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Dumars rolls the dice with IversonBasketball Betting Lines11/03/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For some reason Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has been intent on breaking up his team since his club succumbed to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals last year. And I don't understand why. I mean, the Pistons did win 59 games under Flip Saunders and still had a championship-tested nucleus led by "Mr. Big Shot" himself, Chauncey Billups. In fact, considering the way Boston dominated the Los Angeles Lakers on the boards and abused them with the pick-and-roll on the offensive end in the NBA Finals, it wasn't all that hard to argue that Detroit was the second-best team in the NBA last season. Dumars wasn't the one making that argument, however. First, the Louisiana native jettisoned Saunders and went with the unproven Michael Curry as head coach, and then he put virtually all his key pieces on the trade market. Rumors dogged Billups, enigmatic big men Rasheed Wallace and the unselfish Tayshaun Prince all summer. Dumars was unable to pull the trigger on anything significant until Monday when he agreed to ship Billups, veteran power forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb to the Rocky Mountains for mercurial scoring machine Allen Iverson. A former league MVP with Philadelphia in 2000-01 and nine-time All-Star, Iverson is without peer as an offensive player but off-the-court problems and maturity issues have plagued the diminutive one since he arrived in the City of Brotherly Love from Georgetown in 1996. For a while, Larry Brown was able to rein in Iverson and take advantage of his incredible talents by moving him from the point to the off guard, and surrounding him with defensive-minded role players like Eric Snow, Aaron McKie, George Lynch and Tyrone Hill. The result was a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001, before injuries - along with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant - ended a spectacular run. Iverson, who will become a free agent in the offseason, will arrive in the Motor City with plenty of defensive-minded players. In fact, Prince and Wallace can be torturous at that end of the floor. But, unlike Snow, Lynch and Hill, the Pistons' big time defenders aren't offensively challenged. Prince and Wallace, especially, need their touches. Meanwhile, the Pistons already have Richard Hamilton, the game's best player at moving without the ball, at the two spot, meaning Iverson will be forced to take over Billups' role as the quarterback of the team. A shoot-first guy, Iverson isn't likely to care about getting the ball to his new teammates in spots where they can succeed, something Billups excelled at. Clearly, Dumars was itching for change, and now he finally has it. No one deserves a longer rope. Dumars was a two-time NBA champion as a player in Detroit. He was the NBA's executive of the year for the 2002-03 season, the architect of the 2004 NBA Championship club and the pilot of a team that has been to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight years. So it's not hard to understand why William Davidson, the Pistons' owner, defers to Dumars and gave him the rope. That said, change for the sake of change rarely works, and Dumars is about to find that out the hard way.
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Super Bowl XLIV OddsSuper Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds. Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44. Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season. That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason. Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium. After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10. The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1). To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below. NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV New England Patriots 8/1 Dallas Cowboys 9/1 New York Giants 10/1 Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1 Indianapolis Colts 12/1 San Diego Chargers 12/1 Baltimore Ravens 14/1 Tennessee Titans 16/1 Carolina Panthers 18/1 Philadelphia Eagles 18/1 New Orleans Saints 20/1 Atlanta Falcons 25/1 Denver Broncos 25/1 Green Bay Packers 25/1 Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1 Minnesota Vikings 25/1 New York Jets 25/1 Arizona Cardinals 30/1 Chicago BearS 30/1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1 Buffalo Bills 35/1 Houston TexaNS 35/1 Miami Dolphins 35/1 Washington Redskins 35/1 Seattle SeahawkS 50/1 Cleveland Browns 55/1 Cincinnati Bengals 60/1 San Francisco 49ers 60/1 Oakland Raiders 75/1 St. Louis Rams 75/1 Detroit Lions 100/1 Kansas City Chiefs 100/1 Odds as of: 2/2/09 Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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