A horrible start to the NBA season last night as I went 1-5 overall, including misses on the Yankees and the over in Game 1 of the World Series. The overall blog record is now 145-100-3. Here are some games tonight to get back on track.
NCAA Football
North Carolina +16 @ Virginia Tech
NBA
@ Chicago +4 San Antonio
San Antonio @ Chicago UNDER 193 1/2
Denver +8 @ Portland
World Series Game 2
Philadelphia +190 @ NY Yankees-The price is too good.
Philadelphia @ NY Yankees UNDER 9
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Picks are Back!
The last time I left this blog my overall record against the spread was 144-95-3. Here are some plays to get the NBA season started.
Cleveland - 5 1/2 @Toronto
New Orleans +9 1/2 @ San Antonio
@Denver - 5 1/2 Utah
@Golden State - 6 1/2 Houston
World Series Game 1
@N.Y. Yankees -170 Philadelphia
Philadelphia @ N.Y. Yankees-OVER 7 1/2
Cleveland - 5 1/2 @Toronto
New Orleans +9 1/2 @ San Antonio
@Denver - 5 1/2 Utah
@Golden State - 6 1/2 Houston
World Series Game 1
@N.Y. Yankees -170 Philadelphia
Philadelphia @ N.Y. Yankees-OVER 7 1/2
2009-2010 NBA Preview
This season a very important question will be answered, that question is if you have success the year before do you make moves? Playoff teams such as the Lakers, Rockets, Blazers, Spurs, Mavericks, Hornets, Cavs, Celtics and Magic have made some serious shake-ups, while the Nuggets, Jazz, Hawks, Bulls pretty much remained the same.
When the deal was made that paired Lebron James and Shaquille O'Neal together I thought to myself that for sure Cleveland and the Lakers would meet in the finals. The King and Shaq should have enough support around them to take the East, while Kobe will be more energized than ever to get to the NBA Finals, knowing he had a team capable of going that far and he would ultimately get a chance to finally settle the score between himself and Shaq.
After that things just got crazy. The Spurs get Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess. Boston picks up Rasheed Wallace. Orlando re-tools and gets an agin Vince Carter to go along with Superman and a healthy Jameer Nelson. Houston learns that Yao is gone for the year and gets Trevor Arieza. Dallas picks up Shawn Marion. New Orleans trades Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor. Finally, the Lakers re-sign Lamar Odom and pick up Ron Artest...crazyness.
The biggest move of the offseason has been virtually forgotten. The Portland Trailblazers signed Andre Miller. Miller is not a superstar, hell Miller isn't even great, but Andre Miller will make a huge difference in the northwest this season.
Lets predict the 2009-2010 NBA season:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Boston Celtics-Kevin Garnett is back healthy with last year's main core, add a hungry Ben Wallace to the mix Boston should run away with the division
2. Toronto Raptors-I like the addition of Hedo Turkoglu. His perimeter pressence along with Chris Bosh inside will lead the Raptors to a much better record than last season.
3. Philadelphia 76ers-Elton Brand will be healthy, but this team will take a stride back after losing Andre Miller.
4. New York Knicks-Mike D'Antoni's roster isn't that great, but a year under his belt and no sign of Isiah Thomas around the organization will get this team out of the cellar.
5.New Jersey Nets-Devin Harris and Raefer Alston is a good perimeter, but this team is obviousley in rebuild mode. 25K for some front court seats and one-hour with a player for a promotion? Ahh...no thanks.
Central Division
1. Cleveland Cavaliers-Lebron James and Shaquille O'neal alone would be enough to take this division
2. Chicago Bulls-Bulls fans will see last year's trade pay dividends this season. Chicago is looking good, especailly with Rose having a season under his belt.
3. Detroit Pistons-With Allen Iverson out of town, appropriate ego levels will be restored. Detroit will be about a .500 team
4. Milwaukee Bucks-If this team can stay healthy they can cause the Eastern Conference some problems. Milwaukee could be a sleeper
5. Indiana Pacers-Danny Granger and a hole bunch of crap.
Southeast Division
1. Orlando Magic-This team made many changes, it may not be the runaway that most expect.
2. Atlanta Hawks-Atlanta is still a solid team. As long as Joe Johnson stays healthy this team will make the playoffs.
3. Washington Wizards-Can Gilbert and the boys stay healthy? If they can, Washington may challenge in this division.
4. Miami Heat-D-Wade's decison to leave or stay will be much easier after the Heat tank this season. Miami did nothing to really improve themselves and Michael Beasley's off the court issues aren't helping things for the Heat.
5. Charlotte Bobcats-Larry, Larry, Larry.......it is time to start looking for yet another NBA coaching job. Emeka for Chandler, why?
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
1. San Antonio Spurs-The Spurs will win this division by default. For the record, the Richard Jefferson trade will really hurt this team. San Antonio has been successful running a system with efficient role players and now most of them are gone.
2. Dallas Mavericks-Adding Shawn Marion to put along side Dirk Nowitzki was a good move. Mark Cuban will never win an NBA Title though, ever.
3. New Orleans Hornets-Lets put aside the fact that Byron Scott should not have a job after losing a playoff game on his home floor by 58 points. The fact is the Hornets have Chris Paul, David West and now Emeka Okafor.
4. Memphis Grizzlies-Memphis has great young talent and Allen Iverson. Sleeper? Maybe.
5. Houston Rockets-No Yao, McGrady is the most overrated player in NBA history, and the Rockets get Trevor for Ron basically. Houston, you have a problem.
Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Lakers-If you combined every other teams' best players in this division and put them against the Lakers, LA would still blow that team away.
2. Golden State Warriors-Not a great team, but Don Nelson has just enough for a second place finish in this division
3. Phoenix Suns-It is bad, if Amare or Nash goes down, it's really bad.
4. Los Angeles Clippers-The Clipps are cursed. I would have put them 2nd if Blake didn't have to go on the shelf for 6 weeks. Damn, God doesn't like this franchise.
5. Sacramento Kings-A very young team that can't compete, however I love their first round draft pick Tyreke Evans.
Northwest Division
1. Portland Trailblazers-This team is good at every position and Andre Miller will have a similar affect on this team as Chauncey Billups had on Denver last season.
2. Denver Nuggets-The same this as last year minus a few small roles. The loss Dahntey Jones will hurt on the defensive end. Denver has a great rookie PG in Ty Lawson who will benefit from watching Chauncey Billups. The Nuggets finish 2nd because of their difficult schedule at the beginning combined with JR Smith being suspended the first 7 games.
3. Utah Jazz-This team will be healthy unlike last season. Jerry Sloan is a Hall of Famer and will have his team competing in the Northwest.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves-Minnesota is too young to compete. Jonny Flynn will be a pleasant surprise for the T-Wolves this season.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder-The Thunder were heading in the right direction until draft day. James Harden will be the worst thing to ever happen to this franchise.
PLAYOFFS
EAST
#1 BOSTON OVER #8 WASHINGTON
#2 CLEVELAND OVER #7 DETROIT
#3 ORLANDO OVER #6 TORONTO
#4 CHICAGO OVER #5 ATLANTA
#1 BOSTON OVER #4 CHICAGO
#2 CLEVELAND OVER #3 ORLANDO
#1 BOSTON OVER #2 CLEVELAND
WEST
#1 L.A. LAKERS OVER #8 GOLDEN STATE
#2 PORTLAND OVER #7 NEW ORLEANS
#3 SAN ANTONIO OVER #6 DALLAS
#4 DENVER OVER #5 UTAH
#4 DENVER OVER #1 L.A. LAKERS
#2 PORTLAND OVER #3 SAN ANTONIO
#4 DENVER OVER #2 PORTLAND
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR-TYREKE EVANS-SACREMENTO
SCORING CHAMPION-LEBRON JAMES-CLEVELAND
COACH OF THE YEAR-NATE MCMILLAN-PORTLAND
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR-KEVIN GARNETT-BOSTON
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER-CARMELO ANTHONY-DENVER
NBA FINALS
BOSTON OVER DENVER IN 5
FINALS MVP-PAUL PIERCE
When the deal was made that paired Lebron James and Shaquille O'Neal together I thought to myself that for sure Cleveland and the Lakers would meet in the finals. The King and Shaq should have enough support around them to take the East, while Kobe will be more energized than ever to get to the NBA Finals, knowing he had a team capable of going that far and he would ultimately get a chance to finally settle the score between himself and Shaq.
After that things just got crazy. The Spurs get Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess. Boston picks up Rasheed Wallace. Orlando re-tools and gets an agin Vince Carter to go along with Superman and a healthy Jameer Nelson. Houston learns that Yao is gone for the year and gets Trevor Arieza. Dallas picks up Shawn Marion. New Orleans trades Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor. Finally, the Lakers re-sign Lamar Odom and pick up Ron Artest...crazyness.
The biggest move of the offseason has been virtually forgotten. The Portland Trailblazers signed Andre Miller. Miller is not a superstar, hell Miller isn't even great, but Andre Miller will make a huge difference in the northwest this season.
Lets predict the 2009-2010 NBA season:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Boston Celtics-Kevin Garnett is back healthy with last year's main core, add a hungry Ben Wallace to the mix Boston should run away with the division
2. Toronto Raptors-I like the addition of Hedo Turkoglu. His perimeter pressence along with Chris Bosh inside will lead the Raptors to a much better record than last season.
3. Philadelphia 76ers-Elton Brand will be healthy, but this team will take a stride back after losing Andre Miller.
4. New York Knicks-Mike D'Antoni's roster isn't that great, but a year under his belt and no sign of Isiah Thomas around the organization will get this team out of the cellar.
5.New Jersey Nets-Devin Harris and Raefer Alston is a good perimeter, but this team is obviousley in rebuild mode. 25K for some front court seats and one-hour with a player for a promotion? Ahh...no thanks.
Central Division
1. Cleveland Cavaliers-Lebron James and Shaquille O'neal alone would be enough to take this division
2. Chicago Bulls-Bulls fans will see last year's trade pay dividends this season. Chicago is looking good, especailly with Rose having a season under his belt.
3. Detroit Pistons-With Allen Iverson out of town, appropriate ego levels will be restored. Detroit will be about a .500 team
4. Milwaukee Bucks-If this team can stay healthy they can cause the Eastern Conference some problems. Milwaukee could be a sleeper
5. Indiana Pacers-Danny Granger and a hole bunch of crap.
Southeast Division
1. Orlando Magic-This team made many changes, it may not be the runaway that most expect.
2. Atlanta Hawks-Atlanta is still a solid team. As long as Joe Johnson stays healthy this team will make the playoffs.
3. Washington Wizards-Can Gilbert and the boys stay healthy? If they can, Washington may challenge in this division.
4. Miami Heat-D-Wade's decison to leave or stay will be much easier after the Heat tank this season. Miami did nothing to really improve themselves and Michael Beasley's off the court issues aren't helping things for the Heat.
5. Charlotte Bobcats-Larry, Larry, Larry.......it is time to start looking for yet another NBA coaching job. Emeka for Chandler, why?
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
1. San Antonio Spurs-The Spurs will win this division by default. For the record, the Richard Jefferson trade will really hurt this team. San Antonio has been successful running a system with efficient role players and now most of them are gone.
2. Dallas Mavericks-Adding Shawn Marion to put along side Dirk Nowitzki was a good move. Mark Cuban will never win an NBA Title though, ever.
3. New Orleans Hornets-Lets put aside the fact that Byron Scott should not have a job after losing a playoff game on his home floor by 58 points. The fact is the Hornets have Chris Paul, David West and now Emeka Okafor.
4. Memphis Grizzlies-Memphis has great young talent and Allen Iverson. Sleeper? Maybe.
5. Houston Rockets-No Yao, McGrady is the most overrated player in NBA history, and the Rockets get Trevor for Ron basically. Houston, you have a problem.
Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Lakers-If you combined every other teams' best players in this division and put them against the Lakers, LA would still blow that team away.
2. Golden State Warriors-Not a great team, but Don Nelson has just enough for a second place finish in this division
3. Phoenix Suns-It is bad, if Amare or Nash goes down, it's really bad.
4. Los Angeles Clippers-The Clipps are cursed. I would have put them 2nd if Blake didn't have to go on the shelf for 6 weeks. Damn, God doesn't like this franchise.
5. Sacramento Kings-A very young team that can't compete, however I love their first round draft pick Tyreke Evans.
Northwest Division
1. Portland Trailblazers-This team is good at every position and Andre Miller will have a similar affect on this team as Chauncey Billups had on Denver last season.
2. Denver Nuggets-The same this as last year minus a few small roles. The loss Dahntey Jones will hurt on the defensive end. Denver has a great rookie PG in Ty Lawson who will benefit from watching Chauncey Billups. The Nuggets finish 2nd because of their difficult schedule at the beginning combined with JR Smith being suspended the first 7 games.
3. Utah Jazz-This team will be healthy unlike last season. Jerry Sloan is a Hall of Famer and will have his team competing in the Northwest.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves-Minnesota is too young to compete. Jonny Flynn will be a pleasant surprise for the T-Wolves this season.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder-The Thunder were heading in the right direction until draft day. James Harden will be the worst thing to ever happen to this franchise.
PLAYOFFS
EAST
#1 BOSTON OVER #8 WASHINGTON
#2 CLEVELAND OVER #7 DETROIT
#3 ORLANDO OVER #6 TORONTO
#4 CHICAGO OVER #5 ATLANTA
#1 BOSTON OVER #4 CHICAGO
#2 CLEVELAND OVER #3 ORLANDO
#1 BOSTON OVER #2 CLEVELAND
WEST
#1 L.A. LAKERS OVER #8 GOLDEN STATE
#2 PORTLAND OVER #7 NEW ORLEANS
#3 SAN ANTONIO OVER #6 DALLAS
#4 DENVER OVER #5 UTAH
#4 DENVER OVER #1 L.A. LAKERS
#2 PORTLAND OVER #3 SAN ANTONIO
#4 DENVER OVER #2 PORTLAND
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR-TYREKE EVANS-SACREMENTO
SCORING CHAMPION-LEBRON JAMES-CLEVELAND
COACH OF THE YEAR-NATE MCMILLAN-PORTLAND
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR-KEVIN GARNETT-BOSTON
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER-CARMELO ANTHONY-DENVER
NBA FINALS
BOSTON OVER DENVER IN 5
FINALS MVP-PAUL PIERCE
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