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NBA Eye for the NCAA Guy online sportsbook rankings

Filed under: Bobcats, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Rockets, Suns, Warriors, Thunder

We live in a land of justice, equality, and unlimited opportunities for content. So with Ziller doing his best to convert die-hard NBA fans to the earthly delights of NCAA basketball, it’s only right that the other half be served. Did you see 30 Rock last night? Great episode. It’s like that. Sign me up and don’t stop believing. Anyway, if Shoals truly represents one of the few NBA super-experts who needs March Madness only as a draft primer, there must also exist folks whose love of basketball stops at the edge of college campuses. No matter. We are here to save your throats. The timing may not be ideal, but you can’t help when inspiration strikes. Ergo, here comes the inaugural edition of NBA Eye for the College Guy.

Everybody Loves Surprises: I know I’m getting presents on my birthday, but still, I demand they be wrapped in plastic, paper, and shale. That’s because nothing beats finding out something you didn’t know before, or even better, never saw coming. Remember Darren Collison, that UCLA guard with the uncertain jumper and limited floor game? He’s now playing at an All-Star level. Oh, I’ve got another one for you. His former teammate, Russell Westbrook — defensive stopper who lit up YouTube with a couple big dunks — has grown into a pure point who holds together the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the league’s better young teams. Crazy, isn’t it? One time I found my Holiday presents weeks before, and spent days trying to forget. But I was all the stronger for it. So I’ll end this with a big, red cherry on top: That John Wall kid will change your universe once he starts getting more than two square inches to operate in. Just a hunch.

ShareFallen Angels: We have a serious cultural problem with making heroes out of those taken from us too soon. Like JFK or Ghandi. That said, it is a lot of fun and allows to emit emotion that, given our repressive culture, might otherwise never come out. And if that doesn’t happen, your head explodes. So tune in, see your favorite schoolboy legends flailing, flouncing, and standing still on the bench like they still meant something, and shed a few glassy tears. If that gets you going, look into getting the EuroLeague pass.

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Dwight Howard Picks Up 15th Technical Foul, One More Is a Suspension online sportsbook rankings

Filed under: Magic, NBA Referees

When you think of players in the league who might be among the leaders in technical fouls on the season, the name Dwight Howard doesn’t immediately come to mind. After all, the guy is among the most fan-friendly superstars we have in the game today, and he just doesn’t seem like the type to let the officials have it to the point where he’s racked up more Ts than a guy like Rasheed Wallace.

But it’s true: Howard picked up his 17th technical foul of the season during his team’s overtime win in Miami on Thursday. Two have been rescinded by the league, which leaves him with an official tally of 15. If and when he gets number 16, he’ll have earned himself an automatic one-game suspension.

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“They want to call technicals on him, period,” Stan Van Gundy said.

“I’ve been trying to be extra careful, but it’s hard sometimes,” Howard said. “It gets frustrating. On one end, you feel like you don’t get any and sometimes you get calls that go against you.”

This is likely the crux of the problem for Howard.

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NCAA Eye for the NBA Guy: Midwest Regional, Day 2 online sportsbook rankings

Filed under: NBA Draft

As the March Madness 2010 begins, FanHouse’s NBA team looks at the top prospects in each regional.

The second day of action in the Midwest regional is chock full of NBA talent, starting with top-5 picks Evan Turner of Ohio State and Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech. You’ll also see prospects from Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Maryland, New Mexico State and Houston.

Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State
21 years old, 6′7, 205 lbs., Junior
Turner, a favorite for national P.O.Y, is locked into the top five of June’s NBA draft. There are even some (questionable) murmurs he could leap John Wall to the No. 1 spot for some teams (Utah is the only team which would do that, and even then …) and a strong chance he’ll be selected before Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins. DraftExpress currently has Turner at No. 2 to Minnesota (which makes so much sense it hurts), and if you tune into Turner’s game against U.C. Santa Barbara, you’ll see why. Basically, imagine Stephen Jackson lived in a land of munchkins, had a permanent sugar high and played pick-up basketball every day. That’s Turner. — T.Z.

Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech
18 years old, 6′10, 250 lbs., Freshman
Favors was ranked ahead of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Xavier Henry in many recruiting classes, and although his production hasn’t been at that level (12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds), his talent level certainly is. A tantalizing prospect that has all of the natural tools to become an NBA star, Favors is worth the hype. At 6′9, he is a freak athlete and a perfect fit for the new age of dynamic forwards in the NBA (i.e. Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Andre Iguodala). Watch out because Favors could propel 10-seeded Georgia Tech into the Sweet 16 if he asserts himself the way he is capable of doing. — Jordan Schultz

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