Celtics roll the dice with West

Basketball Betting Lines

09/02/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat may have dominated the offseason headlines, but the Boston Celtics are still the top dogs in the East.

After taking the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the NBA Finals last season, the veteran-laden Celtics could have gone in two different directions. Coach Doc Rivers' contract was up, while veteran sharpshooter Ray Allen was a free agent and All-Star forward Paul Pierce could have opted out of his deal.

Basketball chief Danny Ainge could have pulled the plug and got started on the inevitable rebuilding process, or convinced the band to get back together to take one more stab at capturing the franchise's 18th NBA championship.

Ainge made his decision, booked the Hard Rock and convinced Rivers to return, while re-signing Allen and securing a still formidable but declining Pierce for another four seasons.

With his core four of Allen, Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo back in the fold, Rivers certainly knows he has a contender but his club has already forfeited the make-believe mantle of favorite in the much-improved East. That now belongs to Pat Riley and the Heat, who brought in LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play alongside Dwyane Wade.

To fend off the Heat and solve the Lakers puzzle, the C's needed to sure up a shaky bench. Ainge has brought in veteran big men Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal to hold down the fort in the middle while Kendrick Perkins recovers from tearing the medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee during Game 6 of The Finals.

Meanwhile, his latest move was bringing back troubled veteran guard Delonte West, the 24th overall by the Celtics back in 2004.

The 27-year-old West, who signed a non-guaranteed deal, spent the last two- plus years in Cleveland with James but was limited to 35 games in 2009-10 and 64 games a year earlier while dealing with an array of personal problems that included depression, along with legal issues stemming from an arrest on weapons charges in September of 2009.

After being stopped for a traffic violation while riding a 3-wheeled motorcycle, police found a Beretta pistol, .357 Magnum and a Remington 870 rifle in a guitar case West was carrying.

An underrated swing guard, West originally blamed the indiscretion on his failure to take his prescribed medication for bipolar disorder. He eventually pleaded guilty this past July to traffic and weapons charges, and was sentenced to electronic monitoring, unsupervised probation, and 40 hours of community service as well as psychological counseling.

The NBA piled on, suspending the St. Joseph's product for 10 games.

"I think we're getting Delonte at a good time in his life," Rivers wrote on Twitter. "He knows who he is now."

Rivers also understands bringing West in could go boom or bust. A healthy, well-adjusted West could provide solid minutes behind both Rondo and Allen, giving Boston one of the most impressive three-guard rotations in the league. On the other hand, a brooding, distant West could upset the balance of a delicate locker room.

"Chemistry is a delicate thing. I understand that, and I'm as cautious as anyone with it. I guarantee you, I'll be keeping my eye on it,"' Rivers told AOL FanHouse on Wednesday. "I don't know yet if we can make it work. It is going to be interesting, that's for sure."

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.