NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Betting: What You Need To Do to Get Ready for Season
by T.O. Whenham - 10/22/2009

We don't know who will be wearing the striped shirts when it happens, but we do know that the NBA season finally gets underway next week, starting with four games on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Betting on the NBA is no easy task, so if you are making money over the long run then you are really accomplishing something.

2009-10 Portland Trailblazers Predictions
by Justin Johnson - 10/21/2009

Portland made a huge jump in the Western Conference in 2008-09, tallying 54 wins and tying for the Northwest Division lead. This offseason they added veteran point guard Andre Miller from Philadelphia to provide a stabilizing presence at the point. Pairing Miller with young star Brandon Roy could make for one of most dynamic backcourts in the West, despite Miller’s advancing age (33).

2009-10 Phoenix Suns Predictions
by Justin Johnson - 10/21/2009

Terry Porter lost the faith of the team last year and so they replaced him with Alvin Gentry as head coach. Gentry should bring back the fun-and-gun offense that made the Suns a title contender just a few seasons ago.

2009-10 Utah Jazz Predictions
by Justin Johnson - 10/21/2009

Jerry Sloan has been the constant figure in Utah despite roster turnover and losses of Hall of Fame players. Now he may be coaching another future Hall of Famer in Deron Williams. Williams, one of the best point guards in the league, is a lock for 20 points and 10 assists per night again this season. He not only sees the floor well he also creates his own shot.

NBA Betting: 2009-10 Rookie of the Year Predictions
by Matt Severance - 10/20/2009

The NBA season begins a week from today, so the NBA futures props are coming out in force at various books. Today, I’m going to break down the preseason frontrunners for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. All odds are courtesy of WagerWeb – here are the site’s top five betting favorites:

2009-10 NBA Predictions
by Josh Nagel - 10/19/2009

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal formed a mini-dynasty of sorts with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning three consecutive NBA titles together. Now each has won a title without the other; Shaq in Miami, and Kobe with an improved supporting cast in Los Angeles.

NBA Western Conference Predictions: Pacific Division
by Josh Nagel - 10/19/2009

The NBA champion Lakers accomplished their primary off-season goal when they came to terms with free-agent forward Lamar Odom. Once he came back on board, the Lakers decided they didn’t need to do too much tinkering. Seeing as they just won an NBA title, it stands to reason they didn’t have a lot of areas to address.

NBA Western Conference Predictions: Southwest Division
by Josh Nagel - 10/19/2009

The Spurs desperately needed a scoring guard-forward with an outside touch to take some of the pressure off Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, who make most of their offense with drives to the basket. They got one in Jefferson, who has been erratic throughout his career but should help fill the team’s biggest void.

NBA Western Conference Predictions – Northwest Division
by Josh Nagel - 10/19/2009

The Blazers finally replaced potential with production last year, riding the shoulders of star Brandon Roy to a playoff berth and renewing hope among their fan base. Unfortunately, their lack of experience showed in a first-round playoff loss to the Houston Rockets. Portland did not respond well to adversity in that series, and must grow in poise and maturity in order to contend for the conference title.

NBA Eastern Conference Predictions – Atlantic Division
by Josh Nagel - 10/16/2009

The Celtics added the volatile Wallace to go with their aging and sometimes ailing Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, each of whom is headed toward the twilight of their careers. If Wallace plays with the passion and focus with which he is capable, he will certainly be of some help. Wallace’s presence should take some pressure off Garnett, who will be trying to recover form the injury that forced him to miss all of last year’s playoffs.

NBA Eastern Conference Predictions: Southeast Division
by Josh Nagel - 10/16/2009

For a team that reached the NBA Finals, the Magic sure did a lot of off-season tinkering. Coach Stan Van Gundy and the Magic had better hope they made the right moves. Although Rafer Alston and Hedo Turkoglu were valuable contributors, losing Courtney Lee in the trade for Vince Carter could be the move that haunts the Magic.

NBA Eastern Conference Predictions – Central Division
by Josh Nagel - 10/16/2009

Cleveland’s lack of a consistent inside scoring threat was exposed in last year’s playoffs, when the Orlando Magic proved that LeBron James wasn’t capable of a winning a series by himself. Welcome Shaq, who is getting older and slower by the day, but showed glimpses of playing inspired basketball last year for the Phoenix Suns.

2009-10 Philadelphia 76ers Predictions
by Robert Ferringo and Nolan Sinclair - 10/16/2009

Many people around the league are excited about the Philadelphia 76ers this year. I am not one of them. Last year’s playoff run was short but impressive as they took the Orlando Magic to six games. But I don’t see a repeat performance.

2009-10 Charlotte Bobcats Predictions
by Robert Ferringo and Nolan Sinclair - 10/16/2009

Boasting a roster packed with foreign imports, the Bobcats have the look of a European club team. And that Euro style of basketball almost got Larry Brown and his merry men into the playoffs last year. But a late-season collapse, which also allowed them to finish under their projected win total for the season, sent them home for the summer.

NBA Season Win Totals
by Robert Ferringo - 10/15/2009

Last week the Las Vegas Hilton released its season win totals for the NBA season. While most online books are yet to post any NBA season wins ‘over/unders’ the Hilton’s numbers serve as a great baseline for what we can expect from the other sportsbooks. Also, some of these Hilton numbers have already taken enough action to move the lines so we even have a read on who the sharps like and don’t like heading into the year.

2009-10 Denver Nuggets Predictions
by Justin Johnson - 10/10/2009

A trade for Chauncey Billups suddenly gave Denver a shot in the arm in the 2008-09 season and helped get the Denver Nuggets to the conference finals. With most of the team returning and in their prime another charge to the conference finals is not out of the question.

2009-10 Houston Rockets Predictions
by Justin Johnson - 10/10/2009

Maybe only die-hard Houston Rockets fans would know the names of players that will take the court for the opening tip in Houston. The roster has almost completely turned over from the one it fielded when the season opened in 2008-09.

2009-10 Golden State Warriors Predictions
by Justin Johnson - 10/10/2009

Anyone who has followed Don Nelson’s career knows it usually goes like this: Early success, lots of points, roster turnover, fight with players, burnt bridges. So it will be interesting to see how the Golden State Warriors will push past the “fight with players” stage they are slowly approaching.

2009-10 New Jersey Nets Predictions
by Robert Ferringo and Nolan Sinclair - 10/6/2009

This offseason the New Jersey Nets got rid of their most popular player in Vince Carter. Carter was traded to Orlando for Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston. This is a move that could prove beneficial down the road as they took a huge chunk out of their salary cap. And, as a matter of fact, it seems pretty obvious that the Nets are simply priming their spot at the front of the line for the 2010 free agency period.

2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks Predictions
by Robert Ferringo and Nolan Sinclair - 10/6/2009

This upcoming season should provide plenty of opportunities to do the most entertaining thing in the city of Milwaukee: drink beer. Milwaukeeans love to drink their malted hops and this basketball team should provide their fans with numerous chances to drain their sorrows in a frothy glass of the good stuff.