Bookie Chat
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Chat with the Vegas Insider Handicappers at 3:30pm EST
Q: Jason (Vegas) Who do you think made out best in the draft and/or the trades the last few days? R: briane I think the Spurs are the big winners of the off-season so far. They land Richard Jefferson to give them a starting lineup of Tony Parker at the point, Ginobili at two-guard, RJ at the three, Tim Duncan at the four and Matt Bonner at center. And now you get a stud in the paint in DeJuan Blair who fell to No. 37 when he coulda/woulda/shoulda been a lottery pick. Also, Jack McClinton is an explosive scorer that can come off the bench and knock down 3's when defenses double Duncan on the post. The Spurs appeared to be aging and their window seemed to be closing until a couple of days ago. Now I say the Spurs have as good a shot to win it all as anyone next year (assuming their studs stay healthy). Q: Leonard (Gretna, FL) Hey Brian, how does it feel that the Seminoles had a first-round pick and the Gators' first pick came in the second-round? Keep up the good work. R: briane Leonard: When comparing FSU basketball to Florida hoops, it always feels good -- real good. I could sling a slew of facts right now but that would take up too much time. And frankly, I'm bored with dealing semmies GATOR facts. So I'll touch on Nick Calathes and Toney Douglas. As I mentioned several times this week, including in this article, I thought Douglas was one of the most underrated players in the draft. Huge score for the Knicks in picking him up. He can knock down shots and is an outstanding defender. As for Calathes, here's what I had to say about his collegiate career. I assume Calathes will still go to Greece and play and the Mavs will have his rights. I think he has plenty of game (offensively, that is) for the NBA, but his defense needs a bunch of work or he'll be a liability at that end of the court. Q: Tom (Oakland) Brian, please hook me up with a lock MLB winner for tonight! R: briane I think the Red Sox are the best play on the board tonight. They are in bounce-back mode after failing to sweep the Nats in their series finale last night. Inexpensive price for Beckett. Q: Paul from Pittsburgh Why on earth did DeJuan Blair fall out of the first roud? R: briane Well, the reason is because of ACL surgeries on both knees while he was in high school. Now whether or not that's valid reasoning remains to be seen. According to multiple reports, Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon assured NBA scouts, GMs, etc. that Blair never missed a practice or game due to his knees in two years at Pitt. It's all good, though. He won't get a guaranteed contract, but he goes into a great situation in San Antonio. And going in the second round can be a good thing in terms of a players second contract. The big winner with this deal is Tim Duncan and Co. Q: Ranger Rick Texas is goollllldddd tongiht -- your thoughts? R: briane Agreed, I'd go the run-line route, however, instead of risking that 'chalky' straight price. Rangers should be around -120 on the run line. Q: Kenny Knox(Ville!) Brain: Forget the off-field stuff about our new coach, don't you think the Vols can win nine games this year? Don't be a Gator homer now!! R: briane LOVE the football questions in June -- keep 'em coming! Kenny Knox: Like I mentioned earlier about the semmies, I'm also bored with dealing out condescending lectures to vols with the arsenal of GATORS facts that I have at my disposal on a daily basis. So in all seriousness (seriously!), let's break down UT this year. There's a great chance Tennessee could start 4-1 as I think it will beat both UCLA and Auburn at Neyland (the trip to The Swamp? Unworthy of any convo as it's a given L -- as you know). The home game against Georgia will be huge, but I think the Dawgs come in there and emerge victorious. After the open date, the Vols will get spanked at 'Bama. Then South Carolina comes to Knoxville and assuming Stephen Garcia is healthy, I'll take Spur Dog and Co. in a game that could go either way. Vols beat Memphis, but lose (big) at Ole Miss. Vols beat Vandy and then they'll put their 24-game winning streak over Kentucky on the line. Since I gave UGA and SC wins at Neyland, I'll take UT in Lexington but all threee of those game can go either way. I say UT goes 1-2 in those three 'either-way games.' That leaves UT at 7-5 and bound for either Music City or Shrevport to go bowling. Hey, enjoy! I hear they get great weather in Shrevport and Nashville in late December. Q: B-ham Bob Brian: Enjoyed the interveiw with Finebaum yesterday. He didn't seem to be giving Ole Miss too much street cred, did he? Who do you like to win the SEC West? R: briane Thanks, Bob. For those of you who may have missed it, legendary sports writer Paul Finebaum was a guest on last night's edition of the Power Hours on VI Radio. You can check out the interview on our archive page if you wish. The Finebaum part starts at the 55-minute mark, but before that I have on Marc Lawrence and he has some great info as we break down the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12. As for Ole Miss, I know Paul did make the "at the end of the day they are Ole Miss" remark, but he also gave many props to Houston Nutt and actually said he has predicted the Rebels to beat Alabama. But he did say that he thinks they'll slip up and lose a game or two somewhere that they probably should win. (at South Carolina, at Auburn and/or at Vandy could perfectly fit that criteria). As for my predictions on the West, it's real tough to say at this early juncture because I still haven't seen Alabama QB Greg McElroy play yet. And I'm certainly not sold on Jordan Jefferson as LSU's starting QB. Without having a good feel for the QBs, I'm not confident with any prediction. The West will be a three-horse race between 'Bama, LSU and Ole Miss. Arkansas is my sleeper but its QB situation remains a mystery as well. (Don't pencil in Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett as the full-time starter yet, he's getting a serious push from redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson). If I had to say now, I'd take 'Bama but I do it with minimal confidence. Q: Tex (Ok-City) Brian: What do you thnk about my Thunder going with Harden? I wanted us to get Curry. I've read your articles lately and you've mentioned a few things about Ok-St.-Georgia in Week 1. Is the line out yet? Do you have a prediction? R: briane Good questions, Tex. A couple of solid topics for us as we wrap up this week's chat and I get ready to hit the beach for the weekend. In my NBA Draft preview, I was clear that I admittedly don't watch nearly as much Pac-10 hoops as I do SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, etc. Therefore, I stressed that my knowledge of Harden, DeRozan and Holiday was minimal compared to the east-coast players from prominent programs. With that said, Harden didn't impress me much at all when the Gators went to Tempe and beat ASU in the NIT two seasons ago. He wasn't impressive either in a game at UCLA this past year when I backed the Sun Devils and they led the entire game before falling apart at crunch time and costing me some cash. So I agree with you, I would've rather had Curry. People can say everything they want about Curry in terms of his size and strength perhaps being limited and him not being a great defender. That's fine -- people can say that all day and time will tell on those factors. What is not up for debate is whether or not he's the best pure shoooter to come into the league in the last decade (and change if you ask me!). And don't give me J.J. Redick comparisons, either. Redick was never good off the dribble. Curry can create his own shot off the dribble and can dish to teammates like a pure point guard. Curry has the best range I've seen since Reggie Miller and, well, his Dad, Dell. His stroke is as smooth as Chris Mullin's. He tickles twine like Larry Bird. He has one of the quickest and smoothest releases I've ever seen. In short, Curry is a baller whose going to score a lot of points and be -- again, like his Dad -- one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history. Ok-St.-Georgia? I had some thoughts on this game in an article that's on ESPN.com (hat tip to Chad Millman) today. Here's the link but you need an ESPN Insider subscription to check it out. Anyway, I said that I think the Cowboys will be four-point favorites. I think UGA was overrated last summer, but underrated this summer. It's going to depend on Joe Cox, the fifth-year senior QB who has waited patiently behind other QBs in Athens. Mark Richt is hoping Cox can "pull a D.J. Shockley" and lead UGA to an SEC title like Shockley did after backing up David Greene for four years. Enjoyed it as always! Good luck with your bets this weekend! --Brian Edwards |
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