Chris Paul's "Big Three" Fantasy May Be Just That

Basketball Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul is looking to follow in the footsteps of his good friend LeBron James and form his own trio of star players in the hopes of winning an NBA championship. The Hornets' talented point guard reportedly has told the club he wants to be traded and has given a wish list of four teams to which he'd like to be dealt. The Knicks top that list with the Magic being his second choice, followed by the Mavericks and Trailblazers.

I can't blame Paul for wanting to leave New Orleans to pursue a title, but he'll have a much more difficult time putting himself in the kind of position LeBron did in Miami since he's not a free agent like James was. In all likelihood, the exchange of talent it would take to acquire Paul would leave that team with a very weak supporting cast, and some clubs may not even have the players it will take to make the deal. Let's take a look at what the four teams face that are on Paul's wish list.

KNICKS: Paul would join Amar'e Stoudemire in New York, but that's where the good news would begin and end. A trade for Paul would leave the rest of the roster, which isn't very good at this point, even worse. The Big Apple may be his first choice, but I say it would be his worst choice if he hopes to win an NBA Championship.

MAGIC: I'm sure Dwight Howard would love to have Paul join him in Orlando and give him the chance to play with a point guard that actually makes other players better. But I have to wonder if the Magic have the pieces to pull off this deal. Other than Jameer Nelson, I don't see any other players that would be attractive to the Hornets. Even if the Magic were able to acquire Paul, they'd still be a long way from competing with the likes of the Lakers and Heat. After the Big Two of Howard and Paul, you're left with a supporting cast that's weaker than last year's that failed so badly in the playoffs.

MAVERICKS: The combination of Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki has produced some very good teams in Dallas, but zero NBA championships. Even though Paul would be a significant upgrade over the aging Kidd, it wouldn't be nearly enough to make Dallas serious title contenders.

TRAIL BLAZERS: Of the four teams reportedly on Paul's wish list, Portland has the best talent to make the deal, but once again would probably be left with a roster that wouldn't be in a position to contend for a championship.

QUICK DRIBBLES

It's a free agent signing that won't get much attention, but the Lakers made a terrific move with the addition of Matt Barnes. He's an excellent defender who can also knock down the open jump shot, and there should be plenty of those available playing with Kobe and Gasol.

The Heat re-signed free agent point guard Carlos Arroyo. "By re-signing Carlos, we feel we have accomplished another big step in adding to this team," Heat president Pat Riley said." A big step? I didn't realize bringing back a player that averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 assists in 22 minutes would elicit such a reaction.

Former Knicks guard Allan Houston reportedly is the front-runner to be the club's next general manager under team president Donnie Walsh. I guess owner James Dolan wants the Knicks to continue to be irrelevant by hiring a GM with no experience or track record.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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