Vegas Odds
With only 24 hours to go until July 1, 2010 here are the latest odds on where LeBron will end up: Cleveland: +350 Miami: -140 (the new Favorites?!) New York: +1000 New Jersey: +1000 LA Clippers: +2000 At one time the Knicks were the favorite, now they are 10 to 1 underdogs as Vegas has been reacting to all the rumors out there. The odds have been shifting on a daily basis, so it will be interesting to see what direction they go in after the Akron meetings take place. |
|||
With the 2010 Free Agent buzz dominating all NBA discussions, Vegas has jumped in with their opinion on the top 5 Free Agents: Cavaliers -150 Dwyane Wade Heat -400 Chris Bosh Knicks +300 Amare Stoudemire Knicks +220 Carlos Boozer Jazz +300 These odds allow gamblers to put their money where their mouth is, while also splashing a dose of reality into all the speculation out there. Vegas is again shifting on LeBron, this time with the Bulls inching closer. Wade staying in Miami is as close to sure to a sure thing as you can get at -400. While Bosh, Stoudemire and Boozer still seem to be anyone's guess given how contingent they are on where LeBron lands. We'll continue to update any changes, which are sure to come as July 1st arrives and the official recruitment begins. |
|||
With all the hype and media frenzy over the fact that Miami and Chicago cleared additional dollars last night in an effort to create even more cap room has had no impact on where LeBron will sign in 2010 according to Vegas. The odds still stand as:
This is a actually surprising, seeing the Knicks now in the #2 position in terms of cap dollars to Miami and Chicago getting a few extra dollars is a little scary. According to ESPN here is a breakdown of cap space among the top teams after last night: |
|||
Getting knocked out of the playoffs has really thrown everyone and brought out the "he's out of there" talk, but its not the only thing its mixed up. Vegas no longer has odds for what team he will play for in 2010. It's rumored that because of some of the current statements from GM's etc, Chicago is going to come in as the favorite, followed by New York, then Cleveland. This drops the Cavs from the clear favorite at -250 to not even the #2, but #3 most likely destination. Update- 12:30: Rumors were off, Vegas has now re-posted odds, the Cav's have dropped to -150, Bulls are now second followed by the Knicks. Cavs: -150 I personally just don't see LeBron letting his Legacy be second tier to MJ's in Chicago, but it is an appealing destination. |
|||
You would think this would shift the odds further in Cleveland's favor, but the Vegas Sharps would disagree. The Cavs are no longer 1:3 favorites and the Knicks are no longer 3 to 1; both bets have changed with $100 bet on the Knicks now paying only $175. Cavaliers -250 Knicks +175 Field (Any Other Team)+500 Nets +3000 Pistons +5000 |
|||
The trade deadline yielded LeBron a proper running mate in Antawn Jamison while holding onto their young talented forward JJ Hickson. Then, thanks to a loophole that David Stern will squash in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Wizards waived Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the center piece (pun intended) of the Jamison trade and he returned to Cleveland. To summarize, the Cavs acquired an all-star willing to play second fiddle to Lebron for Nothing AND they retained their biggest trade chip to package this summer and obtain more talent. 
We began posting the Vegas Odds in February 2009. Back then, a $100 bet paid $170 if LeBron went to the Knicks and $175 if he went to the Cavs. Only a year ago, Vegas essentially considered it a toss up. Since that time the odds have dramatically shifted in Cleveland's favor. However, for the first time in 3 months, the trend has stopped and begun ever so slightly to change direction. For the past three months $100 bet on the Knicks paid $400, but now that same $100 only pays $300. Meanwhile Vegas has seemed to settle in on -300 or betting $300 to $100 as the right number for bettors who think LeBron stays home. Cavaliers -300 Knicks +300 Nets +700 Pistons +1200 Maybe it's the better play from Chandler and Gallo that increased some of the money being bet on the Knicks and forced Vegas to lower the odds. Maybe it's the better coaching and play of the team overall. Or maybe Vegas realized they could still generate the same amount of action without offering such steep odds and decided to limit their exposure. 3 to 1 are still long odds, but there was a certain other New York team facing 3 to 1 odds only 2 days ago. Today that team is getting ready for the AFC Championship game. Unfortunately for the Knicks, Nate Kaeding won't be able to help them on July 1, 2010. |
|||
The Odds continue to shift in Cleveland's favor. Apparently the oddsmakers in Vegas do not buy into LeBron's offseason innuendos. A $300 bet on LeBron to remain in Cleveland will pay you $100, while the same $300 bet on the Knicks pays of $1200! That's a very big spread and enticing one for Knick fans. Cavaliers -300 Knicks +400 Nets +500 Pistons +1000 For anyone who thinks Vegas always knows best, just remember their job is too place the odds at figures that will encourage the most action on each bet. And if you think they're right anyway, don't forget they had Hilary favored to beat Obama up until the primary election night and that didn't happen either... |
|||
In February the Knicks were favored, by April both C2L voting and Vegas Odds had shifted slightly to Cleveland, but now we see the biggest indication yet that Cleveland is the official favorite for 2010 with a bet on them paying even money, while the Knicks pays 2 to 1: Knicks: +200 Nets: +350 Pistons: +550 It will be interesting to see the odds change if Superman and Co. can seal the deal and send the Cavs home. Theories abound as to the effect of a Championship for LeBron in 2009 vs. 2010 vs. none at all in Cleveland. But again, the bottom line is LeBron wants rings and piles of money. On July 1, 2010 he is going to sign with the team that gives him the best chance to achieve the most championships and financial gain - those are his stated goals. The Knicks should have cap room and some young pieces in D Lee, Chandler, Gallo and this year's #8 pick (Stephen Curry? Tyreke Evans?). That core with one other Free Agent signing sounds like a better option than the 4 guys that currently stand around and watch him play. Not to mention that group (I'm looking at you Mo Williams) will be older and if they fail this year and next it will be hard to believe they'll be in a better position in 2010-11. Maybe he should tell his boy Maverick Carter to the throw a little scratch on the Knicks at 2 to 1 for a bonus payment before he announces his decision... |
|||
