 |
AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS
|
AC's 2004-2005 NBA Picks Season Record
Wins: 111 Losses: 85 Ties: 4
NBA Picks Winning Percentage: 57%
Record updated Saturdays and Mondays
Contact AC at ac@wagercom.com or post your questions/comments on the Wagercom Message Board
Read AC's Bio
8/06/05 NBA Off-Season Trade Updates
AC's outlook on the NBA is an entertaining original column featured here at Wagercom. If you are prone to NBA betting or even just an NBA fan, make sure you come back often to read his articles and free NBA Basketball picks against the spread. AC will be providing us with a weekly outlook during the basketball season including free NBA Basketball picks on some of the weekend games each Friday and Saturday.
Our NBA expert AC wrapped up the 2003-2004 NBA betting season with a 51% winning percentage against the spread on his basketball picks after 190 games and has improved that to a 57% winning percentage against the spread completing the 2004-2005 season.
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, height and weight challenged, I am back for a not-so-quick NBA column due to all of the movement over the past few weeks. While usually I take the NBA offseason to spend more time with my kids (even though I don’t have any), and commune with nature (and by “commune with nature” I mean “download porn,” and by “porn” I mean “lesbian porn”, and by “lesbian porn,” I mean “hot lesbian porn,” but I digress), I have been deluged with e-mails asking for a quick breakdown of some of the recent moves.
While I meant to get some of this out earlier, I have just returned from my honeymoon so was tied up scoping out the topless women on the beaches of Southern France. But you did all hear that right, there is now a new Mrs. Titticock and I know what you are all thinking; yes she is taking my last name. However, to all of the young ladies out there, do not be discouraged, I am still more than happy to ogle the photos you send me so keep them coming. Now onto the moves:
Larry Brown Named Head Coach of the New York Knicks:
This story has received way too much press. I mean there are people starving in Darfur , the White House is looking for a new Chairman of the Fed (I’ve got my money on Bernanke), and Mike Tyson may be shooting a porno movie. I actually think that bears repeating but this time in all caps, MIKE TYSON MAY BE SHOOTING A PORNO MOVIE. It’s like just when I think there is no god, things like this happen. Please tell me Tyson, Barry Bonds, Tami Anderson , and Carrot Top will be on the next Surreal Life.
Anyway, the point of all of this is that there is too much going on in the world to care one bit about Larry Brown coaching the Knicks. In theory Brown is a great coach. If you take away his dismal player rotation and strategy in the Olympics (how can you not give LeDong more run, and why weren’t you running and pressing?), he has been successful with just about every team he has coached including winning an NCAA Championship and NBA Championship. However, this is the NBA and coaches don’t win games, although they can lose them (Rick Pitino anyone?).
For the Pistons, this move gives the players a chip on their shoulder and could motivate them to show they can win without Brown. However, it leaves them with Flip Saunders who took 9 years to win one playoff series with Kevin Garnett, so maybe not such a good tradeoff after all. It will signal the Darko era as Flip will finally give him a shot to play, though it will last under 5 games and leave Darko the time to join my fantasy cast of the Surreal Life as mentioned above.
For the Knicks, it really doesn’t matter since they have Isiah still running the show. With Marbury and Crawford, Larry Brown is going to have a huge headache figuring out how to get either of them to distribute the ball. He already said he wants to move Marbury to the 2 spot which may lead to the first in-game, on court fight among teammates as Crawford and Marbury could come to blows over who will get to throw up the 30 footer with 3 men on them. At the end of the day, the Knicks still don’t have the talent and when they lose with Brown, it will signal Isiah’s final demise as an NBA executive.
The 1,900 player/draft pick/trade execption trade between 4 teams, 2 small countries, and I believe Nipsey Russell:
Miami Heat:
Get: Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey, Andre Emmett, Roberto Duenas
Give: Eddie Jones, Qyntel Woods, Rasual Butler, Albert Miralles, and 2 second round draft picks
Wow, I really like this trade for the Heat. The give up Eddie Jones who may or may not be 45 years old, a decent though expendable player in Rasual Butler, and some late round draft picks for Antoine, Jason Williams, and James Posey. This makes them a much better team, no matter what critics say.
Posey is a better version of Jones and the kind of player every team needs. He is a glue guy, happy to be a 3rd or 4th fiddle and someone on whom the team can rely (like Bruce Bowen of the Spurs, Brian Shaw/Ron Harper on the Lakers teams, and Dudley on D’ffrent Strokes). Williams is neither as bad nor as good as people think. Rolling him out with Dwyane Wayne Wade should be an interesting experiment, not as interesting as putting a cricket in a microwave, but interesting nonetheless. However, I think Williams will step it up for the Heat and be a difference maker in the playoffs, and yes I just wrote yet, and yes I am sober (well, sort of). The biggest variable in this is Antoine. Are the Heat going to get good ‘Toine who will check his ego, not force up bad shots, and hit the boards, or will they get bad ‘Toine who will launch up 38 3 pointers a game, miss 17 lay-ups, and demand the ball. ‘Toine didn’t work out as a role player in Dallas so it is hard to imagine him adjusting smoothly in Miami. However, if anyone can get him to blend in, it is Shaq. Kudos to the Heat here for going all out this year.
Memphis Grizzlies:
Get: Eddie Jones, Raul Lopez
Give: Andre Emmett, James Posey, Jason Williams, Curtis Borchardt
Wow, the Grizzlies gave up Posey and Williams for an aging shooting guard who doesn’t shoot that well and the Spanish version of Chris Corchiani. Memphis really needs to bring Jerry West back (ok, I now he is still there, but that’s the point). I understand that Williams wore out his welcome and the addition of Bobby Jackson and his on again off again stomach muscle, makes him expendable, but that is all they could get for Posey and Williams? Seriously, will someone give Jerry West a CAT scan?
New Orleans Whorenets:
Get: Rasual Butler, Kirk Snyder
Give: Robert Duenas
So for Spain’s version of Lerch (seriously, check out the comparison: http://www.basket-stats.info/players/playerfile/d/roberto-duenas.htm vs. http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/lurch7.jpg ) the Whorenets get a decent player in Butler, some potential in Kirk Snyder, and some free press and a place in the record book for being part of the NBA’s biggest trade in history. Well done New Orleans, Hurricanes all around.
Utah Jazz:
Get: Greg Ostertag
Give: Kirk Snyder, Raul Lopez
We all know how well the Greg Ostertag era worked the first time around so why not try it again? The only reason I can see for Utah making this trade is that they were getting awfully close to going over on their non-white guy quota and had to make sure they fell under the limit.
Boston Celtics:
Get: Curtis Borchardt, Qyntel Woods, Albert Miralles, 2 second round draft picks, $5.5MM trade exception
Give: Antoine Walker
This is perhaps the most perplexing part of this trade as at first glance it appears that my Celtics basically gave Antoine away for free, however, if you dig a little deeper, it is actually not a terrible move by the Cs.
If you make the two assumptions that Antoine was not going to re-sign with the Celts and that the only team that wanted him was Miami, then this is a solid move by Ainge. Rather than losing ‘Toine for nothing, he got some possible potential in late late 2nd round draft picks, a big white stiff to fill the Greg Kite role that has been missing for years in Curtis Borchardt, some Qyntel Woods pit bull jokes for the writers, some guy named Albert Miralles who fills their Euro quota, and most importantly a $5.5MM trade exception. This trade exception should allow Danny to reacquire Antoine at the trade deadline for Marcus Banks and the remaining part of his soul.
If you remember that the Celtics traded a #1 pick for ‘Toine last year, and here Danny seemingly gets more than that, though one never knows, it seems like a decent move. In all, Antoine was never going to work out for the Celtics (something they should have understood the first time around) and at least got something. Of course, the value of this trade all depends on the Cs being able to use that exception in the next year so we’ll see if Danny can pry away anyone worthwhile.
Joe Johnson from the Phoenix Suns to the Atlanta Hawks for Boris Diaw and 2 first round picks:
Well this trade is in limbo and so is my opinion of it. Diaw is just plain bad, or as they say in France, Le Poo Poo. The Suns are gambling that they can make good of the 2 draft picks which will likely be high first rounders so not a bad gamble. Problem is, Joe Johnson may not be replaceable. Granted they went out and overpaid for Raja Bell, but a healthy Joe Johnson in the playoffs may have helped Phoenix to the finals this year. Weird move, but Johnson is perfect for the Hawks as he plays with little intensity and is not meant to be a #1 guy. I’ll reserve judgment though until the trade goes through but just one that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for either team.
contact AC at ac@wagercom.com or post your questions/comments on the Wagercom Message Board
To sign up to receive this column each week by email simply click on: info@wagercom.com, put your email address in the message box and hit send.
Check the current point spreads and game lines.
|
