Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
07/22/2010 -
HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Rockets think they are ready to contend in the Western Conference, even after striking out on the big names in this summer's free-agent bonanza.
When their main target, Chris Bosh, opted to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, the Rockets turned their focus to luring center Brad Miller and retaining starting forward Luis Scola and point guard Kyle Lowry.
Houston introduced Miller on Tuesday and officially announced the re-signings of Scola and Lowry on Wednesday, the last major moves expected heading into next season. Even without Bosh, general manager Daryl Morey thinks the current roster is deep and talented enough to make a long playoff run.
``We feel very good about the set of players we have now,'' Morey said. ``We think it's a playoff team. We feel great about this team. We've got a lot of really high-quality players on this team, so improving it, it's going to be very, very difficult.''
The Rockets' hopes of returning to the postseason start with the healthy return of All-Star center Yao Ming, who missed last season following foot surgery. Morey says Yao is on schedule in his recovery and should be ready for training camp.
Houston was quiet early in free agency, but Morey vowed to match any offers to keep Scola and Lowry, who were restricted free agents. Lowry signed an offer sheet with Cleveland, and the Rockets matched it within a day.
``I didn't know if it would happen that fast, I didn't know if it would take seven days,'' Lowry said. ``But, hey, it happened in a quick enough way where we got it done.''
The 6-foot Lowry will again back up Aaron Brooks, voted the league's most improved player last season. Lowry said heading into the offseason that he would prefer a full-time starting role somewhere, but said Wednesday that he was happy to accept his old position.
``It's not an issue at all for me,'' Lowry said. ``Everyone knew I wanted to be a starter. The Rockets did what they had to do to retain my rights, and they had the option to match any offers out there. I'm back, I'm going to be the backup for Aaron, and things will work out how they're going to work out.''
The 6-foot-9 Scola started all 82 games last season, averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. He has appeared in every regular-season game over the past three seasons.
Once free agency began on July 1, Scola said he was nervous waiting for a deal to get done. He agreed to a five-year contract worth about $47 million.
``I was never a free agent before, so it was kind of hard,'' Scola said. ``I kept repeating to myself that I was working hard every year of my life and something good will happen, it's going to be OK. It was just anxious, 15 days is not a lot of days, but when you are in this situation, it was a long time for me. I was just anxious to get it done.''
With Lowry and Scola signed, the Rockets have 15 players under contract for next season. Houston went 42-40 and missed the playoffs last year.
The Rockets acquired shooting guard Kevin Martin in February in a complex deal that sent Tracy McGrady to New York. Martin has yet to play with Yao, and Scola said the biggest issue for Houston now is building chemistry.
``We still have some work to do, making everything work, with Yao and Kevin especially,'' Scola said. ``But I think we are in pretty good shape. I think we've got all the pieces.''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.
<< Billingsley tosses shutout as Dodgers avoid sweep
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey Blake hit a solo homer and drove in
another run with a single to back Chad Billingsley's second career shutout, as
the Los Angeles Dodgers snuck past the San Francisco Giants, 2-0, in a
pitcher
<< Gutierrez gets clutch hit in 11th as M's top ChiSox
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Franklin Gutierrez stroked a two-run single in
the bottom of the 11th inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White
Sox, 2-1, to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Safeco Field.
The White S
<< Isner wins another long match
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded American John Isner needed a
little more than 2 1/2 hours to beat Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller, 4-6,
7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7), in the second round Wednesday at the Atlanta Tennis
Champio
<< Padres rally past Braves in extras
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Hundley's pinch-hit, two-run double in the
top of the 12th inning lifted San Diego to a 6-4 win over Atlanta in the
middle game of a series at Turner Field between division leaders.
The National Lea
Henry not the solution as MLS seeks legitimacy >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer has long been hoping to
acquire a sense of legitimacy within the soccer world. The acquisition of
players with marketing appeal has long been a tenet the league has used in
order to gain su
Tigers hope to build a win streak versus Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After finally putting an end to their worst skid of the
season, the Detroit Tigers will turn to their ace pitcher in hopes of starting
a winning streak in this afternoon's opener of a four-game series with the
Toronto Blue Ja
Reds' Volquez takes mound in finale with Nationals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationals' rotation has gotten a jolt ever since
Stephen Strasburg joined the club in June. The Reds are hoping for a similar
result from Edinson Volquez.
Volquez will make his second start since returning
Rockies hope to solve Marlins ace Johnson >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rockies struggled against one Marlins starter last
night. Their offensive scuffle could be extended another day as Colorado is
set to face Florida's Josh Johnson this afternoon in the finale of a four-game
set at
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting