Ainge: Forget LeBron, Celtics team to beat in East

Basketball Betting Lines

07/08/2010 -

Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge wasn't worried about The Decision.

He's got his team back.

``We're the Eastern Conference champions,'' Ainge said Thursday. ``And we think we're going to be better next year.''

Ainge confirmed that the Celtics have agreements in place with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen that would keep Boston's new Big Three intact for a run at a third NBA finals in four years. Ainge also said he expects to sign free agent center Jermaine O'Neal to fill in while center Kendrick Perkins recovers from knee surgery.

``We intend to sign him,'' Ainge said. ``Our priorities to start the offseason were obviously Paul, Ray, and to strengthen our center position in light of Perk's injury. Hopefully by tomorrow we'll have these things taken care of and then we can continue working.''

Speaking after a summer league game in Orlando, Fla., a few hours before LeBron James announced he would sign with the Miami Heat, Ainge told reporters that he thinks Boston remains the team to beat in the East regardless of the reigning NBA MVP's decision. By joining Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami, James created a threesome that is perhaps even more daunting than the one Boston assembled in 2007 en route to a record 17th NBA title.

``I have a great deal of respect for all those guys - all the top-notch free agents,'' Ainge said. ``Whatever happens, I know that it's going to be a challenge. The East is going to be stronger. But I think everybody that's worth their salt thinks they can beat somebody.''

Part of the reason for optimism could be the fact that the Cavaliers, who had the best record in the NBA last season, are no longer a threat without James. (Even with him, Cleveland lost to the Celtics in the playoffs in two of the past three seasons.)

``There's a lot of franchises that are going to be changed for a long time,'' Ainge said, ``for the better and for the worse.''

And that's why the Celtics are happy to make another run with the core of the team that won one title and came within four points of another, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 83-79 in Game 7.

``How the team played in the playoffs is definitely a sign that they have a lot of basketball left in them,'' Ainge said, noting that Perkins was injured in Game 6 and missed the finale. ``I was very encouraged with what I saw from this team. The overall play of defense and rebounding showed me how much our guys do have left.''

Pierce agreed last week to a four-year deal worth about $61 million, and Allen agreed on Wednesday to a two-year deal worth $20 million. O'Neal's contract is reportedly for the midlevel exception, about $5.76 million in the first year of a two-year deal.

Kevin Garnett, the other member of the new Big Three that led the Celtics to their record 17th NBA title in 2008, is under contract for two more years, and emerging star Rajon Rondo is locked up through 2014-15. Coach Doc Rivers also put off a long-debated sabbatical to keep the team together.

``Paul, I don't think he ever looked at another team. I think Paul was 100 percent coming back to Boston,'' Ainge said. ``He did a lot just by restructuring his contract to allow us to bring the rest of the team back.''

Ainge said Perkins tore his ACL and also injured the MCL and PCL; he could miss half the season or more. Surgery is scheduled for Monday, having been postponed at least twice to allow the swelling to go down and give him a chance to strengthen the muscles in his leg before the operation.

With Perkins on rehab, and backup Rasheed Wallace vowing to retire, the Celtics were in need of big men.

A six-time All-Star, O'Neal has averaged 14 points and 7.5 rebounds in a 14-year career for Portland, Indiana, Toronto and Miami. With the Heat last year, he averaged 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Remaining on Ainge's list of potential free agents are re-signing longtime Celtics bench player Tony Allen and midseason acquisition Nate Robinson.

``We're trying to fill our roster in. Once we get this taken care of the next couple of days, then we'll start working on the next group of guys,'' Ainge said. We like Nate and Tony. I'm sure they're still looking at the market, too, because the market's pretty crazy right now. So we'll be patient and look at other options as well in case they go in another direction.''

---

AP Sports Writer Antonio Gonzalez contributed to this story from Orlando, Fla.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Cowboycasion Basketball Betting News

<< Chappell shoots 61 for Nationwide lead
Clarksburg, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Chappell fired an 11-under 61 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. Chappell's 61 matched the course record at Raven Golf Club and earned him a two-shot lead over

<< Durant officially inks extension with Thunder
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Kevin Durant has officially signed a multi-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal is reportedly for five years. "Today is an exciting and important day in

<< Lang leads Women's Open at tough Oakmont
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brittany Lang bogeyed her final hole Thursday to post a two-under 69 and take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the U.S. Women's Open Championship. Lang is not only searching for her first major cham

<< Florida's Ramirez to debut in HR Derby
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez has been added as a participant for the Home Run Derby that will take place on Monday in Anaheim, the day before the 81st All-Star Game. Ramirez will take part i

<< Former Kentucky, NBA center Turpin found dead
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former University of Kentucky product and NBA center Mel Turpin was found dead of an apparent suicide at the age of 49. The Herald-Leader reported on Thursday that police responded to a personal injury r

LeBron James makes his pick: He's going to Miami >>
LeBron James has made his decision. He's going to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat.James made his long-awaited announcement in a hastily arranged ESPN special Thursday night in Greenwich, Conn., and James wasted no time in making

Blue Jays homer five times, take series vs. Twins >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Gonzalez drove in three runs and Brett Cecil pitched seven strong innings, as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Minnesota Twins, 8-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series. Cecil (8-5) allo

LeBron joins Wade, Bosh in South Beach >>
Greenwich, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James made the rumors a reality on Thursday, mirroring fellow free agents Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh by declaring his intentions to join the Miami Heat. After seemingly endless speculation as to w

Latos' arm, bat carries Padres over Nats >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos spun seven scoreless innings and hit his first career home run to send San Diego to a 7-1 win over Washington in the last of a three-game set. Chris Denorfia, Chase Headley and Jerry Hairston

Crawford leads Rays over Tribe >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford hit a pair of two-run home runs as Tampa Bay kept its hot streak going with a 5-2 decision over Cleveland in the opener of a four-game set from Tropicana Field. Carlos Pena also went deep f

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.