Chris Paul's "Big Three" Fantasy May Be Just That

Basketball Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul is looking to follow in the footsteps of his good friend LeBron James and form his own trio of star players in the hopes of winning an NBA championship. The Hornets' talented point guard reportedly has told the club he wants to be traded and has given a wish list of four teams to which he'd like to be dealt. The Knicks top that list with the Magic being his second choice, followed by the Mavericks and Trailblazers.

I can't blame Paul for wanting to leave New Orleans to pursue a title, but he'll have a much more difficult time putting himself in the kind of position LeBron did in Miami since he's not a free agent like James was. In all likelihood, the exchange of talent it would take to acquire Paul would leave that team with a very weak supporting cast, and some clubs may not even have the players it will take to make the deal. Let's take a look at what the four teams face that are on Paul's wish list.

KNICKS: Paul would join Amar'e Stoudemire in New York, but that's where the good news would begin and end. A trade for Paul would leave the rest of the roster, which isn't very good at this point, even worse. The Big Apple may be his first choice, but I say it would be his worst choice if he hopes to win an NBA Championship.

MAGIC: I'm sure Dwight Howard would love to have Paul join him in Orlando and give him the chance to play with a point guard that actually makes other players better. But I have to wonder if the Magic have the pieces to pull off this deal. Other than Jameer Nelson, I don't see any other players that would be attractive to the Hornets. Even if the Magic were able to acquire Paul, they'd still be a long way from competing with the likes of the Lakers and Heat. After the Big Two of Howard and Paul, you're left with a supporting cast that's weaker than last year's that failed so badly in the playoffs.

MAVERICKS: The combination of Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki has produced some very good teams in Dallas, but zero NBA championships. Even though Paul would be a significant upgrade over the aging Kidd, it wouldn't be nearly enough to make Dallas serious title contenders.

TRAIL BLAZERS: Of the four teams reportedly on Paul's wish list, Portland has the best talent to make the deal, but once again would probably be left with a roster that wouldn't be in a position to contend for a championship.

QUICK DRIBBLES

It's a free agent signing that won't get much attention, but the Lakers made a terrific move with the addition of Matt Barnes. He's an excellent defender who can also knock down the open jump shot, and there should be plenty of those available playing with Kobe and Gasol.

The Heat re-signed free agent point guard Carlos Arroyo. "By re-signing Carlos, we feel we have accomplished another big step in adding to this team," Heat president Pat Riley said." A big step? I didn't realize bringing back a player that averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 assists in 22 minutes would elicit such a reaction.

Former Knicks guard Allan Houston reportedly is the front-runner to be the club's next general manager under team president Donnie Walsh. I guess owner James Dolan wants the Knicks to continue to be irrelevant by hiring a GM with no experience or track record.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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