NBA Rookie of the Year?
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Each June, NBA general managers make their bets by sorting through the available talent in the annual draft. Of course, it can take years for their picks to pay off (think Andrew Bynum).
But in the gambling world, there’s no time to wait. Check out the odds on gambling site BetED.com about players with the best chance to win NBA rookie of the year honors for the 2008-09 season. Generally, their odds don’t match up with last summer’s draft order -- and there is one glaring player omission.
Compare these lists:
NBA Draft 2008:
1. Derrick Rose, guard, Chicago
2. Michael Beasley, forward, Miami
3. O.J. Mayo, guard, traded to Memphis
4. Russell Westbrook, guard, Oklahoma City
5. Kevin Love, forward, traded to Minnesota
6. Danilo Gallinari, forward, New York
7. Eric Gordon, guard, Clippers
8. Joe Alexander, forward, Milwaukee
9. D.J. Augustin, guard, Charlotte
10. Brook Lopez, center, New Jersey
11. Jerryd Bayless, guard, traded to Portland
12. Jason Thompson, forward, Sacramento
BetED.com’s top odds on NBA rookie of the year *
1. Michael Beasley +150
2T. Derrick Rose +250
2T. O.J. Mayo +250
4. Eric Gordon +550
5. Kevin Love +600
6T. Russell Westbrook +900
6T. D.J. Augustin +900
6T. Jerryd Bayless +900
9T. Brandon Rush +1,200
9T. Brook Lopez +1,200
9T. Joe Alexander +1,200
12. Danilo Gallinari +1,400
(*The odds mean that a $100 bet on Beasley pays $150 profit if he wins the rookie title.)
As you can see, Clippers shooting guard Eric Gordon jumped from the No. 7 draft pick to the fourth-best odds on the rookie award list, although he is nursing an ankle injury.
And the glaring oversight? It’s Portland center Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Oden didn’t play a game for the Trail Blazers last season because of a knee injury, so Oden is eligible for rookie of the year honors this season. Oden, however, isn’t on the BetED.com rookie list.
Oden rolled his ankle during practice this week. But Lakers fans should get an early look at him because the Lakers open their season at home Oct. 28 against the Trail Blazers in what figures to be Oden’s NBA regular-season debut.
-- Barry Stavro
