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LeBron must decide if it's time to leave home

Basketball Betting Lines

06/29/2010 -

CLEVELAND (AP) -As he dressed in his spacious corner locker, LeBron James glanced over at the news scrolling across the flat-screen TV on the far wall. The ticker read: ``NBA: Kobe Bryant signs three-year contract extension with Los Angeles Lakers.''

Buttoning his shirt following the game in April, roughly one month before his quest for a championship would end awkwardly and two months before becoming The Free Agent Of All Free Agents, James wasn't a bit surprised.

``Did anyone really think he was leaving?'' he asked incredulously. ``Kobe's been there since he was like 17. That's his home. He wasn't going anywhere.''

Hmm. Sound like someone you know, 'Bron?

The league's MVP grinned and bit his top lip. Not saying.

Soon enough, we'll have his answer.

At the heart of James' impending free agency, a moment of controlled chaos hyped beyond anything in recent sports memory, is one underlying question: Can he move away from the only place he has ever known?

James hits the market at 12:01 a.m. Thursday as the valedictorian of this historic 2010 free-agent class. He might have already decided where he'll dribble, drive and dunk next. Even if he has, he's still going to listen to offers and can't sign with anyone until July 8.

Depending on whom you believe, the soon-to-be No. 6 is either headed to New York to resurrect the sorry Knicks; or to New Jersey to plot global domination with rap mogul pal Jay-Z and Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov; or to Chicago to follow Michael Jordan's magnificence; or to Miami to join Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a terrifying trifecta; or to Dallas where he could play with buddy Jason Kidd and watch his beloved Cowboys all the time.

Or, he'll stay in Ohio, kick back in the 40,000-square-foot palace he built not far from the Akron streets where he was raised and continue to play for the Cavaliers.

Right now, nobody knows.

In a guessing game changing by the minute, one thing is certain: James' decision will be made by one person - LeBron Raymone James.

He has listened to his advisers, consulted with friends, former coaches, Nike bigwigs, gazillionaire Warren Buffett and others of influence. But James and only James will make the final choice before signing on the dotted line.

What's he going to do?

``What's best for him and his family,'' teammate Shaquille O' Neal said before the Cavs' postseason collapsed in a second-round loss to Boston. ``He's 25, but he's something I've really never seen before.''

There's never been anyone like him - or anything like this.

Never before has one player carried such clout into free agency. Despite never winning a championship - or even one game in the finals - James has the league bowing at his expensive sneakers. The anticipation of his league-tilting decision has caused an information feeding frenzy only rivaled by Tiger Woods' sex scandal.

Teams have revamped their rosters for him, with Chicago and Miami doing the most maneuvering.

Cities have spent big bucks campaigning for him, calculating the economic impact of his arrival, or in Cleveland's case, a possible departure.

Corporate jets will descend upon Northeast Ohio in the coming days, loaded with teams hoping to lure James away. The Nets' delegation led by Prokhorov, Jay-Z, new coach Avery Johnson and outgoing president Rod Thorn will make their sales pitch first, followed by the Knicks and at least four other teams.

Everyone wants him.

All that matters, though, is what James wants.

He has spent seven seasons in Cleveland, a marriage manufactured by the lucky bounce of a draft lottery ball that sent the local kid up Interstate 77 to play as a pro and transformed a forgotten franchise into one of the league's powerhouses.

Although the Cavs have enjoyed unparalleled success with James, events over the past month or so have threatened to drive them apart forever. Cleveland's postseason flop - losing three straight, including Game 5 at home by 32 points to the Celtics - was followed by coach Mike Brown's firing, the resignation of GM Danny Ferry and owner Dan Gilbert's failed pursuit of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

As of Tuesday, Cleveland still hadn't hired a coach but was zeroing in on Lakers assistant Brian Shaw.

If the Cavs were hoping to make an impression, this isn't the one James wanted to see.

James, who will pass on his $17.1 million option for next season to officially become a free agent, wants stability and structure, not an organization seemingly making changes on the fly.

Although other teams can't formally meet with James until Thursday, the Cavs have been in touch with him, agent Leon Rose and business manager Maverick Carter since Cleveland's season ended. Gilbert and new GM Chris Grant recently visited James at his Bath, Ohio, home, and the Cavs are expected to make a final run at the superstar after the other suitors make their presentations.

``Our goal is to re-sign LeBron,'' Grant said stating the obvious.

Cleveland, a city tortured by a pro sports title drought approaching a 47th birthday, is counting on loyalty to put a full-court press on James' heart and persuade him to stay. The Cavs can offer him more money (as much as $30 million on a six-year contract), and they have one asset no other team can offer - this is home.

Since his season ended, James, whose puzzling performance in the Game 5 loss to Boston will tarnish his legacy should he sign elsewhere, has given no hints at his plans. He has made two public appearances, most recently at a LeBron Appreciation Day in Akron, where he showed up as the event was winding down. He professed love for his hometown, saying ``everything I do is for this city.''

If that's true, he'll follow Bryant's lead and stay home.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

What Is the Point Spread?

What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?

In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.

Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).

If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).

Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.

How to Read Point Spreads

New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)

In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:

  • Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
    OR
  • Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.

  • There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.

    The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:

    Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots

    Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.

    For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically

    Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:

  • Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
    OR
  • Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score

    Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?

    Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21

    The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.

    Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.

    Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).

    Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.

    And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.