Kaman could be a keeper elsewhere
Basketball Betting Lines
01/28/2012 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - You can forget about blowing the whistle
on ageism in sports.
After all, it's not only accepted it's expected.
If you were wondering why the New Orleans Hornets are actively trying to trade
center Chris Kaman, understand the former All-Star is about to cross a very
important threshold on April 28 of this year -- his 30th birthday.
Thirtysomethings simply do not fit into rebuilding plans and at a Western
Conference-worst 4-15 the Hornets are resigned to starting one.
New Orleans, of course, acquired Kaman back in December as part of the
blockbuster deal that sent the face of the franchise, Chris Paul, to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Even then most thought the Big Easy was just a transitory stop for the former
Central Michigan star with the conventional wisdom believing the Hornets
acquired an asset to move before the March 15 trade deadline.
And Kaman remains an alluring piece to a number of puzzles. He's got skill
and perhaps more importantly, an expiring deal worth just over $14 million
this season.
Already the oldest player on the Hornets' roster Kaman quickly fell out of
Monty Williams' rotation in favor of Jason Smith and promising Mexican Gustavo
Ayon.
"It's just something (where) we want to play our young guys and we certainly
don't want to disrespect Chris at all," Williams told the media before
Friday's upset against the Magic. "This is something we want to keep
internally. It's certainly not disciplinary and he understands and I talked to
him.
"We're going to play Jason Smith, Gustavo Ayon and Al-Farouq Aminu. It's just
difficult to play that many bigs and I understand how difficult it is for
(Kaman) to not get the minutes he wants."
It didn't stay internal for long. By the third quarter Hornets GM Dell Demps
had released a statement.
"We've informed Chris that we are looking into possible trades and he was
understanding about the situation," Demps said. "We're working together on
this. Chris has been the ultimate professional since he joined us.
"In no way is this a disciplinary action. We had discussions about extending
his current contract when he first came to the Hornets, but the organization
decided to go in a different direction."
Since Kaman was not with the team on Friday, it was easy to speculate that
perhaps he had run afoul of either Williams or Demps. I mean, it's one
thing to bench a guy for a youth movement but it's another to jettison him
from practice and his teammates.
The "ultimate professional" as Demps described Kaman wouldn't be happy losing
minutes, perhaps, but he certainly wouldn't want to stop working either.
New Orleans is trying to spin things as best it can, fueling rumors that the
club approached Kaman and his agent, Rob Pelinka, once they settled on the
youth movement. From there both sides reportedly agreed that Kaman would be
deactivated until a trade is consummated.
On the surface that seems a bit far-fetched but Kaman has certainly been
injury prone and giving him mop-up minutes here and there could be a risk to
any potential deal, something neither Kaman or the Hornets would want.
Either way, New Orleans isn't exactly going to get a king's ransom for a
player that is seemingly on the downside, has lost minutes to a pedestrian
player like Smith and could be complaining.
On the other hand, in a league short on competent big man, it's not outlandish
to think one or two teams might remember 2007-08, Kaman's breakout season with
the Clippers when he averaged 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per
game. And remember as late as '09-10 he averaged 18.5 ppg and 9.3 rpg.
Building for the future is what the Hornets are all about now but others are
concerned with competing and renting a 7-footer that can play could pay
dividends.
<< Columbus to host 2013 NHL All-Star game
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus and the Blue Jackets will host the
NHL's All-Star festivities in 2013, the league announced Saturday.
The showcase, which includes the skills competition and All-Star game, will
take place on th
<< Cavs and Pack square off Raleigh
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams continuing to jockey for position
within the ACC meet in Raleigh tonight, as the 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers
take on the NC State Wolfpack.
Virginia is an impressive 16-3 this season, but the team
<< No.2 Tigers tangle with Red Raiders
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Missouri Tigers set their
sights on getting back on track, as they welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders to
Columbia this afternoon, for a Big 12 matchup at Mizzou Arena.
Frank Haith's Tigers ar
<< Sixth-ranked Bears welcome Longhorns to Waco
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Baylor Bears continue their quest
towards the top spot in the Big 12, as they welcome the Texas Longhorns to
Waco for a conference showdown at the Ferrell Center.
Scott Drew's Bears are 5-2 in-con
<< Blue Devils and Red Storm collide in Durham
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the 14th straight season, the Duke Blue
Devils and St. John's Red Storm will take time out of their conference slates
to meet on the hardwood.
The eighth-ranked Blue Devils are 5-1 in ACC play this season. T
Davis moves Rangers closer to the top >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A goal in each half from Steven Davis
propelled Rangers to a 4-0 win over Hibernian at the Ibrox Stadium on
Saturday, moving the club to within a point of leaders Celtic.
Davis scored the lo
Notre Dame picks up 18th straight victory >>
Queens, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Skylar Diggins had 24 points, six assists and
three blocks, as the second-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish picked up their
18th straight victory with a 71-56 decision over the St. John's Red Storm.
Devereau
Kagawa fires Dortmund past Hoffenheim >>
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shinji Kagawa netted a pair of goals to
lead Borussia Dortmund to a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday at Signal-
Iduna-Park, extending Dortmund's unbeaten run to 13 games.
Goals from Kagawa and Ke
Duke hangs on to defeat St. John's >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mason Plumlee finished with 15 points and 17
rebounds, and No. 8 Duke held on for an 83-76 victory over St. John's on
Saturday.
Ryan Kelly scored 16 points and grabbed nine boards for the Blue D
Marquette overcomes slow start, edges Villanova >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darius Johnson-Odom scored a game-high 26
points and added six rebounds as No. 17 Marquette came back from 18 down to
defeat Villanova, 82-78, at Wells Fargo Center.
Jae Crowder had 20 points and 12 bo
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
NFL Betting Lines
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Pacific-10 Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Stanford
 Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State
 It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do:
Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.
Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.
Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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