San Antonio Spurs: NBA futures betting preview

The Mavericks captured the NBA title beating the Miami Heat in six games to bring the title back home to the Lone Star State. As far as Tim Duncan and company are concerned, the Larry O'Brien championship trophy is headed back to the right state just not the right city This was supposed to be the Spurs year. They finished with the best regular season record in the Western Division (61-21) and were just one-game behind Chicago for the best overall mark in the league. However they suffered a stunning first-round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and almost immediately the chants of "Break up the Spurs" began. Too old to compete? Tony Parker reportedly said the window for the Spurs to win another title had closed. He later retracted <a href="http://www.salehandbagsbags.com"><strong>cheap dior handbags for sale</strong></a> the statement but that doesn't mean there's not a hint of truth to it. San Antonio's "Big Three" of Parker, Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan have four NBA championships and if they retired tomorrow their legacies would be safe. But the Spurs are long in the tooth and they might be the only team that hopes for a NBA lockout and prolonged work stoppage as long as they don't lose the entire season. If that happens, look for Duncan to retire, Parker to get traded and Ginobli to be playing in Argentina. Every team in the league goes through its share of rumors be it trades or free-agent signings or retirements. The Spurs are no different. There are reports that San Antonio is shopping Parker who has hinted he'd like to play elsewhere. Ginobli is reportedly considering a return to Argentina if the NBA imposes a lockout. Duncan will return for another season but perhaps at less than the 21 million dollars he's set to earn. Depending on what the players give back to the owners in the next collective bargaining agreement, Duncan will likely earn less as will Kobe, LeBron, Dirk, etc. The new CBA will also determine things like maximum contracts, contraction and rookie salaries. The Spurs really can't make plans for 2011-2012 until they know what new rules will be in place. Can they do it again? Even with everyone back and healthy, it will be tough for the Spurs to accomplish what they did last season. With Duncan playing reduced minutes and games, Ginobli and Parker picked up the slack. Parker led the team in scoring (17.5), field-goal percentage (51.9) and assists (6.6). Ginobli was second in scoring (17.4) and was first in steals. Duncan's numbers have been on a steady decline since the ‘06-‘07 season. He averaged a career low 13.4 points per game but paced the Spurs with nearly nine rebounds per game. When the subject of age comes up Spurs fans can point to some impressive team numbers from last year that point to keeping the gang together for another season. Team Effort San Antonio was sixth in scoring (103.7) first in 3-point shooting (39.7) and fourth in field-goal percentage (47.5). From an NBA betting standpoint, the Spurs were one of the best ATS road plays in the league going 25-15-1. San Antonio also cashed as a road ‘over' team going 25-16. The Spurs are currently listed in the future betting odds at 15/1 to win the 2012 NBA title. The list is headed up by Eastern Conference champion Miami at 2/1. Derek Rose and the Chicago Bulls are listed at 6/1 and then it's the Thunder, Lakers and World Champion Mavericks at 7/1. Make no mistake about it there will be a lockout. But as long as it doesn't cost them an entire season than the Spurs, more so than any other NBA team, will benefit from the extra rest and shortened season. In <a href="http://##############.thelambda.sk/displayimage.php?pos=-82"><strong>cheap wholesale paypal adidas Adicolor jacket man adidas jackets ...</strong></a> that case they'll be changing the future odds several times between now and next season. Whenever that might be!