James, Cavs attracting bettors to NBA season
Once a villain, LeBron James has reversed roles, the “King” coming home to the Cleveland Cavaliers with seemingly unanimous approval from the public. It’s a good story, and the media will hype every angle of it.
From now until June, James will get more TV time than Viagra commercials.
The Cavaliers are the No. 1 reason to watch the NBA this season, like it or loathe it, and most bettors are liking it. Cleveland is the favorite to win the championship, at 5-2 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas sports book, and the most supported team by the public.
And that means bookmakers will be rooting against the Cavaliers with an attitude from now until June.
“The Cavaliers are going to be the prominent team driving the talk in the NBA,” Westgate oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said.
Believe it or not, Cleveland is one of only five teams capable of winning the title. If you don’t believe it, check the futures board at the Westgate, where the Cavaliers are followed by San Antonio (3-1), Oklahoma City (9-2), Chicago (6-1) and the Los Angeles Clippers (8-1).
The gap between the Clippers and the next team on the board — the Golden State Warriors at 25-1 — is substantial.
But are the Cavaliers even the best team in the Eastern Conference? Playing second fiddle to James’ return to Cleveland is star guard Derrick Rose’s return to the court in Chicago. Rose, wrecked by knee injuries since being voted Most Valuable Player in 2011, could be a thorn in James’ side.
“While the basketball world pays attention to developments in Cleveland, savvy NBA insiders are keeping a closer eye on the Bulls, who are hoping to finally pick up where they left off in the 2012 playoffs when Rose first injured a knee,” said The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall.
“If Rose is really back to his former explosive form, it’s the Bulls, not the Cavs, that are likely the team to beat in the East. Rose now has a more refined supporting cast, too.”
Chicago lured veteran forward Pau Gasol away from the Los Angeles Lakers to pair him on the front line with Joakim Noah. In charge of putting it all together is Tom Thibodeau, one of the league’s sharpest coaches.
The Bulls’ regular-season win total is 55, and Marshall said, “As long as Rose and Gasol stay healthy, the Bulls should threaten 60 wins and top the East.”
As far as a potential sleeper team in the East, keep an eye on the New York Knicks. It might be a reach, but the Knicks are under new leadership — Phil Jackson as president and Derek Fisher as coach — and Carmelo Anthony is surrounded by an improved cast.
The Knicks have a better shot of topping their win total of 40 than the Indiana Pacers do of surpassing 32½ wins. The losses of Paul George, who suffered a gruesome broken right leg over the summer in Las Vegas, and Lance Stephenson, who took off for Charlotte, left the Pacers without much of a scoring punch.
“In the East, it starts with Cleveland and Chicago, and you have a big dropoff after that,” Sherman said. “The Pacers look like a complete mess.”
The same could be said of the Los Angeles Lakers, who suffered through a 27-win season while Kobe Bryant played only six games. Bryant’s return is another interesting comeback story, but the Lakers’ win total (29) and odds to win the championship (300-1) indicate interest will die quickly.
“The Lakers are too old and slow defensively, and I see Kobe coming back from the injury having diminished ability and being an outside shooter,” Sherman said. “At this point, I would be surprised if the Lakers get over 30 wins.”
The West shapes up a shootout with the Spurs, Thunder and Clippers owning the quickest triggers. The Warriors, a public favorite because of their style of play, are a long shot, yet Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are never out of range.
Oklahoma City will struggle until Kevin Durant (broken foot) returns sometime in December, so I bet the Thunder under 54 wins.
“You could say the Clippers are No. 2 and put an asterisk by it now,” Sherman said. “When Durant is healthy, I think it’s the Spurs and Thunder. The Spurs seem like they have been old forever, but they just keep doing what they do. Age is going to catch up to them at some point.”
Not to slight the Spurs — and the defending champions are fine flying under the radar — but the Cavaliers’ title quest is the dominant theme of this season. James is in Cleveland now only because San Antonio dismantled Miami in five games in the Finals.
James joined point guard Kyrie Irving, recruited power forward Kevin Love and assembled his new dream team to make a run at being the homecoming king.
“I could see the Cavs starting out somewhat slow,” Sherman said. “I don’t know about chemistry. It might not click right away.”
But, eventually, it will click for the Cavaliers, who will top their win total of 58 by winning 60 and running into the Bulls in the East finals. The ending to the story will be written in June.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.
