So, here is a rundown of today’s top stories that will surely affect next year’s sports picks. Man, it’s been an insane beginning to the offseason, and we’re only three days in.

-Turkoglu agrees to go to Portland: well, it was due to happen after the Magic picked up Vince Carter (how crappy are the Nets gonna be next year). Portland, on the other hand, will be a force, like, a “Roger Federer Wimbledon betting” kinda force.

-Ron Artest to the Lakers: Betting software says that Ron Ron and Kobe don’t make it to the season without at least one fight in practice.

-Trevor Ariza to Houston: why didn’t these two teams just trade? And how much money does Ariza really think he’ll get? And how bummy is Houston lookin’ right about now? No Yao? Ewwwwwwwwwww.

-Phil Jackson will be back: keeping Kobe and Ron Ron from killing each other every day should get him an award in itself.

-Stephon Marbury says he probably won’t go back to Boston: so he’ll end up somewhere else to ruin another team’s NBA odds.

Still going over tonight’s NBA Finals odds, and I’m sticking with my “Lakers won’t cover” pick. Something tells me Orlando will shoot the lights out, but fall just short. 

Speaking of falling short, who are the best players to go ringless in a sterling career? I wonder who would get the last shot on this team. I’m going with the point guard.

C - Patrick Ewing

The big man who was the face of the Knicks for so long ran into the problem that so many other teams had: Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. When he finally got to the Finals (when Jordan “retired”), Ewing’s Knicks were beaten in seven games by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in 1994. He’s now an assistant coach with the Magic, tutoring Dwight Howard.

PF - Karl Malone

This was probably the closest of all the positions, as Malone edged out Charles Barkley. Malone won a pair of MVPs and went to two Finals, but they were beaten by Jordan and the Bulls, who probably would have been a Belmont Stakes betting favorite if they tried. He also tried to win a ring with the Lakers, and failed befiore retiring in 2005.

SF - Bernard King 

King beat out Dominique Wilkins and LeBron James for this spot (the James thing was just funny to me…way to spoil this year’s NBA championship odds, Cleveland), and he never really came close to the Finals, but there aren’t many better “pure” scorers than King. He’s 22nd on the all-time scoring list.

SG - Pete Maravich

The first truly “flashy” player, “Pistol Pete” is the highest-scoring college player of all-time (without a three-point line, might I add), and he made the All-NBA team in 1976 and 1978. The players on the “And 1″ tour would be jealous of Maravich, as he did his moves in games where people actually played defense against him.

PG - John Stockton

The other half of the Stockton/Malone duo in Utah, Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals by a wide margin, and he may have been the toughest point guard to ever play the game with his legendary elbows and screens. He’ll go into the Hall of Fame this year, and if Deron Williams can be even half as good as Stockton, the Jazz could have decent NBA Finals odds in the future.

Evans Machida odds players are watching Denver battle with the Lakers and thinking, “I hope Machida can take down the champs like the Nuggets are”. The first two games of the Western Conference finals were supposed to be romps for the home team, but no one gave the Nuggets the memo, especially Carmelo Anthony.

Much has been made about the acquisition of Chauncey Billups, and it’s well deserved, but Anthony deserves some props as well. He somehow was missing from the All-Star team, and he had a little problem with coach George Karl when he was subbed out of a game, but the media made more a big deal about it than the team did. In the playoffs, ‘Melo has raised his game, putting up 28.6 points, 6.6 boards and 4.3 assists, and he’s even (gasp) playing hard on the defensive end of the floor. All of this improvement has boosted Denver’s NBA odds dramatically. 

Lakers Nuggets odds had Denver as a massive underdog in this series, but they’re now rated at +120 to pull off the upset after giving away a win in Game 1, and stealing a victory in Game 2.  Anthony has averaged 35.5 points in the first two games, and now he’s going home. ‘Melo knows that if his Nuggets beat Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, he’ll have to be considered one of the best players in the game, especially if he keeps up his play. Basketball betting players could be seeing the next step in the emergence of Carmelo Anthony.

Following up yesterday’s basketball betting picks for the Eastern Conference, here comes the wild, wild West, where the eighth seed would be fourth in the East.

No.1 Los Angeles vs No.8 Utah

The Jazz only have a shot because they’re a great team at home, but even still, the Lakers should be able to steal one in Utah. Andrew Bynum + Pau Gasol + no Utah interior defense = bye bye Jazz. (basketball betting pick: Lakers in five)

No.2 Denver vs No.7 New Orleans

The Hornets have to be the most dangerous seventh seed in recent memory, but the Nuggets have a lot of depth, and Chauncey Billups has changed the culture of the team. Billups vs Chris Paul is a matchup any aspiring point guard should watch. (basketball betting pick: Nuggets in six)

No.3 San Antonio vs No.6 Dallas

The Spurs had injuries to their Big Three, and still won 54 games. The Mavericks rallied late to jump into the picture, but the Spurs have a big edge on defense and coaching, which is essentially what gets you through this time of year. (basketball betting pick: Spurs in six)

No.4 Portland vs No.5 Houston

Neither team will win on the road, so it’s good that the Blazers have homecourt. They also have one of the NBA’s best fourth-quarter players iin Brandon Roy. The Rockets are a solid team, but another first-round exit (with no crying Tracy McGrady, this time) awaits them. (basketball betting pick: Trailblazers in seven)

LeBron James could probably have an NBA betting category all his own. The Cavs are already a sportsbook favorite to win the championship, and the threat of a James triple-double could be one of the daily NBA props. The legend of “King” James just keeps growing, too. Witness this February 20th destruction of the Bucks, in which James ended up with 55 points:

Then there was his pre-game entertainment for the fans in Memphis on February 24th:

And if you’ve never seen his dismantling of Detroit in 2006-07, when he hit for 29 of the Cavs’ final 30 points in a double-overtime win:

Seriously, if you bet on sports, James is coming up on that Michael Jordan status…..you know, where he gives you the look like, “bet against me, I dare you”. NBA betting players could be ready to annoint the Cavs as the kings of the East, and the scary thing is…..he’s only 24.  That’s insane.

NBA betting fans don’t know what to think of Stephon Marbury’s impending move to Boston, which has been more than two months in the works (see here). “Starbury” went to arbitration to get out of his contract with the Knicks, and it’s rumored that he had to give up at least $2 million. Of course, when you’re making over $20 million for essentially doing nothing.

If Marbury lands in Boston, he has to buy into the team concept there, or he’ll be gone. He’ll back up the ever-improving Rajon Rondo at the point, but the thought of Marbury in a backcourt with Eddie House must make the Boston big men a little nervous, as these two have never seen a shot they didn’t like. However, with injuries to Tony Allen, and Kevin Garnett’s recent knee injury, the Celtics need some backup if they are going to hold off Cleveland in the East. This trade probably won’t raise Boston’s NBA betting chances, but it won’t hurt them, either, unless Marbury goes crazy (which wouldn’t surprise anyone, especially former Minnesota teammate Garnett).

Side note: on the milk carton, LOL at “Last seen: missing a layup at the buzzer”.

The sports world was stunned when No.1 North Carolina fell in their ACC opener on Sunday, losing 85-78 at home to Boston College. Now, this does nothing to hurt the Tar Heels’ NCAA basketball betting odds for the title, or even their chances at the ACC title. All this has done is remove the pressure of trying to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana squad to go through the season without losing. Ask last year’s New England team about the pressure of an undefeated season, and you’ll get this reaction:

This Carolina team is far too good to lose many more games this season, and with “Pyscho T” at the helm, you can bet that the Heels will not lack for focus.

Man, the beating that the College of Charleston will take when they head to Carolina on Wednesday could be epic.