Kobe sits, but Lakers finally win in Portland
Basketball Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Artest poured in 21 points and Lamar Odom
contributed 10 points and tied a career-best with 22 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of Kobe Bryant to win in Portland for the
first time in nearly five years with a 99-82 triumph over the short-handed
Trail Blazers.
The Lakers came into the game having lost nine in a row at the Rose Garden,
but used a 47-30 rebounding advantage to end that skid. It was their first win
in Portland since Feb. 23, 2005.
Bryant sat due to a sprained left ankle. Bryant, who is averaging 28 points,
5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season, had played in 235 straight games.
Shannon Brown tallied 19 points and Derek Fisher scored 14 for LA, which also
received 13 points and eight boards from Pau Gasol. The Lakers won for the
sixth time in eight games.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points for Portland, which lost for the fifth time in
eight contests. Andre Miller added 14 points and Jerryd Bayless 13 in defeat.
Before the game, the Blazers announced guard Brandon Roy will be sidelined
through the All-Star break due to a strained right hamstring. Roy saw limited
action in a January 20 game at Philadelphia, but hasn't played since. He'll
also miss contests against the Thunder and Suns.
Aldridge had 12 points in the first quarter, when the Blazers shot a
blistering 12-of-19, but the host team only led 29-26 after 12 minutes.
The Lakers turned the tide in the second, using a 21-7 spurt to go in front.
Artest hit back-to-back three-pointers for a 51-46 lead and he ended the half
by making another long-distance shot for a 54-48 cushion.
Los Angeles pushed that lead to double-digits in the third, and a jam by Gasol
at the conclusion of the period had the visitors up 73-64 moving to the
fourth.
The Lakers quickly pulled away with Jordan Farmar drilling a three-ball for an
83-66 lead at the midway point of the last stanza.
Game Notes
The home team had won the previous 10 meetings...The Trail Blazers' official
40th anniversary date was Saturday, the day Harry Glickman was informed that
Portland had been awarded an NBA franchise...Odom also had six assists and has
3,001 for his career. He became the eighth-fastest player in NBA history to
reach 6,000 rebounds (now 6,372) and 3,000 assists in 717 career games.
<< Anderson, Avs shut out Oilers for third time this season
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Anderson needed to make only 20 stops to
record his sixth shutout of the season, and the Colorado Avalanche notched a
3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the Pepsi Center.
Out of Anderson's six shut
<< Illinois upends Lucas-less MSU
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Demetri McCamey posted 22 points and 11
assists, as Illinois held on to upend fifth-ranked Michigan State, 78-73, at
Assembly Hall.
Mike Davis added 16 points for the Illini (16-8, 8-3 Big Ten) and g
<< Sixers stop Rockets
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Iguodala ended with 14 points, 10
rebounds and six assists and hit a big three-pointer down the stretch, as the
Philadelphia 76ers surprised the Houston Rockets, 102-95, at the Toyota
Center.
Thaddeus Yo
<< Jazz use balanced attack to beat short-handed Nuggets
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams recorded 22 points and
nine assists to lead a balanced Utah attack in a 116-106 victory over the
short-handed Nuggets in a Northwest Division battle at EnergySolutions Arena.
Andrei Kirile
<< Deng, Rose lead Bulls over Heat
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luol Deng had 25 points and Derrick Rose scored
24, as the Chicago Bulls got by the Miami Heat, 95-91, at the United Center.
Deng was 9-of-11 at the foul line and Rose hit 6-of-8 at the stripe as the
Bulls snap
Hill, Spurs continue recent dominance over Clippers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - George Hill scored 22 points on 8-of-11
shooting, and the San Antonio Spurs notched their 15th straight win over the
Clippers with a 98-81 win at Staples Center.
Tony Parker added 14 points and 14 ass
Freeney sits out Colts' final walkthrough >>
Fort Lauderdale, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight
Freeney sat out the team's final walkthrough Saturday but is still hopeful he
can play in Super Bowl XLIV against New Orleans.
Freeney has not practiced with the
Westbrook's all-around effort carries Thunder over Warriors >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant had 29 points and eight rebounds
in Oklahoma City's 104-95 win over the Golden State Warriors.
Russell Westbrook had an incredible all-around performance with 21 points, 10
assists, a career-best e
Herman bests Kirk in Moonah Classic playoff >>
Victoria, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Herman owned at least a share of
the lead after each of the first three rounds, but needed an extra hole Sunday
to walk off with the title at the Moonah Classic.
Herman birdied the first playof
Bhullar storms back for Asian International title >>
Bangkok, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gaganjeet Bhullar fired an eight-under 64
on Sunday to come from behind and win the Asian Tour International event on
the Asian Tour.
Bhullar finished the championship at 11-under 277 and won by a si
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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