Isiah Thomas rescinds contract with Knicks

Basketball Betting Lines

08/11/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Less than a week after being named a consultant for the New York Knicks, Isiah Thomas announced he has rescinded the contract due to a violation of certain NBA bylaws.

Thomas was named a Knicks consultant last Friday and was expected to maintain his position as head coach at Florida International University while serving in a supportive role that was to include player recruitment and assisting current team president Donnie Walsh in various capacities.

"Although I'm disappointed that Isiah will not be working with the Knicks as a consultant, I continue to believe in his basketball knowledge, including his ability to judge talent," said Knicks chairman James Dolan. "He's a good friends of mine and of the organization, and I will continue to solicit his views."

Those duties have apparently violated the conflict of interest rules between collegiate and professional basketball.

"After speaking with commissioner [David] Stern and Knicks executives, it has become apparent that my new agreement violates certain NBA bylaws," Thomas said in a statement on Wednesday. "Because of this, I have decided to rescind my contract with the team."

Thomas oversaw the Knicks' operations from 2003-08, a span that did not include a postseason appearance.

"One of the biggest regrets of my life is that the Knicks didn't perform up to the standards the fans had every right to expect while I was in charge," Thomas continued. "I take full responsibility for that. I was very much looking forward to this unique opportunity to help the organization do what I do best: find basketball talent. I wish the team nothing but success in the future."

A Hall of Fame player with the Pistons from 1981-94, Thomas was a 12-time All Star and two-time NBA champion during his illustrious career. In addition to coaching the Knicks from 2006-08, he also coached the Pacers from 2000-03 and has an all-time record of 187-223 in five seasons.

During his tenure in the Knicks' front office, the team never won more than 39 games and won fewer than 25 twice. Thomas' tenure with the Knicks was also marred by the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders.

Shortly after his time with New York ended, he was rushed to the hospital for reportedly overdosing on sleeping pills. He has since been hired as the head coach at FIU, where he went 7-25 in his first season in 2009-10.

"Although I'm disappointed that Isiah will not be working with the Knicks as a consultant, I continue to believe in his basketball knowledge, including his ability to judge talent," Dolan said. "He's a good friend of mine and of the organization and I will continue to solicit his views. He will always have strong ties to me and the team. We wish him continued success at FIU. I also believe Donnie Walsh has done a terrific job since joining the Knicks and my tremendous respect for him has only grown since he's joined the organization. I'm confident that the work that Donnie, Coach Mike D'Antoni and their staffs have done this summer has the team poised for long-term success."

Wwwbingogala Basketball Betting News

<< Tommy John surgery puts Sheets' career in jeopardy
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics pitcher Ben Sheets underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week, putting his once promising career in danger. Sheets went under the knife to repair his flexor tendon, pronator tendon

<< Seahawks' Curry a test case in new concussion era
RENTON, Wash. (AP) -Aaron Curry listened all offseason to talk taking place from Congress to kids' leagues that raised the nation's awareness of football head injuries.Then on the first day of training camp he walked past the concussion poster teams

<< Solicitor: Roethlisberger officer probe inactive
PITTSBURGH (AP) - An internal investigation of a Pennsylvania police officer who was with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when the player was accused of sexual assault in Georgia is inactive, and that won't change unless new infor

<< Raptors acquire Julian Wright from Hornets
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors have acquired forward Julian Wright from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for guard Marco Belinelli. The 13th overall selection by the Hornets in the 2007 draft, Wright pla

<< Lerner explains O'Neill's exit
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has issued a statement saying that manager Martin O'Neill left the club as he no longer 'shared a common view' on the club's future. O'Neill walked away from Vil

Giants get Fontenot from Cubs; put Renteria on DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants put shortstop Edgar Renteria on the 15-day disabled list due to a left bicep strain, and then made a trade with the Cubs to shore up their infield. The Giants acquired Mi

Titans DE Hayes has knee sprain >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans defensive end William Hayes will miss up to four weeks with a knee sprain suffered in practice on Tuesday. "It might be a couple weeks, but when you consider that when you have that kind

Medalists Lee, Rohanna and Sweeney advance at Women's Amateur >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stroke play medalists Rachel Rohanna, Erynne Lee and Jaclyn Sweeney all won their first-round encounters in match play Wednesday at the U.S. Women's Amateur. Rohanna earned a 1-up victory over Isabel

Pavin: Gray's report inaccurate on Woods' Ryder Cup pick >>
Kohler, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - USA Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin denied reporter Jim Gray's assertion that he stated Tiger Woods will definitely be selected with a captain's pick should the world No. 1 golfer not make the team on poin

Phillies' Gload leaves game >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies utilityman Ross Gload left Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a leg injury. In the sixth, Gload led off with a double, but started hobbling before reac

Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.