Cyber Max

By the time the NFL season rolls around many things can change for teams like cuts, injuries, etc…However I think it is important for you to look at the schedules ahead of time and see where teams may have letdowns…

the best one is the division sandwich…simply put a team will play another team out of division in between two divisional games…for example look at the AFC East

Buffalo plays at home against Miami, and the Jets before traveling all the way to Oakland to play the Raiders and then after that come back to play the Patriots. This is a tough schedule for anyone, but especially a team with a young offense.

The Patriots have a brutal schedule where they start four out of the six on the road and at the end of the season play at Buffalo and then should look right past a live underdog at home in Tampa Bay before ending the season against the Jets and the Dolphins…

The Jets plat at New England, and then host Oakland before playing games to end the season at Miami, and home against the Pats and Buffalo.

Miami plays Buffalo and then has to travel across country to San Diego to play the chargers before coming back to play the Jets. Then they play the titans before ending the season against the Pats giving them back to back divisional sandwiches.

With a division this tough these teams will circle end of the season games against each other. Looking at the schedule and circling these games will allow you to keep them in mind and research them again when they come up.

http://www.bangthebook.com

Share This

With Larry Hughes leaving to join LeBron James in Cleveland, how much left is there of the Wizards? More than Chicago and Phoenix, Washington was the surprise team last year. After all, Arenas, Hughes and Jamison failed as teammates with the Warriors. Now it’s a two-man show and a playoff appearance would again be amazing. Can they prove everyone wrong?

Some players are stepping up. Brendan Haywood has shot 56%, 3rd best in the NBA. But he’s only averaging 6.4 RPG. Antawn Jamison is averaging a crazy 11.5 RPG along with his 19.7 PPG. Caron Butler is a 6th man candidate averaging 14.5 PPG off the bench, and Jarvis Hayes has displayed a great form in shooting. Of course Gilbert Arenas can’t be ignored with his 27.7 PPG. It’s going to be interesting to see whether Arenas and Jamison both make the all-star team, their team might not be good enough to warrant two all-stars.

Most aren’t though. Jared Jeffries is on the last year of his contract, and if he keeps playing like he is now, he won’t get a new one. Jeffries as the starting Power Forward is only getting 5.1 and 4.6. Antonio Daniels provides a defensive presence but hasn’t contributed at all offensively with just 4.7 PPG.

This team completely relied on the big three of Jamison, Arenas and Larry Hughes to carry them last year. But with Hughes gone, Jamison and Arenas have been carrying the load. Either Hayes or Butler should sub in for Antonio Daniels to give them more scoring. Jarvis Hayes has major potential to be more than just a bench player. Etan Thomas is a hustler like Chris Kaman who needs more playing since Jeffries isn’t delivering.

I wasn’t sold on Washington with Hughes and I definitely am not now that they don’t have him. Arenas and Jamison can only compensate so much before teams start to adapt. Getting it out of Arenas’ hands is the best way to stop Washington. When it comes to the playoffs, they are but one of many teams looking on the outside in. They don’t have enough offensive and defensive weapons to compete with the other Eastern teams. Their only hope is to milk Jamison and Arenas for 50 a night.

We independently monitor the best and worst sports handicapping services and picks and let you know who is good.

Share This

For years in Sacramento the question was, “Is Chris Webber going to be traded?” When it finally happened last year, they performed better without him. However Cuttino Mobley left, and the offense doesn’t seem as lethal as it used to be. At 8-12 is this the year the Kings finally collapse?

The offense is balanced between Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. In years passed it was Chris Webber who was the outright star, where in Sacramento today it’s leader by committee. Peja hasn’t looked right in awhile. He used to be automatic from 3, yet he isn’t getting his shots off right. So much of a jump shot is the jump itself, and he hasn’t been able to lead the team because of it.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the offense, where they’re 2nd in the NBA in Assists Per Game. Bonzi Wells fits in well with the transition offense. Abdur-Rahim doesn’t though; his low-post game requires some standing around and little movement, which doesn’t sound like a Kings player at all. Brad Miller has to improve on the glass since the Kings are 29th in the NBA in rebounding. Kenny Thomas needs to earn more playing to help out.

They haven’t adapted their roster to better improve their defense. They’re 23rd in Points Allowed and are actually being outscored this year. They don’t have a single defensive stopper on their team, where in the past they at least had Doug Christie. Bobby Jackson was an invaluable member, but management got fed up with his nagging injury problem. Jackson was a good defender who leads the team far better than new backup Jason Hart does.

Anything defensive is overlooked on Sacramento whether it’s rebounding or stopping the opponent from scoring. This isn’t the same team as it was in the Webber days; so going in a different direction wouldn’t hurt. The Kings are 7-7 at home, a record none of us would ever see in the old days. It’s unlikely whether the Kings can compete this year, since beyond their starting lineup they don’t provide much. Their downfall could be trading away to many first round draft picks in the end.

See our other articles on sports handicapping for tips and tricks into beating the bookie in any sport.

Share This