This weekend is as jammed as sports weekends can be, with the Daytona 500 odds and NBA betting colliding during the NBA All-Star Weekend.

So many events to ponder now, so I’ll cut right to the chase with my basketball betting picks here.

ROOKIE GAME: Basically, it’s Derrick Rose vs Kevin Durant. The Sophomores have won six straight, but I’m calling an upset here. Rose, Mayo and Oden will lead the way for the rooks. Pick ‘em at your sportsbook!

SKILLS CHALLENGE: Online betting fans should go with Tony Parker. No pressure on him and he can handle the ball with the best of ‘em.

H-O-R-S-E: Kevin Durant. The NBA betting community will awaken to his skills this weekend.

THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT: Kapono just doesn’t seem to have it this year, so why bet on him? Try Rashard Lewis or Danny Granger. Let’s go with Granger.

DUNK CONTEST: When superstars play in this contest, they usually win. So NBA betting fans should stick with defending champ Dwight Howard here and hope he pulls off a nice followup to this:

ALL-STAR GAME: LeBron runs this show now in the NBA All-Star game lines…he’ll team up with Howard and D-Wade to lead the East to its fourth victory in five years.

Or at least he will be. Sports betting fans should have Daytona 500 betting, NCAA basketball odds and the NBA All-Star game circled on their calendars over the next little while. Sadly, TNT’s coverage of the All-Star game won’t feature Sir Charles. Chuck has been hidden away since he was nailed for a DUI last month while driving to ‘get a blowjob’.

Barkley will return, however, once the festivites close. Here’s a taste of what we can look forward to once he returns.

March Madness betting fans wait every year for the tradition – the NCAA Tournament. That’s because everyone loves the upsets.

Here’s an update on all the key dates for the 2009 March Madness Tournament:

Selection Sunday: March 15, 2009 – NCAA basketball odds will be posted

Opening Round Game: March 17, 2009 – Play-in game

First Round: March 19-20, 2009 – That’s the day when 12 seeds upend 5 seeds on the college basketball point spread

Second Round: March 21-22, 2009

Third Round: March 26-27, 2009

Fourth Round: March 28-29, 2009 – Final Four odds will be posted

Final Four: April 4 & 6, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers will have plenty of time to go over his March Madness odds, as the former Blue Devil who won Player of the Year honors at Duke is being shut down for the rest of the season. It could be karma as Brand allegedly convinced Baron Davis to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, only to sign with the 76ers a few days later. It’s been an awful couple of seasons for the big power forward, who was sidelined all of last season with an Achilles injury, and now it’s a separated shoulder that is forcing him to go under the knife once again.

The best part? He can afford nice suits while sitting on the sidelines, as he makes an average of $29.1 million a season. I need his agent (but not his luck).

Well, it’s been an eventful week at Madison Square Garden. First, Kobe Bryant set an MSG-record with 61 points as his Lakers beat the New York Knicks. Two days later, LeBron James scored 52 in his triple-double performance in another win over the Knicks. Ahead of the matchup between these two NBA betting giants on Sunday in Cleveland, the question has to be posed: which one of these All-Stars do you want on your team?

James is younger, and physically, he’s just an all-around beast. He’s also seemed to develop defensively, and most think it’s due to his experience going up against Bryant when the two led the United States to a gold medal in Beijing last summer. Bryant is more experienced, and there isn’t a player in the league with more of a killer instinct than the man with the nickname, “The Black Mamba”. James is more apt to get his teammates involved, and Bryant will too, but as he proved against the Knicks, Kobe is more than willing to gun until his arms are tired. It’s a tossup, and this probably changes every day, but if I were to choose one player, for one season, or even one game, I’ll take Bryant. If I’m starting a franchise, Bron because of his age and “potential”. You couldn’t really go wrong with either player.

Every year, sportsbook players and casual fans alike argue over who should have made the All-Star team and who should have not. With the rosters set for 2009 NBA All-Star betting , here is a look at the All-Snub Team for this year (all statistics are from February 2).

Center – David Lee, New York

Lee is putting up 15.9 points and 11.7 boards, and has probably put himself at the top of this year’s free-agent list. Lee’s never said an ill word while playing his heart out in the wasteland that is the Knicks’ franchise, and while he’ll miss the All-Star game, he’ll be rewarded this summer.

Forward – Al Jefferson, Minnesota

Jefferson is one of three players in the league to put up 20/10 numbers (23.2 points, 10.6 boards). If the Timberwolves can hold onto Jefferson and rookie Kevin Love, Minnesota will have one of the best young post duos in the league.

Forward – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

The reigning Rookie of the Year will probably take his frustrations out in the Rookie game, and the lanky forward is the highest-scoring player left out of the All-Star game. His team is just too terrible, but if Durant continues to improve, an All-Star nod will be the least of his accomplishments by the time he’s through.

Guard – Ray Allen, Boston

It’s hard to feel bad for an 8-time All-Star, but Allen’s probably been the most consistent of the Celtics’ “Big Three” this season. Allen is putting up 18.0 points and dropping treys at a 41.1% clip, as well as 49.7% from the field and 94.0% from the foul line. Allen can take consolation in the fact that his Celtics still have great NBA betting odds to repeat as world champions.

Guard – Mo Williams, Cleveland

Williams is probably the top off-season acquisition of the campaign so far, becoming a valuable second option to LeBron James for the Cavaliers. Williams’ ability to run the team while James is on the bench will leave Cleveland’s MVP fresher for the postseason, which will be a huge boost to the Cavaliers’ NBA betting odds.

The NBA is coming up on the All-Star break, but a couple teams could see their NBA betting chances of winning the championship take a big hit courtesy of some ill-timed injuries to key players.

Orlando’s Jameer Nelson should be preparing to make his All-Star debut as the fifth-year guard is having a splendid season. However, Magic fans were left holding their breath when Nelson went down hard in Monday’s 105-95 loss at home to Dallas. Nelson has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and a dislocation in his right shoulder, but he has the option of rehabbing to get through to offseason surgery. Either way, this is a damaging blow to Orlando’s NBA betting odds, as the Magic don’t have a guard close to Nelson’s caliber (although rookie Courtney Lee has looked nice this year).

Out in Tinseltown, Andrew Bynum is wishing that he never has to face the Memphis Grizzlies again. The young center on the West-leading Lakers suffered a serious knee injury for the second straight year against the Grizz, this time coming on Saturday when he was run into by teammate Kobe Bryant. The Lakers’ NBA betting chances should still be in good shape, as they reached the Finals last year without Bynu, but it’s clear they are a much better team with him. Bynum is a major presence iin the post, which opens up the floor for Bryant (Monday’s 61-point explosion in New York notwithstanding) and Pau Gasol. Bynum won’t be back before the playoffs, and even then, it’ll be up in the air.

The Toronto Raptors were a great NBA betting pick to start the season, as it looked like Chris Bosh was ready to move into the upper echelon due to his Olympic experience. But Bosh has fallen off over the last couple of months, coinciding with the firing of Sam Mitchell. Also not coincidentally, Andrea Bargnani has flourished, leaving some to wonder if Bosh is on his way out of the door next season.

Both Bosh and Bryan Colangelo have moved to quash the rumors of Bosh’s exit, started by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith (side note: Smith is a loudmouth who is rarely right), but Bosh’s body language has been disturbing. In a 23-point loss at home to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on Sunday, Bosh looked completely overwhelmed by his counterpart, and spent most of his time sulking around. For Toronto to have a sniff of the postseason, they need their “All-Star” to start acting like one.

Now that the Super Bowl dust has settled, I’ve got some thoughts about the NBA All-Star selections made late last week. There are some notable snubs, as there are every year. In the East, Cleveland’s Mo Williams has had a huge hand in the boost to the Cavaliers’ NBA betting chances, but was passed over in favor of New Jersey’s Devin Harris, whose selection can’t really be argued either, other than the Cavs have a far better record. Boston’s Ray Allen is having a great year, but because of the strength of the swingman in the East (Boston teammate Paul Pierce, Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, Indiana’s Danny Granger), the veteran misses out.

In the West, some eyebrows were raised with the pick of Shaquille O’Neal, who is having a resurgent season in the desert. The fact that the game is held in Phoenix probably had a little to do with it, as Shaq is arguably the greatest ambassador the NBA has. However, Minnesota’s Al Jefferson is one of only three players in the league averaging 20 and 10. Also, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant is putting up absurd numbers, but both of these young stars play on terrible teams, and the thinking is that they’ll have plenty more chances to make it to the All-Star game.