Stoudemire deal becomes sign-and-trade

Basketball Betting Lines

07/09/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks announced Friday that the deal for Amare Stoudemire is a sign-and-trade agreement with the Phoenix Suns.

Stoudemire agreed to join the Knicks earlier this week and a deal was announced Thursday, but a sign-and-trade pact allows New York to save some cap space early in the deal and gives the five-time All-Star yearly raises. It also gives the Suns a protected future second-round draft pick.

The reported five-year deal is said to be worth just under $100 million.

Stoudemire opted out of his contract with the Suns, for whom he had spent his entire eight-year tenure in the league. He was set to make $17.7 million next season and averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 55.7 percent from the field over 82 games last season.

It was just the third time in his career the 27-year-old had played a full slate of regular-season games because of injuries. Stoudemire suffered a partially detached retina in February, 2009 and underwent microfracture surgery in October, 2005.

The move reunites Stoudemire with Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who was the star's coach in Phoenix for five seasons.

"Amare is one of the most talented players I have ever worked with and I'm excited to welcome him to New York," said D'Antoni in Thursday's press conference. "He has thrived in our system and will be a great addition to our team."

Taken with the ninth overall pick in the 2002 draft by Phoenix, Stoudemire took home that season's Rookie of the Year honors and has career per-game averages of 21.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 assists.

"Amare gives us one of the premiere frontcourt players in the league whose numerous abilities and familiarity with Mike's system make him an outstanding fit for us," said Knicks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh on Thursday.

He's shot 54.4 percent from the floor in 516 career contests, 499 of those starts, and posted 24.2 points, 9.2 boards and 1.8 blocks in 52 playoff games. The Suns were bounced by the eventual NBA champion Lakers in the West Finals last season.

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Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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