Kwame Brown, Michael Jordan reunited again

Basketball Betting Lines

08/23/2010 -

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is bringing back what's considered his worst move as a basketball executive: Kwame Brown.

The Bobcats on Monday agreed on a one-year deal with Brown for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. Agent Mark Bartelstein says Brown will sign on Tuesday.

Jordan was running the Washington Wizards when he selected Brown straight out of high school with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft. The big man turned out to be a major disappointment.

Jordan was later fired by the Wizards. He joined the Bobcats as a part owner in 2006, and bought the team outright this spring.

Now Jordan hopes the 6-foot-11 Brown will add depth. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds with Detroit last season.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 The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Sprotsillustrated Basketball Betting News

<< Redskins S Moore has knee surgery, out 4-6 weeks
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins safety Kareem Moore underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday and is likely to miss four to six weeks worth of action. Moore was expected to start in Washington's defensive ba

<< Shanahan has private meeting with Haynesworth
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The offseason drama involving Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth continued Monday, as head coach Mike Shanahan confirmed that he "had a conversation" with the two-time Pro Bowl se

<< Nats' Strasburg headed to DL
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm. According to the Mid-Atlantic Sportsbook Betting Lines, Strasbur

<< This Week in Golf - August 23rd through August 29th
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - THE BARCLAYS, Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey - It's playoff golf. The PGA Tour playoffs begin on Thursday with the first round of The Barclays. The top 125 on the FedEx Cup regular-s

<< Power conquered the courses, but can he survive the ovals?
Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Power has undoubtedly established himself as the king of the road/street courses in the IZOD IndyCar Series this year, but can the Team Penske driver hang on to win the series championship with the last four r

Nats' Strasburg going back on DL, to have 2nd exam >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Stephen Strasburg is headed back to the disabled list, and his prized right arm will undergo yet another examination that will largely determine whether he pitches again this season.The Washington Nationals rookie will have a second

Dodgers to keep Triple-A team in Albuquerque >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they have extended their Triple-A minor league player development partnership with the Albuquerque Isotopes through the 2012 season. Albuquerque, which plays in the Pac

Red Sox claim Tigers' Damon; decision pending >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have claimed outfielder Johnny Damon off waivers from the Detroit Tigers, and the veteran has until Wednesday to decide if he will waive his no-trade clause to re-join the club he help

Judge in Clemens case issues gag order >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -A judge assigned to Roger Clemens' perjury case has issued a gag order designed to prohibit public comments that could affect the jury pool for a possible trial.Clemens was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for allegedly lyi

Patchan returns, Nixon out for No. 4 Florida >>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida's Matt Patchan is back at practice, but the player competing with him at left tackle is out with a knee injury.Coach Urban Meyer says sophomore Xavier Nixon, who started the final five games last season, is having his

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.