Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
06/25/2010 -
PHOENIX (AP) -The Phoenix Suns, working with a general manager who will walk away from his job next week, have selected Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech with the 46th pick overall in the NBA draft.
Lawal left college after his junior season, when he averaged 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. The Suns have plenty of scorers, but the 6-foot-9, 234-pound forward could help address the team's need for rebounding and inside strength.
Phoenix also had the last pick of the draft, No. 60 overall, and the chose another athletic forward, 6-8 Dwayne Collins of Miami.
The Suns had no first-round pick. It was sent to the then-Seattle SuperSonics, now Oklahoma City Thunder, as part of the Suns' salary-dumping trade of Kurt Thomas in 2007.
Steve Kerr announced last week that he was leaving after three seasons as general manager and will explore opportunities in broadcasting. Kerr, who was part of five NBA championship teams, was a color analyst for TNT for four years before owner Robert Sarver hired him as general manager.
David Griffin, Phoenix's senior vice president for basketball operations, also decided to leave after 13 years in the Suns organization.
Kerr didn't talk to the media. That was left to coach Alvin Gentry, who will increase his involvement in management until a new general manager is found.
Gentry said Kerr and Griffin ``still have the best interest in the team.''
``Those guys have a lot of pride and they're going to try to do the best job they possibly can,'' Gentry said. ``The two picks that we had, to get those kids at 46 and 60, I think is phenomenal.''
Gentry said he had no interest in adding general manager to his title.
Sarver had no comment on whether he would like to talk to Kevin Pritchard, who was fired Thursday after seven seasons as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers.
``Over the next 30 days, the process will play out,'' Sarver said.
Gentry called Lawal and Collins ``young kids that have the potential to do some good things.''
``You can never have too much size,'' Gentry said. ``You saw that in the Lakers series. We think both of those kids have an opportunity to turn into special players. The thing with Gani is he was the leading rebounder playing alongside (Derrick) Favors. Obviously that was a big factor for us.''
Lawal, whose father was born in Nigeria, explored the possibility of leaving college after his sophomore season but decided instead to stay at Georgia Tech, where he was a third-team all-ACC selection for the second straight year.
Lawal was a McDonald's all-American at Norcross, Ga., High School. He had 12 double-doubles last season and was ACC player of the week after 21-point games against Georgia and Duke. He scored 29 against Charlotte and had 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Miami.
Collins, who has a 7-foot, 4-inch wingspan, led Miami in scoring (12.0 points per game), rebounding (7.8), blocks (1.1) and field goal percentage (.604).
The Suns got the 46th choice in the trade that sent Boris Diaw and Raja Bell to Charlotte for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. The No. 60 pick came as part of the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland.
Kerr has denied widespread reports that he was dissatisfied with Sarver's offer for a new contract after building an overachieving team that made it to the Western Conference finals.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Raptors get Alabi from Mavs
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors acquired center Solomon
Alabi, the 50th overall pick, from the Dallas Mavericks in a draft-night deal.
Alabi, who played at Florida State, will head to the Raptors, while the Mavs
obtain a
<< South Carolina beats Oklahoma in dramatic 12th-inning finish
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jackie Bradley, Jr. singled in the tying run with
two outs in the 12th inning and scored on Brady Thomas' base hit for the game-
winner later in the frame, giving South Carolina a dramatic 3-2 win over
Oklahom
<< Rangers win 11th straight, sweep Pirates
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vladimir Guerrero's game-winning RBI single
with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the blazing-hot Texas
Rangers to their 11th straight victory and a 6-5 decision over Pittsburgh in
the fin
<< NHL Board approves penalty for hits to head
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League Board of
Governors on Thursday approved a rule change for hits to the head.
According to the new rule, which will be called "illegal check to the head," a
major penalty and a game
Blazers fire GM Pritchard >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers fired general
manager Kevin Pritchard just before the NBA draft began Thursday night.
Pritchard was promoted to general manager in March of 2007. The draft was
actually Pritchard
Suns pick up Gentry's option for 2011-12 >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Suns managing partner Robert Sarver has
exercised head coach Alvin Gentry's contract option for the 2011-12 season.
Gentry's contract was already partially guaranteed for that season after
guiding t
Clippers get Bledsoe from Thunder >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the draft
rights to Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe in a deal with the Oklahoma City
Thunder.
Bledsoe was selected 18th overall by the Thunder, who will receive a protected
first
Pacers, Thunder exchange second-round picks >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder
exchanged second-round picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft.
Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle was drafted No. 51 overall by Oklahoma
City and acquired by the Pace
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting