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NBA Draft Odds show Derrick Rose first pick favorite |
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Written by Steve Hastings
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Friday, 20 June 2008
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 Just because the Celtics lambasted the Lakers en route to their 17th NBA Championship, doesn’t mean the NBA season is officially over. The NBA Draft is on Thursday June 26th and Sportsbook.com is offering more props and NBA Draft odds than ever. Also, for all of you wannabe GM’s, be sure to enter the Mini-Mock Draft promotion where up to $7000 is up for grabs to the participant who correctly predicts the most picks from 1-14.
The Chicago Bulls defied the odds in last month’s NBA Lottery when they landed the first pick in the Draft despite having just a 1.7% chance to do so. Now the question remains: which future superstar will walk to the podium to shake David Stern’s hand first on Thursday night.
Despite this being one of the deepest drafts in years, most likely only one of two players will go in the top slot: Derrick Rose from Memphis or Michael Beasley out of Kansas State. Both players are considered excellent prospects and conveniently enough, both would fill an immediate role for a Bulls squad coming off a disappointing season.
Rose catapulted himself to consideration for the top spot after an outstanding NCAA Tournament where he basically carried Memphis to the Finals. During the tournament, the 6’3” point guard averaged 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6 assists. What is making the scouts salivate over Rose the most is his excellent athletic ability. From day 1, he may be the most athletic guard in the entire NBA next season. The Bulls current point guard Kirk Hinrich struggled last season, averaging 5 points less than the year before. If all of this wasn’t reason enough to select Rose first, he is also a Chicago native.
So it seems as if Rose is the ‘no-brainer’ selection right? Not so fast. All Michael Beasley did in his freshman campaign was average 26.2 points and 12.4 rebound per game. The 6’9” lefty is the kind of talent that won’t have any trouble scoring and boarding from opening night. Although the Bulls have invested their first picks the last two years in power forward/center types, neither Tyrus Thomas nor Joakim Noah comes close to the low post scorer that Beasley is.
With more props than ever, the $7000 Mini-Mock Draft and In-Running Wagering throughout portions of the 1st Round; Sportsbook.com is the only place to bet on Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Sportsbook.com’s betting oddsO for the 1st Pick in the NBA Draft:
Derrick Rose 1-6
Michael Beasley 3-1
Brook Lopez 50-1
OJ Mayo 50-1
Kevin Love 100-1
Field 25-1
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