10/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When an organization suspends its centerpiece, you can bet there will be some fallout.
Look no further than Oakland and the aftermath of Monta Ellis' 30-game suspension to prove that point.
Golden State Warriors president Robert Rowell laid the smackdown on Ellis Saturday after the star guard lied about an ankle injury sustained in an offseason moped accident. Ellis, who signed a six-year, $66 million dollar deal with the Warriors in July, severely sprained the ankle during a crash in late August.
Instead of coming clean and admitting a mistake, the 22-year-old showed his age and tried to convince everyone that he was hurt during a pickup game in his native Mississippi.
You can understand why owner Chris Cohan and Rowell were upset. It's not like $66 million dollars isn't a substantial investment, but 30 games and the subsequent paychecks for a lack of maturity?
By the letter of the law, there's little doubt Ellis violated Paragraph 12 of the NBA's uniform player contract, which prohibits any player from engaging "in any activity that a reasonable person would recognize as involving or exposing the participant to a substantial risk of bodily injury," including "driving or riding a motorcycle or moped."
Still, it's not like Ellis was on the verge of becoming the NBA's Pacman Jones and, considering general manager Chris Mullin and head coach Don Nelson, aren't on board with the punishment, it seems like the controversy accomplished little other than creating an incendiary device designed to set off a front office war between the basketball people and their bosses.
"Chris Mullin made it perfectly clear to both Cohan and myself that he didn't think this was a big deal at the beginning," Rowell said at a press conference while explaining his decision. "We happen to think it's a very big deal. We happen to think that it's a big deal for our fans, it's a big deal for our season ticket-holders, it's a big deal for our business partners, it's a big deal for the Warriors organization."
On the floor, the suspension is merely cosmetic since Ellis, who recently underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament, will not be healthy enough to play before his exile has ended. Off the floor it sends an ominous message to the locker room, since Ellis will be nearly $3 million dollars lighter after sitting out.
Mullin and Nelson, perhaps rightfully so, feel that is the type of thing that could harm team unity, something not worth the small financial windfall to the organization.
It also has to have the duo, who piloted the moribund Warriors to their first playoff berth in 13 seasons during the 2006-2007 season and ran up 48 victories as an encore last season, seriously thinking about a future beyond Bay Area basketball.
<< Hantuchova, Mauresmo drop Zurich openers
Zurich, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggling Slovak Daniela Hantuchova
and fading Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo were a pair of first-round losers
Monday at the $600,000 Zurich Open.
Capable Russian Maria Kirilenko cut down an eig
<< Boyes helps Blues down Maple Leafs in shootout
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Boyes scored the game-winner in the
shootout as the St. Louis Blues downed the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-4, at Air
Canada Centre.
St. Louis' second shooter, Boyes went from the backhand to the fo
<< Rangers prospect Cherepanov dies
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov
passed away Monday at the age of 19 after collapsing on the bench during a
game in Russia.
Cherepanov was playing as a forward for Avangard Omsk of the
<< Randolph, Belcher, McGee earn national player of the week honors
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph,
Maine defensive end Jovan Belcher and James Madison kick returner Scottie
McGee have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines's FCS national players of the week.
OFFENSIVE PLA
Kings place Johnson on IR; claim Quincey >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings placed defenseman
Jack Johnson on injured reserve Monday and also claimed defenseman Kyle
Quincey off waivers from Detroit.
Johnson suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday'
Royals round out coaching staff >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals filled out their
six-person coaching staff on Monday, naming Kevin Seitzer hitting coach and
former Toronto skipper John Gibbons bench coach.
As a result of the hires, some s
Sabres crush Islanders >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Vanek scored twice as the Buffalo
Sabres crushed the New York Islanders, 7-1, at Nassau Coliseum.
Jason Pominville and Ales Kotalik each had a goal and two assists while Maxim
Afinogenov and Da
Pujols undergoes elbow surgery >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols
underwent surgery on his right elbow earlier Monday in a procedure that
included decompression and transposition of the ulnar nerve.
The surgery was perfo
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
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| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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