over the last five years, even with Lebron James in it last year. David Stern must be in an euphoric state with these two basketball franchises playing for the championship. There are so many storylines that will carry this series. Will KG finally win a championship? Can Kobe win a championship without Shaq? Can Phil Jackson pass Red Auerbach as the coach with the most rings, against the very team Red loved so dearly? Can Doc Rivers actually coach?

It’s a good time to be NBA Commissioner. The New York Knicks can only get better, the Bulls have the #1 pick, and the young stars of the league don’t seem to be getting into trouble as much as NFL stars. He probably even takes vacations in the offseason, something the NFL, MLB, and NHL leaders can’t afford to do.

Let’s hope the Lakers/Celtics will rekindle the rivalry that carried the league in the 1980s. I was a fan of the Celtics/Pistons rivalry, but that only happened in the Eastern Conference Finals, maybe Kobe/Garnett will become this generation’s Magic/Bird.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Kobe Wins MVP, He Jumps A Car To Celebrate

Maybe someone should tell the MVP voters that “car jumping ability” isn’t criteria that should garner Kobe some MVP votes. The LA Times posted on their website that Kobe Bryant will win the MVP award. The Lakers finished 1st in the ultra-competitive Western Conference and averaged over 28 points per game. I wonder if the addition of Pau Gasol made this possible? A big man that can pass out of the post, hmmm, sounds like that’s something that Shaq did.

In the Kobe/Shaq feud, I sided with Shaq. I think Kobe is a great player, but at that time in the league, a big man was important to win an NBA championship. Kobe would be without a ring if Shaq wasn’t on the Lakers. Look at the last few champions? Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, and Heat, they all had big men. I know the Pistons didn’t rely on Ben Wallace on the offensive end, but when you add him with Rasheed Wallace, combined you have a Tim Duncan.

I still think a big man is important, but the teams that are in the playoffs this year, minus the Lakers and Magic, rely on perimeter players. The Magic only uses Dwight Howard as a rebounding/dunk machine, they shoot the most 3-pointers in the league.

My pick for MVP would be Chris Paul. I love the way he plays. He is the battery for the New Orleans Hornets. He gets things going, he is a triple-double threat, and he gets his players involved in the game. If Paul wasn’t on the Hornets, they would be buried in the Western Conference and would be a lottery team. I would bet that Paul ends his career with more MVPs than Kobe.Now that Kobe has won an MVP, you can start the week-long celebration on ESPN and TNT. Kobe needs to be compared to Michael Jordan as much as possible. He already has his lexicon and speech tone down. If he acts enough like MJ, maybe we’ll forget that he likes to get freaky in Colorado.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.