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07/06/2010 -
MIAMI (AP) -After a week, there are now real signs that the NBA's waiting game might soon be ending.
LeBron James has reportedly blinked.
Now Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh almost certainly are near the end of their free-agent roads as well.
ESPN's Chris Broussard, citing anonymous ``independent sources,'' reported Tuesday night that James will announce his future NBA plans during a one-hour special on the network at 9 p.m. Thursday, with proceeds from ad revenue going to charity. Broussard said James' ``representatives'' contacted ESPN and asked for the unusual arrangement, which neither the network nor the two-time MVP's circle would confirm.
Still, that was the clearest indicator yet that what might go down as the most celebrated free-agent period in the history of sports - built entirely around the incessant speculation about James, Wade and Bosh - is nearing a dramatic end.
``It's either going to happen quickly,'' Bosh told The Associated Press on the eve of free agency, ``or it's not.''
It hasn't happened quickly.
But now that James has apparently circled a date on his calendar, things would figure to start moving that way. That would be fantastic news, not only for the team or teams that land the members of the NBA's juggernaut trio, but the 150 or so other free agents who are essentially hostages in this tete-a-tete between stars and suitors.
``I think, obviously, we know who the guys are who are the biggest free agents,'' said guard Chris Quinn, who ended last season with New Jersey before hitting the open market. ``A lot depends on what they do. There's a lot of other players who are free agents who are looking for jobs and working hard and want to get on a good team and win.''
Through Tuesday night, only one so-called marquee guy had picked a new team, Amare Stoudemire leaving Phoenix for the Knicks.
Even something like that didn't register a giant blip across the NBA.
Instead, the waiting game reigned. And by the time James' news broke Tuesday night, Stoudemire almost seemed like ancient history.
``Getting closer,'' is the cryptic message on James' website.
Unless it's the Heat, Cavaliers, Bulls, Knicks, Nets or Raptors, there seems to be almost a sense of ennui across the rest of the league when it comes to the sweepstakes involving James, Bosh and Wade.
It's certainly an unusual time: One corner of the league is waiting to see what the Big 3 will do, and the rest are just trying to improve their own teams.
``It's been going on for a year, guys,'' Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith said. ``It's kind of hard for me to pay attention this week.''
Kind of hard for many teams not to, either.
``I'm tired of hearing about all that, to be honest with you,'' New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams said. ``It's overblown, and we've been talking about it for two years.''
Monty, the end could be near.
Bosh said just before the July 1 start of freeagentmania that he was eager to get the process over with, even indicating that he could reveal his decision before Wade or James announced theirs. Which, now, almost makes sense, in that both Wade and James would like to have Bosh alongside them for years to come in Cleveland, Miami or some other NBA city.
His decision clearly affects both, which even the casual NBA observer surely has realized in recent days.
If Bosh picks Miami, it would immediately ensure that Wade takes the Heat offer of a six-year deal that could be worth around $127 million. If Bosh decides he wants to go to Cleveland and play with James, that might send Wade looking to play in Chicago. If Bosh picks a wild-card city - say Houston - both James and Wade would start recruiting someone else to team with, possibly each other.
And then there's the chance that they all could play together, a scenario that almost certainly could only happen in Miami.
``This summer,'' Wade said back in April, ``is about sharing.''
Sharing the spotlight, perhaps?
Agent Henry Thomas, who represents both Bosh and Wade, says his clients are ``getting closer'' - the exact wording James has on his website.
``We are all becoming weary!'' Thomas wrote in an e-mail to The AP.
Wade didn't make any statements about free agency when he appeared at his youth basketball camp on Tuesday. James hasn't said much of anything in weeks, although nearly 200,000 people signed up for his newly launched Twitter feed on Tuesday.
``Hello World,'' is how James' first Tweet began.
The rest of the NBA might have preferred a ``Hello, Unnamed Team That I Will Sign A Contract With'' Tweet, though.
This much is known: Bosh, James and Wade have all talked about playing with each other. How those conversations went was a mystery, one that would figure to be solved soon enough.
``These guys are all talking to each other,'' Knicks president Donnie Walsh said this week, ``so my feeling is they would all want to play with each other.''
That's all anyone has at this point: A feeling.
``Predicting any of that,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said, ``is almost impossible.''
With each day that passes, the anticipation grows. At least now, a summit is in sight.
``It's just a big summer in general for the NBA,'' Quinn said. ``A lot of excitement for different teams and different players going different places.''
Soon, the big picture will become much clearer.
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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this story.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.
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Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers have decided to
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Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman homered and drove in three runs
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Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game set.
Michael Bourn had two hits and sco
<< Damon hits game-winning homer on historic night
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon capped off a historic night with a
two-run home run in the 11th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 7-5 win over
the Baltimore Orioles in the second of a three-game set.
Damon hit a single under
<< LeBron reportedly to announce decision Thursday in primetime
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The biggest prize in NBA free agency, LeBron
James, is expected to announce his decision regarding which team he'll play
for next during a prime-time television special Thursday night.
Sources told ESPN
Smith's homer caps incredible 9th inning comeback as Rockies top Cards >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seth Smith capped an improbable nine-run rally
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Rockies recorded their largest ninth-inning comeback in franchise history
with a
Royals edge Mariners, win fourth straight series >>
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Grein
A-Ram leads Cubs over D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez belted a pair of two-run homers,
and the Chicago Cubs secured back-to-back road wins for the first time since
late May with a 6-4 decision over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the middle
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White Sox edge Angels; Peavy leaves with injury >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios homered and finished with two RBI, as
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Chicago starting pitcher Jake Peavy left the g
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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