Online sports betting players are just dying to see how Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest interact as teammates after so many battles in opposite uniforms, but Artest is trying to take some of the attention off the Lakers’ superstar with some recent words. However, it may not have been the best choice of words.

Artest came out and told the media that he wanted the blame if the Lakers don’t repeat as NBA champions. Now, that’s a bold statement. Granted, the Lakers are sure to be at the top, or at least near the top, of the list of favorites in your offshore sportsbook, but that’s a huge burden to have on you. Shoot, ask Tracy McGrady:

Because the pressure can make you go:

Now granted, Artest is much tougher than McGrady, his former Houston teammate, but maybe he should just get used to running the triangle before he goes making statements like this. Then again, that’s why we love Ron Ron, isn’t it?

Crazy Ron Artest or not, still, the Lakers will be one of the most popular sports picks of the fall.

All kinds of things going on in the online betting industry this weekend, so check out:

UFC 103 Fight Card

For whatever reason, I’m looking forward to seeing Josh Koscheck and Frank Trigg fight the most. Probably because I hate both of their guts. And because I’ve been watching this:

NFL Week 2 Odds

With the look on his face, did he know he was going to play that terribly against Green Bay? Will he throw four more picks against the Steelers this week?

Mayweather-Marquez odds

Seriously, this fight isn’t going to be easy. Marquez drew with Manny Pacquaio and lost a controversial split decision to Pac-Man, who Mayweather wants badly. This could be the event of the weekend.

While going over my NFL Week 2 betting odds, I ran across a report that said Golden State coach Don Nelson is keeping Stephen Jackson as captain of the Warriors, despite Jackson’s request to be traded to a contender.

Now, I love Stephen Jackson. I think he’s a great pickup for a team than needs a veteran presence already intact. He’s won a championship with San Antonio, and he’s proven that he’s still productive. But this is one year after he signed a contract extension for three years, worth $28 million. What’s the market like for a 31-year-old (who will be 32 in April) who is earning $7.7 million, and his salary goes up each year? Probably not that good considering that most teams are waiting to next summer’s free-agent blowout. Teams feel if they’re planning to spend that kind of money, they’ll do it on a younger player, which in all likelihood raises their online betting chances (unless you’re Boston).

I hope the Warriors do something to improve, because I think Jackson and the Warriors deserve each other. They should have never let go of Baron Davis, but that’s neither here nor there. Those two made paying and watching Golden State games worth the price per head, and I think he just misses having Davis there to share the leadership role. I didn’t plan on it in the first place, but when stuff like this comes up, it’s best to avoid putting these kind of teams in your sports picks.

Online betting players know that Blake Griffin, the first overall pick in the NBA draft, went to Oklahoma. The Sooners are more known for their football program, but in recent years, they’ve earned the title of “Chokehoma”, due to their play in big games. How did the Sooners fare in Week 1?

Despite being a 22-point favorite at a neutral-site that favored them (Dallas), the Sooners were beaten 14-13 by BYU, and more importantly, Heisman winner Sam Bradford was hurt and could miss 2-4 weeks of action. The Sooners’ NCAA football betting odds have definitely dropped, and now, even running the table may not get them back to a BCS bowl. However, that may be for the best, as the Sooners have lost their last five BCS games, including last year’s loss to Georgia in the championship game.

Last year, Oklahoma’s offense was worth the price per head to watch the Sooners set records, but it won’t be a smooth ride this year. We’re betting management at the University of Texas are licking their chops for October 17′s edition of the “Red River Rivalry”, where a comprehensive beatdown of the Sooners would allow some room for a loss. Meanwhile, the Sooners have a lot of work to do to shed their status as chokers.

Real online betting players know just how important Bruce Bowen was to San Antonio’s chances each and every year, until recently when coach Gregg Popovich said that Kobe Bryant was basically unguardable, and sent Bowen to Milwaukee for Richard Jefferson.

Brown came into the NBA in 1997 after playing in Europe, but settled in with San Antonio in 2001 and turned out to be one of the biggest pests in the league, ending up with three NBA titles, eight All-Defensive team honors, and a boatload of enemies. See, Bowen was a borderline dirty player, and he can deny it all he wants, but too many players have landed on his foot for it to be solely coincidental. He’s been accused by everyone from Vince Carter to Steve Nash of foul play, and they’re not really wrong. But the thing is, they were thinking about Bowen, and not on the game, which gave San Antonio the edge in your offshore sportsbook.

So, love him or hate him, we’re betting management all across the league is happy to see him finally bow out at age 38. So here’s to you, Bruce Bowen. I don’t like you one little bit, but you get respect from this sports betting blog.

Not like they’ll have great online betting odds anyway, but Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio saga is over (we think), and much like the last couple of years, it didn’t work out in their favor.

Rubio decided to sign with FC Barcelona (yes, they have a basketball program to go with their Champions League Betting winner of a soccer team), and won’t be over in the United States for at least two years, when he can buy out of his contract for a much-smaller fee than the one he had with his old club, DKV Joventut. He says that he didn’t wawnt to complicate his life, and the 19-year-old may have a point. Would YOU want to leave Spain for Minnesota? Shoot, I’d love to be in his position for soccer tickets alone, much less the weather. He still has to fill out a bit, and remember, when he gets over here, he’ll be at the ripe old age of 21.

Now, the flip side is, we’re betting management of the Timberwolves aren’t holding the point-guard spot open for Rubio, and they proved that by drafting Jonny Flynn with the very next pick in the draft. He could become a valuable trading chip for the Timberwolves. Also, the hype for Rubio was over-the-top before the draft. Now that all of this has gone down, if he’s not the second coming of Magic Johnson and Pistol Pete Maravich, there’s gonna be a lot of “I told you so” from his critics. Still, all signs point to him being improved in two years, and it should be a much-needed shot to some team’s offshore sportsbook odds.