Rockets feel ready to contend in West

Basketball Betting Lines

07/22/2010 -

HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Rockets think they are ready to contend in the Western Conference, even after striking out on the big names in this summer's free-agent bonanza.

When their main target, Chris Bosh, opted to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, the Rockets turned their focus to luring center Brad Miller and retaining starting forward Luis Scola and point guard Kyle Lowry.

Houston introduced Miller on Tuesday and officially announced the re-signings of Scola and Lowry on Wednesday, the last major moves expected heading into next season. Even without Bosh, general manager Daryl Morey thinks the current roster is deep and talented enough to make a long playoff run.

``We feel very good about the set of players we have now,'' Morey said. ``We think it's a playoff team. We feel great about this team. We've got a lot of really high-quality players on this team, so improving it, it's going to be very, very difficult.''

The Rockets' hopes of returning to the postseason start with the healthy return of All-Star center Yao Ming, who missed last season following foot surgery. Morey says Yao is on schedule in his recovery and should be ready for training camp.

Houston was quiet early in free agency, but Morey vowed to match any offers to keep Scola and Lowry, who were restricted free agents. Lowry signed an offer sheet with Cleveland, and the Rockets matched it within a day.

``I didn't know if it would happen that fast, I didn't know if it would take seven days,'' Lowry said. ``But, hey, it happened in a quick enough way where we got it done.''

The 6-foot Lowry will again back up Aaron Brooks, voted the league's most improved player last season. Lowry said heading into the offseason that he would prefer a full-time starting role somewhere, but said Wednesday that he was happy to accept his old position.

``It's not an issue at all for me,'' Lowry said. ``Everyone knew I wanted to be a starter. The Rockets did what they had to do to retain my rights, and they had the option to match any offers out there. I'm back, I'm going to be the backup for Aaron, and things will work out how they're going to work out.''

The 6-foot-9 Scola started all 82 games last season, averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. He has appeared in every regular-season game over the past three seasons.

Once free agency began on July 1, Scola said he was nervous waiting for a deal to get done. He agreed to a five-year contract worth about $47 million.

``I was never a free agent before, so it was kind of hard,'' Scola said. ``I kept repeating to myself that I was working hard every year of my life and something good will happen, it's going to be OK. It was just anxious, 15 days is not a lot of days, but when you are in this situation, it was a long time for me. I was just anxious to get it done.''

With Lowry and Scola signed, the Rockets have 15 players under contract for next season. Houston went 42-40 and missed the playoffs last year.

The Rockets acquired shooting guard Kevin Martin in February in a complex deal that sent Tracy McGrady to New York. Martin has yet to play with Yao, and Scola said the biggest issue for Houston now is building chemistry.

``We still have some work to do, making everything work, with Yao and Kevin especially,'' Scola said. ``But I think we are in pretty good shape. I think we've got all the pieces.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwwcrockfordscasinos Basketball Betting News

<< D-Backs edge Mets in 14 to complete rare sweep
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Snyder's hit to the gap in left-center field scored Justin Upton with the winning run in the 14th inning, boosting Arizona to a 4-3 win over the New York Mets, as the Diamondbacks completed their f

<< Billingsley tosses shutout as Dodgers avoid sweep
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey Blake hit a solo homer and drove in another run with a single to back Chad Billingsley's second career shutout, as the Los Angeles Dodgers snuck past the San Francisco Giants, 2-0, in a pitcher

<< Gutierrez gets clutch hit in 11th as M's top ChiSox
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Franklin Gutierrez stroked a two-run single in the bottom of the 11th inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1, to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Safeco Field. The White S

<< Isner wins another long match
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded American John Isner needed a little more than 2 1/2 hours to beat Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7), in the second round Wednesday at the Atlanta Tennis Champio

<< Padres rally past Braves in extras
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Hundley's pinch-hit, two-run double in the top of the 12th inning lifted San Diego to a 6-4 win over Atlanta in the middle game of a series at Turner Field between division leaders. The National Lea

Struggling Tigers in need of deadline help >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching and the post-all-star break blues in full effect, the Detroit Tigers have some serious soul-searching to do before July 31st. Heading into the Mid-Su

Henry not the solution as MLS seeks legitimacy >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer has long been hoping to acquire a sense of legitimacy within the soccer world. The acquisition of players with marketing appeal has long been a tenet the league has used in order to gain su

Tigers hope to build a win streak versus Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After finally putting an end to their worst skid of the season, the Detroit Tigers will turn to their ace pitcher in hopes of starting a winning streak in this afternoon's opener of a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Ja

Reds' Volquez takes mound in finale with Nationals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationals' rotation has gotten a jolt ever since Stephen Strasburg joined the club in June. The Reds are hoping for a similar result from Edinson Volquez. Volquez will make his second start since returning

Rockies hope to solve Marlins ace Johnson >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rockies struggled against one Marlins starter last night. Their offensive scuffle could be extended another day as Colorado is set to face Florida's Josh Johnson this afternoon in the finale of a four-game set at

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting