Bynum Busting Out

[milatown]

By Marty Gitlin
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Don't bet against the Lakers as a serious threat if the emergence of 19-year-old center Andrew Bynum continues. He has played the most critical role in the Lakers’ 4-1 start.

The unselfishness of Kobe Bryant is the most compelling reason.

Bynum has averaged 13 points and 7.6 rebounds a game while shooting an ungodly 68 percent from the field. But then, when your tutor is NBA all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you’re bound to make an impact. And Bynum believes the Hall of Famer has improved his game on the defensive end as well.

“The most important thing (Abdul-Jabbar) was telling me about was anchoring the defense and how much energy you can create from blocking people’s shots and making the other team think about coming right down the lane for a layup.” Bynum said.

Bynum racked up 20 points and 14 rebounds in a 95-88 win over Minnesota on Tuesday night. More remarkable was that Bryant took just seven shots.

Bryant, who scored more than 30 points a game last year, has only averaged 18.3 this season. He is still shooting 53 percent from the field and dishing out seven assists a game.

The Lakers are back in action Wednesday night and are 5-point favorites at Portland on WagerWeb.com

FOR YOUR COUNTRY? Just how much is patriotism worth?

That is the question NBA players and coaches are asking these days. More specifically, they are questioning the viability of competing during the offseason for Team USA.

Why knock yourself out for a bronze medal when it affects your stamina and performance once the regular season begins?

Miami coach Pat Riley has already voiced his misgivings to superstar guard Dwyane Wade. Cleveland counterpart Mike Brown has done the same to LeBron James. Charlotte center Primoz Brezec, who competed with the Slovenian National Team, has been shelved for two weeks due to exhaustion.

“I’m done with the national team in the summertime,” declared Brezec. “The best thing to do now is rest everything.”

Even Toronto forward Chris Bosh hasn’t played with his usual spunk.

“I probably can’t play him to start the season in eight, 10-minute stretches like I used to,” admitted Raptors coach Sam Mitchell.

Brown refuses to mandate that James not compete in the offseason. But one could read into his comments.

“That’s LeBron’s decision,” Brown said. “You’re talking about playing for your country. It would be tough for me to hit him with that. Maybe if I had a few championships under my belt I might be able to ask him.”

Riley has a few championships under his belt, but he didn’t formally request Wade to bypass international competition. But he made it publicly known he’d prefer that option.

LOYAL TO THE END? Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett has heard the trade speculation. His team is quite unlikely to contend for a title in the next couple years. WagerWeb.com listed the Timberwolves at 125-1 to snag the crown in 2006-07. And he does have an escape clause after the season.

But when it comes to loyalty to the franchise, he heeds the advice of late, great Hall of Famer and Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett.

“It’s sad we live in a society that’s not built off loyalty and consistency,” Garnett said. “Everybody speaks from the newsstand, and the newsstand seems to be ‘That’s ain’t working for him. He needs to leave.’ But if I was to go off what everybody else wants me to do, I’d probably be broke, out of the league, living under a bridge.

“I’ve always respected the fact -- and this is nothing toward people who move around -- one guy can put his mark on a franchise, and a city and a state. That’s one of the things I appreciated most about Kirby Puckett. That when you think of the Minnesota Twins, you think of Kirb. I’m pretty sure it would be weird to see me playing in another uniform.”

Garnett added that he would love to remain with the Timberwolves, but it must be within the “boundaries of winning.”

BUY GEORGE! The three-year contract extension for Denver coach George Karl means he is on pace to coach his 199th game for the Nuggets on April 9.

That date is significant because it will mark the longest coaching tenure for that franchise since Doug Moe was fired in 1990.

SOARING SO FAR: The Atlanta Hawks were, as usual, considered by WagerWeb.com among the surest bets to sit home during the playoffs. Bettors rated them among the worst playoff possibilities in the Eastern Conference heading into the season.

The Hawks also lost their eighth consecutive season opener, which is the longest streak of futility in the NBA.

But something strange has happened since. The Hawks have won three straight, including an impressive overtime victory in Cleveland on Tuesday night.

The team is receiving a brilliant early-season performance by Joe Johnson, who is averaging 27.8 points a game and shooting a solid 48 percent from the field.

TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK: It took new Golden State coach Don Nelson one game to blast his players.

Following the season-opening loss to the Lakers, he kicked Troy Murphy out of the starting center spot and called him “terrible” and criticized guard Baron Davis for being “negative” and “pounding the ball too much.”

And, oh yes, Mike Dunleavy? Nelson said his point forward was “a disaster. Didn’t rebound, didn’t guard, didn’t do anything.”

SIMPLY THE BEST: Houston center Yao Ming has picked up just where he left off after a highly productive second half of last year.

Yao is averaging 24.8 points and eight rebounds a game while shooting a blistering 63 percent from the field.

A 36-point effort against Dallas prompted teammate Tracy McGrady to claim that Yao has surpassed Shaquille O’Neal as the best center in the NBA. Yao and the Rockets are at Milwaukee on Wednesday night and are 1.5-point underdogs.

However, don't bet against a 45- or 50-win season for the Rockets if they remain healthy.

FINAL DRIBBLE: Who would have thought that even this early in the season, the two worst teams in terms of point differential would be Dallas and Miami? They were, after all, two of the primary teams WagerWeb.com selected as favorites to win the NBA title.

The Mavericks, however, have yielded 13.3 points a game more than they have scored. The Heat are right behind at minus-10.5.

WagerWeb Basketball

[MasterMind]

Oh well, what can I opine after reading this onf Friday night?

My head is elsewhere, but here :S

[MasterMind]

Can you see?

This is another article of those I'm referring about on this topic:

http://www.gambling.co.uk/forums/gen...w-arsenal.html

And third found today from the same site and same override characteristics.

[marik]

Kobe Bryant ,my favorite star,
and this season,i believe he can rank the MVP