Suns' Stoudemire opts out of contract

Basketball Betting Lines

06/30/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire has opted out of the final year of his contract.

"I opted out of my contract with PHX," he said on his Twitter account. "Can't wait to see what lies ahead. I had a blast with my teammates last season. What's Next !!"

Stoudemire exercised his early-termination option hours before the free agency period is set to begin.

Stoudemire, who was set to make $17.7 million next season, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Suns after they took him with the ninth overall pick in the 2002 draft.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound five-time All-Star recorded 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 82 games last season, just the third time in his career he has played a full slate of regular-season games.

Stoudemire, the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year, suffered a partially detached retina in February, 2009 and underwent microfracture surgery in October, 2005.

He owns career averages of 21.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 516 games.

Wwwnelottery Basketball Betting News

<< Rockies send Morales to Colorado Springs
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies optioned pitcher Franklin Morales to Triple-A Colorado Springs following Wednesday's 13-3 loss to the Padres. Morales gave up four runs on five hits in two-plus innings

<< Ducks get Jaffray from Flames
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks acquired left wing/center Jason Jaffray from the Calgary Flames in exchange for left wing Logan MacMillan. Either club could also receive a seventh-round selection in the 2013 NH

<< Spurs' Jefferson to become a free agent
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Antonio Spurs forward Richard Jefferson has opted out of the final year of his contract, forgoing the $15 million he is due next season to test the free agent market. The Spurs acquired Jefferson in a

<< Rockets extend qualifying offers to Scola, Lowry
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets extended qualifying offers to forward Luis Scola and guard Kyle Lowry prior to a Wednesday night deadline. The team also exercised a team option to extend the contract of center/fo

<< Tigers send reliever Ni to Toledo
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers optioned relief pitcher Fu-Te Ni to Triple-A Toledo. The move was made following Detroit's 5-1 setback in the finale of a three- game set against the Twins. In his second major-l

Laffey sparkles as Indians win fourth in a row >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Laffey threw six-plus effective innings and was aided by home runs from Shin-Soo Choo and Matt LaPorta, as the Indians ran their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the

Golf Tidbits: Kerr becomes No. 1 in dominant fashion >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristie Kerr had her sights set on becoming the No. 1-ranked female in the world for a long time. She went old-school Tiger Woods at the LPGA Championship last weekend, winning in dominant fashion, to fina

King Felix blanks Yankees in Mariners rout >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Felix Hernandez became the second Seattle pitcher in as many days to throw a complete game against the Yankees, as the Mariners took a 7-0 win in the second of a three-game set. Hernandez (6-5) joined Cliff Le

Orioles hit five homers in win over A's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Scott's solo home run in the seventh proved to be the game-winner as Baltimore took a 9-6 win over Oakland in the second of a three-game set. Corey Patterson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run an

Rangers reportedly acquire Bengie Molina from Giants >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have reportedly acquired catcher Bengie Molina from the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Chris Ray and a player to be named later. USA Today reported the trade Wednesday night and said t

Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.