Orlando Magic 2010 Draft Preview
Basketball Betting Lines
06/21/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Magic are clearly one of the most skilled teams in the NBA but seem to lack the requisite toughness to get over the top.
I'm not sure you can correct that in the draft and you certainly can't do it at No. 29, where Orlando will be selecting.
Dwight Howard is the key and needs to start intimidating more since players like Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis are never going to knock people around. Carter, meanwhile, is also no longer the feared scorer he was in Toronto so the Magic need to start developing a plan for his eventual replacement.
UConn's Stanley Robinson, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound small forward has a nasty streak and can run the floor and finish, although he lacks a top-tier jumper Gani Lawal, the Georgia Tech power forward, could also help improve the team's toughness.
Players under contract: C Dwight Howard; G Vince Carter; C Marcin Gortat; F Rashard Lewis; G Jameer Nelson; F Mickael Pietrus; F Brandon Bass; F Ryan Anderson; F Matt Barnes.
Free agents: G J.J. Redick (restricted); G Anthony Johnson (unrestricted)
Draft picks: 1st round (29th overall); 2nd round (59th overall)
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1s Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin were among Monday's first- round winners at Wimbledon 2010. The second-seeded Williams blew past Paraguayan veteran
<< Lakers celebrate 16th NBA championship
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A celebratory parade didn't seem plausible
a week ago, with the Lakers having returned to Los Angeles after dropping Game
5 of the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.
The loss placed the defending champs in
<< Jankovic, Clijsters, Henin win; Schiavone exits Wimbledon
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic,
Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin were among Monday's first-round winners, while
surprise French Open champion Francesca Schiavone exited the draw at The
Championships,
<< Oklahoma City Thunder 2010 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The best young team in basketball will have a chance to add
a few more pieces to the puzzle in the 2010 NBA Draft.
The past three drafts have given Oklahoma City Kevin Durant, Jeff Green,
Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and
<< Federer survives; Roddick rolls at Wimbledon
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Six-time champion Roger Federer was on
the ropes but managed to avoid an opening-round shocker against game Colombian
Alejandro Falla at Wimbledon. Last year's runner-up Andy Roddick joined
Federer in the s
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the more active teams early in the offseason, naming Doug Collins as the team's new head coach, and trading disappointing center Samuel Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings. Collins is
Monterey is more than Pebble Beach >>
Monterey, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most golf nuts are always searching for that
ultimate buddy trip. To play 12 rounds of golf in 5 days, visit the local
establishments and enjoy the fruitful libation to the wee hours of the
morning.
Myrtle Be
Phoenix Suns 2010 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Suns rebounded nicely this year after the Terry Porter
debacle but that didn't stop Steve Kerr from announcing that he would not
return as president and general manager when his contract expires on June 30.
Kerr intend
Portland Trail Blazers 2010 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Pritchard has built the Portland Trail Blazers into a
contender in the Western Conference but he is reportedly not in the good
graces of team owner Paul Allen.
In fact, Pritchard has acknowledged he knows ownership i
Saints release DE McCray >>
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints have released
defensive end Bobby McCray.
McCray, 28, signed with the Saints as an unrestricted free agent in 2008. The
Florida product started eight of 32 regular-season ga
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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