Oh, Sir Charles, the world would be a boring place without you. Aside from his brilliant analysis on TNT, his “turrible” golf swing and a Hall-of-Fame basketball career, Mr. Barkley has had some problems with the law in his lifetime. There is a well-documented gambling addiction and a 1991 spitting incident, and now he has been arrested for being suspected of a DUI in Arizona, where Barkley is well known from his years with the Phoenix Suns. There’s never a dull moment with Sir Charles, and I suggest online sportsbooks should have an annual “What will Charles Barkley do next?” bet.

Well, at least we know he won’t be on the roads for New Year’s (hopefully). Be safe, y’all, until 2009, in the meantime….try and figure out how Barkley still has a working spine after this swing:

Maybe he can take lessons from John Daly, who was just suspended for six months by the PGA for various Dalyisms, all involving alcohol. They both like the booze and the gambling, and they grew up in the South, but they might need a ride to the driving range. Any volunteers?

So….within a week or two of each other, we get reports saying that Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis both want to leave their teams, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. These two formed one of the most exciting NBA duos in recent memory, powering the Warriors through an enthralling two-round run in the 2006-07 playoffs, punctuated by:

Now, it’s not like the Warriors or Clippers had great NBA betting odds to start with. The Warriors would be a bit improved, but still not challenging in the West, while the Clippers….well, the less said about them, the better. But the tandem of B-Diddy and Captain Jack were as entertaining as anyone in the league, and sometimes, that’s all that matters.

During the 1990s, Gary Payton was one of my favorite NBA players. He died a slow,  tragic death in the 2000s when he played for Milwaukee, L.A., Boston and Miami, but it’s a safe bet myself and thousands of NBA betting fans will never forget about him.

And odds are this guy never will either:

First things first…..I’d cancel Christmas if it meant this never happened:

Now, I know Vince Carter essentially stopped playing for the Raptors, and engineered his trade to New Jersey, for which the Raptors got virtually nothing. We wondered just how “injured” he was when things as small as a sprained finger made him fall to the ground like he was shot with a potato gun. But Carter thrives on being the villian, as proven by the video above, and the fact that he’s put up 29.5 points, 9.5 boards and 5.5 assists in two trips to the Air Canada Center this season. So maybe we should try cheering on Vinsanity when he hits the ACC next season (the Nets don’t come to Toronto again this year). At least we still have better NBA betting odds than Carter’s Nets.

I know: I can’t do it either. I’ll boo Vince at his funeral. But it was worth a thought. Then again, it should be just about time for this to happen:

Four teams that met in last year’s playoffs will highlight Wednesday’s NBA betting slate, as Boston heads to Atlanta, while New Orleans hosts San Antonio in the late game.

Celtics vs Hawks odds

Providing they win Monday’s game at home against Utah, the Celtics could have a 15-game winning streak heading into this meeting with the team that took them to seven games in the first round of last season’s playoff run to the title. The Celtics needed a last-second shot from Paul Pierce to edge the Hawks 103-102 at home on November 12th. The Celtics will be NBA betting favorites for this game, and while the Hawks are decent on the road, they will be no match for Boston on their homecourt.

Spurs vs Hornets odds

The Hornets will be looking for a small measure of revenge after losing to the Spurs in seven games in the second round last year, including a heartbreaking loss on their home floor in the deciding game. This will be a matchup of two of the best point guards in the league in New Orleans’ Chris Paul and San Antonio’s Tony Parker. The Spurs have a six-game winning streak coming into this game, and should come away with the victory as an NBA betting underdog in this contest, as the Hornets play on the road the previous night, while San Antonio has the night off.

Fans of both NCAA basketball betting and NBA betting will have some action this weekend, as there is a top 20 battle on the college front, as well as a state rivalry matchup, while Atlanta tries to stop this rampaging Cleveland train in the NBA.

Memphis vs Georgetown odds

The No.19 Hoyas should be favored at home against the No.17 Tigers, and Memphis will have to find a way to penetrate Georgetown’s stifling defense. Look for the Hoyas to pull out a tough victory.

Xavier vs Cincinnati odds

“The Crosstown Shootout” doesn’t get the pub that other college hoops rivalries get, but it is one of the closest, as the last six games have been decided by no more than 11 points. Unbeaten Xavier could be favored on the road, but if they aren’t, it won’t be an upset when the Muskateers win.

Cavaliers vs Hawks odds

The red-hot Cavaliers should be NBA Northbet.com betting favorites in this contest, and if they win Friday night at home against Philadelphia, they will be carrying an 11-game winning streak into this game. The Hawks are looking to avenge a 110-96 loss in Cleveland on November 22nd, but the Cavs have won seven of their last ten trips to “Hotlanta”. Look for Cleveland to make it eight of 11.

The Suns were already becoming an increasingly shaky pick in NBA betting.  Then Steve Kerr had to deal away Raja Bell and Boris Diaw. Hey, no disrespect to J-Rich. But Kerr is messing with best friends forever here. Steve Nash was heartbroken to see his main man Raja leave. Don’t expect him to hang around in the desert much longer, online betting fans. Don’t expect to see Phoenix favored in NBA lines as much either. Well, at least until Nash adjusts to losing his BFF.

Davidson’s Stephen Curry is no longer a secret, and NBA betting players are just waiting to see if the sharp-shooting junior will be making the jump to the L. It should be a mere formality, as Curry figures to be one of the top five picks should he choose to leave. Curry has even added to his game, as he was asked to play the point when Jason Richards graduated, and he has responded by racking up 6.9 assists so far this season, up from 2.9 last year. Not only that, Curry has increased his scoring, from last year’s 25.9 to 30.8 points a night. Curry’s work ethic is what will keep him from going to the NBA graveyard for “tweener” guards.

Now see where he gets the quick release from:

Okay, it’s still early in the season, and Phoenix still has a respectable 12-9 record ahead of tonight’s game with Milwaukee. You can still get solid NBA betting odds for the Suns for the NBA title and in the Western Conference, but it’s not looking (or sounding) pretty in the desert these days. Amare Stoudamire has been the most vocal about the new offense, which seems to focus on Shaquille O’Neal when he is in the game. This is just ridiculous because, first of all, this ain’t the early 2000s anymore, and second:

Seriously, Terry Porter: Stoudamire has already said he would explore the market during the sweepstakes of 2010, and you’re not doing your team any favors. Nash and Shaq aren’t getting younger, so you need to build around this beast. NBA betting players will thank you for it.

Word has just trickled down that Randy Wittman, coach of the dead-in-the-water Minnesota Timberwolves, has been relieved of his duties. This probably illicited cheers of joy from the seven Minnesota fans left in the league. But those seven were left shaking their heads when it was announced that Kevin McHale will step down from his VP of Basketball Operations post to coach the team. Yes, the same McHale that has drafted the likes of William Avery and Rashad McCants, and traded away the likes of Ray Allen, Brandon Roy and now O.J Mayo after drafting them. If it wasn’t for the pick of Kevin Garnett in 1995 (see video below), McHale may have went down as unequivocally the worst executive of all time. He did okay in an interim position after firing Flip Saunders in 2005, but it doesn’t even matter if Phil Jackson was coaching these Wolves…..NBA betting players already know to stay clear of Minnesota.

So, what happens now? Al Jefferson and Kevin Love form a good young duo in the post, and it’s a shame that Corey Brewer wrecked his knee as he was starting to improve. But Mike Miller should be gone by the trade deadline, and Randy Foye has yet to pan out how McHale thought he would. The Timberwolves could be even placing themselves in the queue for the 2010 sweepstakes, and Minnesota fans probably won’t care. They’ve been bad for so long, what’s a couple more years?

Those were the days: