Two NBA teams with early-season value
By ASHTON GREWAL
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki.
No, I’m not listing off my fantasy basketball team (I wish). What you’re looking at ladies and gentlemen is the cream of the crop of next summer’s free agent list.
And of course I’m not even including guys like Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili, Michael Redd, Tracy McGrady and Carlos Boozer.
Because of all the potential talent (some have opt outs) available in July 2010, there are fewer teams than ever playing for this year’s title.
A team caught in the middle sees this as a transition year or nine months in purgatory before its high-priced superstar can carry them to hoops heaven.
The situation could be a perfect storm for NBA bettors.
Here are two teams to back early this upcoming season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
These pups are young but they have razor-sharp teeth and nails. The average age on the club is just 24 years (human, not dog) and there will be nights when OK City will burn moneyline bettors by blowing a fourth-quarter lead.
But there’s a ton of talent and upside here. The Thunder don’t have any false illusions about competing for the title this season. The franchise’s goal is just to improve on last year’s progress.
The lack of a true point guard doesn’t hurt the squad too much because the perimeter players can all handle the rock.
I can’t think of any player who improved as much as Kevin Durant did last season. He seemed much more comfortable finding his scoring opportunities in transition and relying more on his mid-range jumper (one of the best the league has seen since Glenn Robinson’s peak years).
The Thunder posted a 46-35-1 against the spread record last year and that was with just 23 straight-up wins. Look for a 10-win improvement from Oklahoma City in 2009-10.
Washington Wizards
If you want to find room for improvement why not start at the bottom?
The last two campaigns have pretty much been a wash for the Wiz. You’re only play fighting in the NBA without your best player.
If Gilbert Arenas can come back and play anywhere close to the level he was at before the three – yes three – knee surgeries, these magicians have a rabbit in their hat. Eye witnesses say Arenas isn’t favoring the operated knee and he’s aggressively attacking the rim when scrimmaging this summer.
And it’s not like Washington will need its superstar to play 35 to 40 minutes every night. A June trade that brought over guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller allows new coach Flip Saunders to rest Arenas without sacrificing much offense.
And let’s not skip over Flip (sorry). The bench boss knows how to improve teams. Don’t judge him by the stop in Detroit. Good luck finding anyone who could’ve coached that crew of closed-eared clam heads.
I see the Wizards winning 40 to 45 games this season, so drop a unit or two on the over for their season win total once it’s released. I might not be the only person high on the Wiz. They opened at +5000 to win the championship but the number has dropped to +3000.
Added betting note: Saunders, even though he’s an offensive coach, will bring a bit more balance to Washington’s game plan. There might be some value betting the under early on with this club.