The free agent period in the NBA was expected to cause changes to the NBA championship betting odds for the 2012-13 season. Nobody, however, could have anticipated the type of movement that occurred in just the first week of the free agency period this summer.
Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Marcus Camby, and Joe Johnson will all have new homes this season, while Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, and Jameer Nelson will be staying put. Where the free agents landed was just as important as the fact that they moved teams this off season.
Allen and Nash were perhaps the two most coveted free agents not named Williams this summer. Allen had won a title in Boston, and it was expected that he would re-sign with the Celtics after Garnett agreed to a new three year deal with the team. Keeping the original "Big Three" together appeared to be a priority for Boston.
Instead of signing Allen, the Celtics shocked many in the basketball community by offering Jason Terry a three year deal. Terry agreed to join the Celtics, and suddenly wing-man Allen was looking for a new home. That home will be in South Beach, as Allen signed with the defending champion Miami Heat.
Nash looked like he was headed to either the Knicks, or back home to Canada to play for the Raptors. An 11th hour plea from the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant was all it took for Nash to forget about the Big Apple and his Canadian roots, and sign on with the Lakers for a chance to chase that elusive NBA title.
Los Angeles went from the fourth choice out West, to the second choice of odds makers, behind only Oklahoma City. Nash gives the Lakers a true All-Star point guard, something they have never had since Bryant joined the team. Bryant will be seeking his sixth NBA championship when the new season begins.
Williams decided that the grass was not greener on the other side, and signed to be the face of the Nets during their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Williams has been surrounded this summer with some top notch talent. Joe Johnson was traded to the Nets from Atlanta, Gerald Wallace signed a long term deal, and Jerry Stackhouse also signed a free agent contract with the Nets.
The Heat remain the betting favorites to win a title next year, with Oklahoma City as the second choice. Sports books have also given low odds to the Celtics, Bulls, Spurs, and Grizzlies.
July 13, 2012
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Submit News!
sopa marg helgenberger censorship wikipedia sopa and pipa bills censoring the internet blackout
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.