Baseball betting players likely won’t have to share the sports betting spotlight this fall with the NBA, as the league’s owners and players are locked in a work stoppage that is going to be far more brutal and drawn out than the NFL’s recent lockout. A lot of sportsbooks have taken down their odds for the upcoming season, which tells you that it isn’t going to be pretty if you’re looking to scratch your NBA itch.

Billy Hunter, who is the leader of the players’ union, has said that he wouldn’t bet on a season being played this year, due to the owners’ unwillingness to compromise on certain aspects of the collective bargaining agreement. Commissioner David Stern is negotiating on the behalf of the owners, and Hunter says that a few of the new owners are not willing to budge on any of their demands, and that the two sides are about $800 million apart. They have met just once since the lockout began on July 1st, and they may have gone backwards in terms of progress after that meeting, with no others scheduled anytime soon.

The owners have yet to make a statement since Hunter spoke to the media, but it looks clear that they are ready to sacrifice a season to try and bring salaries down. The two sides in the NFL were at least ready to compromise; no one is budging in the NBA, and it could lead to the biggest stars in the league heading overseas, like Deron Williams going to Turkey. Either way, you won’t see any odds for the NBA in your sports betting book anytime soon.

After five interminable months, it appears the NFL labour dispute might come to an end sometime in the next couple of weeks – early enough to salvage a full 16-game regular season. Despite agonizing legal manoeuvring and aggravating bluster from both sides, logic seems to be prevailing as everyone paused and thought, “Wait a minute. We have this enormous, delicious pie. Instead of screaming over who gets more pie, why don’t we just get around to splitting it instead of letting it get stale?”

But for those of you who need your fix of monotonous labour negotiation news, the NBA is here to pick up the slack. Those of you who have souls and prefer competitive sporting events over hearing the words “hard cap” and “revenue sharing” repeated ad nauseum, buckle up.

And maybe take up a hobby, because we might not be watching basketball in November.

The NFL’s problems basically stemmed from one problem – the league is bringing in a huge amount of money, and both the players and owners thought they were entitled to a large portion of it. (See the clichéd pie analogy above.)

The NBA has a much different problem. Despite enjoying one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, thanks in large part to the vilified Miami Heat and the Bulls’ return to prominence, the owners claim the league lost $340 million last season. (Note: You’re going to see a lot of discussion about that veracity of that figure.) If it seems hard to believe that the Association could lose that kind of money when the on-court product is so popular, remember that Rashard Lewis makes nearly $20 million a season. For those just tuning in, Rashard Lewis scores 11.7 points per game. 109 NBA players scored more than him last year. Only one made more money.

The league believed that a luxury tax would prevent owners from handing out long, inflated contracts, but it simply hasn’t worked. The teams that can afford to pay the tax (Lakers, Mavs, Knicks, etc.) have done so liberally, forcing small-market teams to overpay their way into the red. As a result, the league will push for a hard salary cap and four-year limits to contracts.
If it sounds like the owners are trying to regulate against their own stupidity, like installing a breathalyser on their car’s ignition – well, that’s the players argument. (“It’s not our fault you offered Eddy Curry $60 million without holding him accountable for his performance/pot belly! Do you realize how many steak sandwiches you can buy with $60 million?”)

The players believe that 22 owners are losing money because of a lack of revenue sharing – a model that has been paramount to the success of the NFL. The eight teams that make money, due primarily to big markets and secondly to good management, have no obligation to share that money with the less-successful smaller-market teams.
Trying to get the league – particularly big market owners like the Knicks’ James Dolan and Bulls’ Jerry Reinsdorf who would essentially be propping up failing business in cities like Sacramento and Charlotte – to agree to a revenue sharing model would cause a ton of infighting that will only draw the dispute out further.

The above is only a very shallow look at the crisis facing the NBA in the coming months. If it doesn’t look quite grim enough for you, note that the sides don’t plan on coming together for any full-scale negotiations until sometime in August – a lack of urgency born of stupidity, short-sightedness, stubbornness.

In the meantime, players are beginning to look overseas for a paycheque in the event the 2011-12 season is cancelled, much like NHL players did during their lockout in 2004-2005.

The tone of the discussions will undoubtedly change come fall when reality sets in for both sides, but right now there aren’t many reasons to get excited.

Unless, of course, you have a fetish for watching rich people argue over millions of dollars.

A lot of breeders cup betting players may remember Shaquille O’Neal more for what he has done off the court than on, so here is a look back at Shaq’s best off-court moments, although there are surely more.

Feuding With Sacramento

Back in the early 2000s when Shaq’s Lakers were up against Sacramento, O’Neal took delight and calling the Kings “The Queens”, and then he backed it up with his play on the court, although there may have been some officiating help.

Back And Forth With Kobe

It’s a shame that these two superstars couldn’t co-exist, but Shaq’s legendary video performing a rap “tribute” to Bryant, asking the guard how a part of his anatomy tastes, is a classic moment in this feud.

Shaq The Rapper

Shaq’s first two albums, “Shaq Diesel” and “Shaq-Fu: Da Return” were actually decent rap records, although you shouldn’t bother with “You Can’t Stop The Reign” or “Respect”. The less said about his acting career, the better.

The Nicknames

Where to start: O’Neal went by “The Diesel”, “The Big Aristotle”, “The Big Shaqtus” (from his time in Phoenix), “The Big Shamrock” (from his Boston stint) and many others that earned laughs from fans and reporters alike.

The Best Media Personality Of Our Generation

Michael Jordan may be the most important media personality in the history of basketball, but Shaq was the best of this generation and maybe of all time, in any sport. He was entertaining, humorous, he could have a biting wit when he wanted to, and always accessible to his fans. There won’t be another Shaq for a long time, in terms of on-court play or dealing with the media. Now you can bet on which NBA broadcast Shaq will land on in your online sportsbook.

PayPerHead.com, an online sportsbook service provider for local agents, today unveiled a new campaign featuring Vince Curatola, Johnny Sack of The Sopranos fame.

The campaign leads with Vince asking “Five bucks per head, that’s what I wanna pay…” and the website, featuring video and voice overs by Vince, walks you through the product, the process and the competition.

“Five bucks a head is really an industry first given our level of service,” a spokesman from PayPerHead.com explained. “And we very carefully and in great detail delineate on the website exactly what you get and at what price level at PayPerHead versus the other serious players, such as ABC Per Head.”

You get a great deal of sports betting services, including not only the traditional online sportsbook but an optional casino, live poker, in game live betting, mobile betting, tools for managing players and their funds, layoff and scalp accounts, even a “sharp check.” “We have the sharpest lines out there and one of the most experienced stages anywhere offshore,” the spokesman said, “so if we start seeing sharp action from one of your players, we can give you a heads up. What you want to do with him is up to you.”

The choice of Vince Curatola was an interesting one. “We always liked Vince’s character on The Sopranos, as John “Johnny Sack” Sacramoni,” the PayPerHead spokesman said. “He had a certain style, classy, but not over the top; there’s a calmness and authority about him that we really admire.  He brings that serious business demeanor to PayPerHead.com, the first sportsbook-service to EVER feature any kind of celebrity in its marketing.”

With post-up books like BetUS, Sportsbook.com and SportsInteraction stopping taking US players, Bodog and others struggling with “Ecom” processing problems, the street scene is heating up and players are posting daily in forums looking for a “local out.” Most players want the huge selection of markets, including live in-game betting, and the convenience of anytime betting online or via a mobile device, but more and more, we hear players say “they want to bet online but want to settle in cash on Monday.”

Many in the industry think this is the future of online sports betting – and it very well could be. And with firms like PayPerHead.com investing in marketing in an unprecedented way (celebs, who’d have thunk it?!) and in product (they also offer live poker, casino and in-game betting), expect to see this sector grow significantly this season.

For more information, see PayPerHead.com.

It’s not quite the NHL trade deadline, but there’s still some excitement for Thursday’s weekly doubleheader in the NBA on TNT. Two of the league’s biggest superstars will do battle in Florida, while there should be a shootout in the desert in the late game.

Lakers vs Heat odds – Thursday, March 4, 8:00 PM ET

The Heat should be favored at home, and even though they’ve dropped five of their last six against the Lakers overall, the Heat have beaten the Lakers in four of the last five meetings in Miami. The first meeting came on December 4^th, when Kobe Bryant hit a three-point bank shot over Dwyane Wade to give the Lakers a 108-107 win in Los Angeles. Bryant is a little than fresher than Wade, who came back from a calf injury two games ago, and the Heat supporting cast isn’t much better than a college team, even at home. They won’t keep it that close with the Lakers again.

Jazz vs Suns odds – Thursday, March 4, 10:30 PM ET

The Suns should be favored at home, where they are 23-7. They’ll be out to avenge a 124-115 loss in Utah on January 25^th, in which Andrei Kirilenko went for 25 points, while Carlos Boozer dominated his matchup with Amare Stoudamire, going for 21 points and 20 boards while Stoudamire had just 16 and five rebounds. The Jazz did lose in Los Angeles to the Clippers on Monday, but the Suns will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday, so the Jazz will be rested, and we all know that the Suns just ended an 18-game losing streak on TNT with a win over Dallas on January. Take Utah for the upset on the road.

Every year there is at least one college basketball player that gains recognition as being above the rest.

This year, that player is Kentucky’s John Wall.

When the number two-ranked Wildcats travel to number thirteen-ranked Tennessee this Saturday, the nation’s most highly touted player will attempt to lead his team to its eighth straight victory. A win would also mean a perfect February for Kentucky. Wall is a big reason why the college basketball odds are in its favor.

Wall has it all. Strength, speed, hops, and a smooth stroke from mid range are a few of the wide variety of attributes in the freshman’s arsenal. His transition game and driving ability have helped him to record an average of 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, and four rebounds per game in leading Kentucky to 27 wins in 28 games this season.

The Wildcats will face a Tennessee team attempting to bounce back from a loss to Florida that pushed them one game back of the Gators in both conference play and overall.

Head coach Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers have done an excellent job remaining competitive in the SEC East. Many critics had Tennessee written off after the school suspended four players, including the dismissal of forward Tyler Smith, but the team has persevered. Injuries, in addition to the aforementioned changes have forced Pearl to change the way his team plays, a task the fifth-year coach of the Volunteers has proven capable of handling.

This will be the final of two games these teams will play against one another this season. Kentucky took the first at home, 73-62 on Feb. 13.

Defending not only one of the best players in the country, but one of the top teams in the nation will be a monumental task for Tennessee. But the Volunteers have experienced adversity, and that adversity has prepared them for the task at hand.

We’re betting management in the SEC had circled Saturday on their calendar as soon as John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, because that means that Calipari and Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl will meet twice a year now. Calipari’s Wildcats will look to defend their home court when Pearl’s Volunteers come to Lexington on Saturday night.

Tennessee vs Kentucky odds – Saturday, February 13, 9:00 PM ET

The No.12 Volunteers (18-5, 6-3) were thumped 90-71 at Vanderbilt in their last outing, and they may have been looking ahead to Kentucky already, and got caught by an underrated Commodores squad. Still, the Volunteers are in the hunt in the SEC, and senior forward Wayne Chism has stepped up his game, averaging 20.5 points over his last four games.

The No.3 Wildcats (23-3, 8-1) have won four straight since they were upset at South Carolina, and freshman center DeMarcus Cousins is working on a streak of seven double-doubles in a row, including 16 points and 13 boards in a 66-55 win over Alabama.

The Wildcats will be favored at home, where they are 16-0 this year, and Tennessee has lost eight of their last nine trips. The matchup between Chism and Cousins in the post will be one to watch, but that will also free up Patrick Patterson for Kentucky. Calipari and Pearl split their four meetings when the two faced off, and to break the tie, Calipari will use a wicked homecourt advantage, as well as a huge inside presence in Cousins and Patterson, to take game one of this anticipated series.

NCAA basketball betting pick: Kentucky

NBA betting players are still gung ho on the Los Angeles Lakers to defend their championship, but they’ve had the benefit of an easy schedule over the first half of the season, and now they have some injury concerns as they head into the All-Star break.

Kobe Bryant has been saddled with a broken finger and back spasms, but it’s an ankle injury that is keeping the former MVP and Olympian out of the lineup. Bryant’s left ankle was already sore before Lamar Odom stepped on it in a 99-97 win over Charlotte last Wednesday, a win that gave Phil Jackson the lead for most wins by a Laker coach. Bryant still scored 33 points in a loss in Denver, but then sat out wins over Portland and San Antonio. Andrew Bynum is also on the injured list with a bruised hip, and if the Lakers have their way, both of their starters will sit out until after the All-Star break. The Lakers will head to Utah on Wednesday night, and while Bynum is unlikely to play, Bryant said he will be a gametime decision. This is where Jackson has to pull rank and order Bryant to sit, as well as passing on the All-Star game (or at least play minimal minutes). The Lakers have a hard road to go until they get to the playoffs, as 17 of their last 28 games will be on the road, and while some point to a more balanced offense and more passing when Bryant is out, the Lakers are only 19-23 without their leader since 2003-04, and it’s an understatement to say that their NBA odds stand a better chance with Bryant in the lineup.

I wonder what the sports betting odds were on how long it would take Allen Iverson to return to the NBA. “The Answer” made his return to the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia 76ers in a 93-83 loss to Denver, where Iverson was traded to last year from Detroit. Iverson played 38 minutes, going 4-of-11 from the floor for 11 points, while adding six assists and five boards for the 76ers. Quite frankly, this is the best scenario for Iverson, and for the 76ers’ NBA betting odds.

First, Philadelphia fans LOVE Iverson. I mean, the last time they were good, he was the reason for it. They’ll follow that dude through a fire if they have to. Second, Iverson seems to realize that it’s Andre Igoudala’s team, as Iggy had 31 against the 76ers. Now, I have no problem with Iverson playing major minutes….as long as he understands that he’s no longer a superstar and starts jacking up 30 shots a game. Iverson is an excellent complementary piece if he keeps his head together, and you never know: the 76ers could be an NBA betting darkhorse in your sportsbook if Iverson sticks to the script.