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Turkoglu headed to Phoenix for Barbosa, JonesBasketball Betting Lines07/14/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors have traded forward Hedo Turkoglu to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for guard Leandro Barbosa and forward/center Dwayne Jones. Turkoglu signed a long-term contract with Toronto last season as a free agent after backing out of a deal with Portland. In 74 games last season, he struggled to per-game averages of just 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The point total is his lowest since 2003-04 when he played for Sacramento. "After much fanfare and high expectations, things just didn't seem to work out here for Turk," said Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo. "I'm certain he will move on and contribute great things to Phoenix. We wish him well." The 31-year-old Turkoglu spent five seasons with Orlando prior to his signing with Toronto and helped to lead the Magic to an Eastern Conference title in 2009 after averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 77 regular season games. Barbosa had spent his entire seven-year career in Phoenix and averaged 9.5 points last season in 44 games. The per-game point average was his lowest since 2004-05. "Leandro Barbosa is a player I'm quite familiar with and I'm very pleased that he is coming to Toronto," said Colangelo, who traded for Barbosa when he was GM of the Suns in 2003. "His speed, quickness and scoring ability will mesh well with our desired playing style and talented young athletes." Jones, at 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, is a five-year veteran out of St. Joseph's that has averaged 1.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 7.8 minutes in 82 career games.
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Betting the NFL preseasonRule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games." When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night. The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine. “I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.” The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark. “We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.” The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long. “It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.” Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play. “You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt." So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps? “Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says. Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins. Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet. Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter. “If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says. Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider. The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason. “We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003. Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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