Bulls are still warming up

Basketball Betting Lines

12/05/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago did not start the season the way it had hoped. After an impressive road victory over the Miami Heat in the season opener, the Bulls dropped nine of their next 11 contests and owned a disappointing 3-9 record.

There should not be any excuses for poor play, but the new-look Bulls, who made major changes during the offseason, did go through a season-long seven game road trip where they racked up a dismal 1-6 record. Growing pains and getting used to playing with each other could be one explanation for their weak play early on.

However, things are getting back to normal for Chicago, which has been eliminated in first round of the playoffs in back-to-back years. The Bulls arguably had the best offseason in the NBA, as they signed reigning Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace to a lucrative, multi-year contract, and added veteran forward P.J. Brown and promising rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha through trades.

A nucleus of Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni was already in place. The addition of Wallace, who has spent the six previous seasons with Central Division-rival Detroit, and Brown were going to have a huge impact on how the Bulls played.

Growing pains were obvious in the beginning of the season. The Bulls were a decent defensive team before they acquired Brown and Wallace. With its two new frontcourt players, Chicago was expected to be a ferocious defensive squad. The makeup of the club was starting to look a lot like the Pistons, who had participated in the last four Eastern Conference finals and two NBA Finals during that span.

Chicago crushed Dwyane Wade and the Heat 108-66 on October 31st at AmericanAirlines Arena. After just one game, the Bulls were already the talk of the NBA. Were they for real?

The Bulls endured a bad slump during the next 23 days, as they were 2-9 during that span and registered their only victories against the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers.

Winning games with tough defense was the plan for the new roster that executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson assembled. The Bulls allowed 100 or more points in seven games during their 2-9 stretch, and were 0-7 in those contests.

Wallace seemed to be having trouble adjusting to the new surroundings, while the rest of the team was simply out of sync. The 32-year-old Wallace is expected to be the catalyst for Chicago's defense. Paxson and head coach Scott Skiles want Wallace to be the intimidating presence that he was in Detroit.

The Bulls have now won five straight contests and smiles are starting to appear on the faces of the front office and the players. During its five victories, Chicago surrendered 100 or more points just once and it is starting to look like a team that is getting comfortable playing with each other.

Wallace is still not playing like his old self, but glimpses of All-Star play are starting to pop up. He is not on the court for his offense. The 6-9 Wallace is expected to do the dirty work down that helps teams win the big games.

There is a plan in place. Deng, Gordon and Hinrich are expected to supply the offense, while Nocioni will help out on that end of the court as well. Brown and Wallace will provide the experience and leadership which is invaluable in the playoffs and during tough times.

The plan looks like it is starting to play out. The Bulls were able to bounce back after a stretch of poor play. Teams that are successful have to stick together when the going gets tough.

The Central Division has some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Detroit is always a contender, while LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers look like they have a chance to be there at the end.

Chicago fell off the map for a very short time, and now the Bulls are back. The Pistons and Cavaliers won't be in a two team battle for the division crown. With Deng, Gordon and Hinrich providing the offense, and Wallace leading the defensive charge, the Bulls are going to be tough to beat.

It's still very early. But, Chicago already had some turmoil and have shown that it has the ability to rise above it. The new-look Bulls are still learning how to play together and their best basketball should be on the way very soon.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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