NBA Futures Betting—Celtics, Lakers to meet in 2009 NBA championship
Bet on sports—2009 NBA odds
Where NBA futures betting is concerned, it's never too early to start preparing because before you know it, the NBA season will be upon us again. It's been a while since the Boston Celtics toppled the Los Angeles Lakers and kept Kobe Bryant championship-less without Shaquille O'Neal, but the landscape in the NBA has changed significantly. Still, L.A. looks poised to win the 2009 NBA championship.
The Eastern Conference should be much stronger as a couple of trades have bolstered the top-half of the conference. The Philadelphia 76ers acquired All-Star power forward Elton Brand, which might be the last missing piece on a team that was one of the best in the league in the second half of the season.
The 76ers have a deep, young corps of players that could put them up there with the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics if everything goes right. Speaking of the Pistons and Celtics, you can expect both teams to be contenders again; the Pistons replaced head coach Flip Saunders with Michael Curry and the Celtics return virtually the same team.
The Toronto Raptors also increased their odds for NBA futures betting after acquiring Jermaine O'Neal. By beefing up their front court, the Raptors addressed the one glaring need on the team.
The Cleveland Cavaliers also improved their prospects after acquiring point guard Mo Williams, who addresses their biggest weakness.
When you factor all of those changes the East looks top-heavy but, if you’re basketball betting, the Celtics are still the class of the conference.
In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers lead the way for NBA futures betting after failing in the championship round last season. With the same core of players returning along with the addition of young center Andrew Bynum, the Lakers should be the best team in the league.
They already toppled both the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz in the playoffs last season so they shouldn't feel threatened by them so much this year. The Spurs are old and slowly fading, while the Jazz are a real solid team but are just a notch below the Lakers.
One intriguing team for NBA futures betting is the Houston Rockets. Although they haven't been out of the first round of the playoffs during the Tracy McGrady era, they seemingly turned a corner last year during a 22-game winning streak.
With a healthy Yao Ming and the addition of Ron Artest, the Rockets look strong and deep. There isn't much this team is missing and they should feel the desperation as their window of opportunity is closing soon.
The New Orleans Hornets are the wild card as they surprisingly climbed their way to the top of the standings in the West last year. Though they fell just short, and later fell in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs, the Hornets gained valuable experience.
New Orleans also added James Posey in the offseason, who was a key member of championship-winning Celtics, and the team makes a good NBA betting pick.
The balance of power still lies in the West but the scales are evening out for NBA futures betting. The Lakers look too good and too strong, though, which is why they'll end up as 2009 NBA Champions.
Craig’s pick: Los Angeles Lakers +250
Visit the betonline.com Sportsbook for the best odds, lines and props, and visit the Bettor's Edge daily for tips on NBA futures betting.
Craig Parsons is an avid sports fan, but his true love has always been basketball. Too short to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, he did the next best thing? Sports betting and covering basketball for a living. Thoughts or questions?
