Online betting players have never seen anything like it: the summer of 2010 promised to be the biggest free-agent frenzy in NBA history, and it pretty much was. One team made out like gangbusters, while the rest of the league was left to fend for scraps. Here’s what we all “witnessed”.

1. Miami

Did you think we were going to start with another team? They can send Pat Riley the 2011 Executive of the Year award for what he pulled off, managing to persuade Dwyane Wade to stay with the Heat….but that’s not all. Chris Bosh came from Toronto, and then the crown jewel in this year’s free-agent class, LeBron James, broke the hearts of everyone in Cleveland when he decided to join the group in South Beach. This move may have been in the works for a while, as the trio played for the gold-medal-winning United States team in Beijing two years ago, and not only that, they may be taking discounts so Riley can flesh out the rest of the roster. There are also rumors that Riley may replace Erik Spoelstra behind the bench as well. The NBA season just got a lot more interesting.

2. Chicago

The Bulls realized they weren’t getting James or Bosh, so they signed Carlos Boozer to a big-money deal, and it’s not like they’re coming away completely empty handed. Boozer averaged 19.5 points and 11.2 boards last year, which were both above his career averages, and he’ll be a much-needed low-post offensive presence to go with Derrick Rose. The best bet that the Bulls have for this year is to crack the top four in the Eastern Conference, where it’s likely Cleveland is now out, and includes Boston, Orlando, and possibly Atlanta. But they’re going to be a solid NBA Odds darkhorse this season, even without James and/or Bosh.

3. New York

Their entire existence since Donnie Walsh took over as president of basketball operations, was to clear as much cap space as possible, and the Knicks succeeded in that respect. However, all they ended up with was Amare Stoudamire in what could be the riskiest move of the summer. First, Stoudamire and coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t get along too well when the pair were in Phoenix together, but apparently everything is fine now. Second, does this really improve the Knicks? We know they can score, and so can Stoudemire. But they can’t stop anyone….and neither can Stoudemire. The rest of the roster is D-League status, and they just shipped David Lee off to Golden State, says reports. If you’re a Knicks fan, anything less than LeBron James was going to be a disappointment, and really, this is where he should have gone.

4. Oklahoma City

For all the recruiting, all the camera crews, all the ESPN specials and Twittering (tweeting?), the best move of the offseason may prove to be Oklahoma City wrapping up Kevin Durant before he became a free agent after next season. The Thunder and Durant, the youngest player to ever win a scoring title, did their work quietly and inconspicuously, and everyone is saying they did it “the right way”. Now, the Thunder can go about locking up the rest of their young players, and you can expect them to be a trendy NBA betting pick during this upcoming season.  

Cleveland/Toronto

Just joking. These are the teams that are starting over after their stars deserted them to join the Empire….we mean, the Heat…..in Miami. It’s going to be a long, cold season for the Cavaliers and Raptors, and we don’t expect much from their sports betting odds. However, we do expect a show when James and Bosh return to Cleveland and Toronto, respectively.

Posted on August 30th, 2010 by admin
Filed under: Sportsbook news