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O'Neal ready to "Win a ring for The King"

Basketball Betting Lines

07/02/2009 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaquille O'Neal met the media Thursday in Cleveland, a week after he was traded to the Cavaliers from the Phoenix Suns, and unveiled a new motto in his attempt to capture another NBA title.

"Win a ring for The King," O'Neal said in reference to his new pairing with reigning MVP LeBron James.

O'Neal has captured four NBA titles -- three with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant and one with the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade. He appeared intent on winning another with a different NBA superstar by his side.

"They say things happen in threes," O'Neal remarked. "I won with Kobe and with the great Dwyane Wade."

O'Neal, however, couldn't get it done with Steve Nash and the Suns, who sent the 15-time All-Star to Cleveland in exchange for center Ben Wallace, guard Sasha Pavlovic, Cleveland's second-round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and cash considerations.

In the last year of his contract, O'Neal is not the dominant force he once was from earlier in his career, when he won the MVP Award in 2000 and was the NBA Finals MVP in each of his three title runs with the Lakers from 2000-02.

However, the 37-year-old showed signs of rejuvenation last year, putting up 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 75 games for the Suns, who just missed out on the postseason.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, were unable to reach the NBA Finals after posting the best record in the regular season at 66-16. They were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals.

"I'm not going to do it by myself, LeBron's not going to do it by himself," O'Neal stated. "It takes a team, an organization.

"I'm just here to do my part and help a damn good team get over the hump. It's LeBron's team. I'm here. He's the captain. I'm here to protect The King."

Over his illustrious 17-year career with Orlando, LA, Miami and Phoenix, O'Neal has logged 24.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, to go along with accolades such as: the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year and two scoring titles.


<< Materazzi signs three-year extension with Inter
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Marco Materazzi has signed a three- year contract extension with Inter Milan. Materazzi, 35, had 12 months remaining on his existing deal but is now under contract at the San Siro until 2012.

<< Altidore among seven added to U.S. Gold Cup team
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jozy Altidore was among seven players added to the United States' Gold Cup roster, a change allowed by CONCACAF for any team also playing in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Forward Conor Casey, midfielders

<< Rockies deal Baker to Cubs
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies traded infielder Jeff Baker to the Chicago Cubs Thursday in exchange for minor league pitcher Alberto Alburquerque. The Rockies had placed Baker on the 15-day disabled list with a

<< Sister Act 4: Serena, Venus to meet in fourth Wimbledon final
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Serena Williams and third- seeded Venus Williams will square off in Saturday's ladies' final at Wimbledon, where Venus topped Serena in last year's third all-Williams finale at the All England

<< Hossa's Cup quest leads him to Chicago
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's every NHL player's dream to win a Stanley Cup title, and Marian Hossa is certainly no exception. Over the past few years, Hossa's travels have taken him from Atlanta to Pittsburgh to Detroit, and desp

Coyotes ink D Aucoin >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes brought in veteran defenseman Adrian Aucoin on a one-year contract Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed per team policy. Aucoin, whose departure from Calgary was ea

Kaymer off to record-tying start in France >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Kaymer got off to a flying start Thursday as he fired a nine-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the Open de France. Kaymer matched the course record at Le Golf Na

Longwood gives hoop's coach Gillian multi-year extension >>
Farmville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longwood University has extended the contract of men's basketball head coach Mike Gillian. Financial terms were not released but the extension covers multiple years. The Lancers were 17-14 la

Gudjohnsen expects to leave Barca >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona forward Eidur Gudjohnsen is content to wait on a decision over where he will be playing his football next season. The 30-year-old is expected to exit the Camp Nou this summer, but his age

Twins demote Henn, to recall Duensing >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have assigned pitcher Sean Henn outright to Triple-A Rochester and plan to recall left-hander Brian Duensing prior to Friday's game with the Detroit Tigers. Henn, who signed as a mi

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

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