T'Wolves finalize deal with Milicic; ink two first-round picks
Basketball Betting Lines
07/12/2010 -
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves signed center
Darko Milicic on Monday. Reports indicated it's a four-year contract worth
close to $20 million.
The team also inked 2010 first-round draft picks Wesley Johnson and Lazar
Hayward.
Milicic has bounced between five different teams since being taken second
overall by Detroit in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was dealt to Minnesota from the
Knicks in February after joining New York via a trade with Memphis last
summer. He appeared in just eight games and averaged 8.9 minutes for New
York, then started 18 of the 24 games in which he appeared for the T'Wolves
and averaged 25.6 minutes. Over that time, Milicic tallied 8.3 points, 5.5
rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.8 assists per contest.
Milicic has career averages of 5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 369
games, 116 of those starts.
Johnson, a 6-7 forward, was the fourth overall selection. In his only season
at Syracuse, he averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 steals
and 1.8 blocks in 35 games. Prior to transferring to Syracuse, Johnson spent
his first two collegiate seasons at Iowa State.
Hayward was taken by the Washington Wizards with the 30th overall pick before
being dealt to the Wolves in a draft-night trade. He played in 138 games at
Marquette, averaging 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. He is the second all-time
leading scorer in school history.
<< Gilbert disagrees with Jackson's views, fined $100,000 by NBA
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert
released a statement on Monday in regards to Jesse Jackson's reaction to his
open letter to LeBron James last Thursday.
Hours after James announced his decisio
<< Ernst leads Publinx after first stroke-play round
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Ernst fired a six-under 65 Monday to
take a one-stroke lead after the first round of stroke play at the U.S.
Amateur Public Links.
Ernst's round included nine birdies, six of which came in a
<< Beltre expects to play in All-Star Game
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox third baseman Adrian Beltre
told the team's website on Monday he is confident he will take part in
Tuesday's All-Star Game. The news came just hours after American League
manager
<< Haslem stays home; Heat looking to sign Miller
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udonis Haslem has opted to stay in Miami, and the
Heat are reportedly in contract talks with sharpshooter Mike Miller.
Haslem was an unrestricted free agent that was offered larger deals by the
Denver Nugget
<< Heat send Beasley to Minnesota for picks
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat made it official on Monday by
shipping the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Michael Beasley, to
the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of second round draft picks.
The Timberwolve
Lions extend QB Hill >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions extended the contract of
quarterback Shaun Hill through the 2011 season.
Hill was acquired in a March trade with San Francisco. He spent his first four
NFL seasons with Minnesota, then
David Ortiz wins HR Derby with 11-homer final >>
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Boston slugger David Ortiz has won his first Home Run Derby title, hitting 11 homers in the final round to beat Florida's Hanley Ramirez at Angel Stadium.Big Papi added another highlight to his resurgent season with a relentles
Big Papi wins Home Run Derby >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz
won the 2010 Home Run Derby, beating Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez,
11-5, in the final round Monday at Angel Stadium.
Ortiz, who was in the derby fro
Wall has 18 points, 10 assists in win over Clips >>
LAS VEGAS (AP) -John Wall, playing his second NBA Summer League game with the Wizards, had 18 points, 10 assists and five steals in Washington's 89-64 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's
Report: Raptors, Bobcats close to deal >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors appear ready to deliver the
first big deal to try and replace Chris Bosh as they close in on a trade with
the Charlotte Bobcats.
Bosh left last week for Miami via sign-and-trade, causing a b
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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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
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