Blazers fire GM Pritchard
Basketball Betting Lines
06/25/2010 -
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers fired general
manager Kevin Pritchard just before the NBA draft began Thursday night.
Pritchard was promoted to general manager in March of 2007. The draft was
actually Pritchard's final day on the job.
"This process was more public and took longer than any of us would have liked,
but that was indicative of how critical a decision this was for the
franchise," said Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen. "We want to thank and
acknowledge Kevin for his solid work getting us to where we are today. Parting
ways with a popular general manager is not something we take lightly. In the
end, we decided to make a change."
This is the second big move made in Portland's front office. The team
dismissed Tom Penn as vice president of basketball operations in March.
The Trail Blazers finished 50-32 last season, but lost in the first round of
the Western Conference playoffs. The team hasn't made it past round one since
2000.
"This was an extremely difficult decision," Trail Blazers President Larry
Miller said. "We wish Kevin well, and than him for his valuable leadership and
his many contributions. We remain dedicated to building a team of strong
character and talent, as we stay firmly committed to bringing another
championship to Portland."
<< Suns exercise option for Gentry, sign 3 assistants
PHOENIX (AP) -The Phoenix Suns have exercised the option year of coach Alvin Gentry for the 2011-12 season.Gentry guided the Suns to a 54-28 regular season, third-best in the West. Phoenix eliminated Portland and San Antonio in the playoffs before f
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PHOENIX (AP) -The Phoenix Suns, working with a general manager who will walk away from his job next week, have selected Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech with the 46th pick overall in the NBA draft.Lawal left college after his junior season, when he averag
<< Surreal draft night in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -There were rumors the Portland Trail Blazers were going to make a big move on draft night. What happened was downright surreal.A report surfaced less than an hour before the draft started that general manager Kevin Pritchard had
<< Raptors get Alabi from Mavs
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors acquired center Solomon
Alabi, the 50th overall pick, from the Dallas Mavericks in a draft-night deal.
Alabi, who played at Florida State, will head to the Raptors, while the Mavs
obtain a
<< South Carolina beats Oklahoma in dramatic 12th-inning finish
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jackie Bradley, Jr. singled in the tying run with
two outs in the 12th inning and scored on Brady Thomas' base hit for the game-
winner later in the frame, giving South Carolina a dramatic 3-2 win over
Oklahom
Suns pick up Gentry's option for 2011-12 >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Suns managing partner Robert Sarver has
exercised head coach Alvin Gentry's contract option for the 2011-12 season.
Gentry's contract was already partially guaranteed for that season after
guiding t
Clippers get Bledsoe from Thunder >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the draft
rights to Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe in a deal with the Oklahoma City
Thunder.
Bledsoe was selected 18th overall by the Thunder, who will receive a protected
first
Pacers, Thunder exchange second-round picks >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder
exchanged second-round picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft.
Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle was drafted No. 51 overall by Oklahoma
City and acquired by the Pace
Wizards, T'Wolves make draft-night deal >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards acquired the draft
rights of forward Trevor Booker and center Hamady N'Diaye from the Minnesota
Timberwolves in exchange for the rights to Lazar Hayward and Nemanja Bjelica.
"We are very
Pedroia hits 3 HRs as Red Sox slug past Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Pedroia homered three times, including a
two-run blast in the top of the 10th inning, and drove in five runs overall,
as the Boston Red Sox avoided a sweep and outslugged the Colorado Rockies,
13-11,
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.
NFL Betting Lines
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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines
Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow. Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season. Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints. These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order. As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS. The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens. The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.
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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