And I’m back y’all, it’s been a minute, it’s slow in basketball over the summer as most handicappers are focusing on their NFL betting odds. But this bit of news got me up and ready for the upcoming hoops betting season.

Allen Iverson tweeted (god, that’s gonna be a tiring term) that he’s waiting on a call from New York, Miami or Charlotte. The Knicks would be a decent fit, as they play little to no defense, shoot first, ask questions later (or never). He may be a boost to the Heat if you’re betting online, or he could turn out to be a huge detriment if he can’t put his ego aside and realize that it’s Dwayne Wade’s team. But the Bobcats? Oh hell yeah. Iverson and Larry Brown were ready to kill each other in Philadelphia, but Iverson famously cried in an interview when a tape was played that featured Brown saying positive things about the “Answer”. Team chemistry may suffer a bit (just ask the Pistons), but for pure entertainment value, there isn’t a duo that needs to reunite more than Allen Iverson and Larry Brown. Shoot, we may get a “Practice?”, Part 2. And let’s face it: would betting software recommend Charlotte to you anyway?

Word is that the Timberwolves’ betting chances are taking a hit with each day Ricky Rubio stays in Spain. Of course, they weren’t that high to begin with, but having Rubio in the fold would help a lot, both on the court and off, where they could raise the price per head of a ticket…just a little, though.

Now Rubio is saying that he wants to leave Spain regardless of whether he can pay the $8.2 million buyout that is in his contract with DKV Joventut or not. The Timberwolves can only contribute $500,000 to that buyout, leaving Rubio between a rock and a hard place. It’s doubtful he can return to Joventut after all that has gone on (think of the Dany Heatley saga currently going on the NHL), and it appears that Real Madrid and Barcelona are ready to step in and offer him a place to play if he doesn’t make it to the NBA.

(Side note: it’s funny to see Madrid and Barca’s names being mentioned with basketball instead of soccer, but we know Madrid has the money after they bought Cristiano Ronaldo for the price of a good-sized country)

So, will the kid really have an impact in your offshore sportsbook? Well, you can judge for yourself in the following video. I do know that I was impressed by what I saw of him in Beijing, and the Americans were very complimentary towards him. At least if he’s with Minnesota, I wouldn’t take watching paint dry over watching the Timberwolves. Still not making them one of my sports picks, though.

Probably not anytime soon, as betting on the Clippers’ odds is something like putting your football betting money behind the Lions. But they seem to have finally picked a winner in Blake Griffin, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the Las Vegas Summer League, and absolutely looked like the player we all thought he’d be. Griffin had 27 points and 12 boards in his first game and never let up, and the reason why Clippers fans should be excited is that, not only is Griffin the most talented player in the draft, but he’s easily one of the hardest-working, which is why he’s a surefire Rookie of the Year choice when making your sports picks.

So what to make of Griffiin? He’ll at least make a Clippers ticket worth the price per head with his explosiveness and ability to learn on the fly. He’ll have to learn to not worry about a lack of shots with Baron Davis, Ricky Davis, Eric Gordon and possibly Allen Iverson in the backcourt. All he can do is work hard, and if worst comes to worst, he only has three years and he’ll be the most prized free agent of the 2012 class. If anything, he’ll at least be the runaway Rookie of the Year favorite in your offshore sportsbook.

As I said before, we’re not just a hoops betting blog (during the offseason anyway)…I make all kinds of sports betting picks, within reason (no darts over here, son).  The 138th British Open tees off this week at Turnberry, and here’s a look at who you should take a look at in your offshore sportsbook. Also, if you’re planning on watch, it tees off at 2:30 AM ET. Lots of coffee will be on the menu on Thursday morning.

1) Tiger Woods


Do I even need to explain why he’s the sportsbook favorite at +185? Fine. Three Open championships, two T-6s in both majors this year, two victories, um….and he’s Tiger MF Woods. Really, if I need to explain more, don’t bother betting on this tournament.

2) Steve Stricker

I like Stricker, especially at odds of +3300. He’s one of the best putters in the game, and over the last couple of years, he’s learned how to win golf tournaments. He’s won two of his last four starts, and he has two straight top-10s in the Open. Darkhorse of the tournament.

3) Ian Poulter

The loudmouth Englishman finished second in last year’s Open, and he finished in the top 20 of both majors this year. Plus, he’s British, so you know he’s used to windy links courses like Turnberry, which hasn’t hosted the Open since 1994. If he can keep his sometimes-shaky driver in the fairway, watch out. Still, he’s worth a shot with British Open odds of +2800.

4) Lee Westwood

Another Englishman, but he’s struggled in his last four years at the Open, failing to crack the top 30. He’s been playing well in Europe this year, and he’s being paired with Tiger for the first two rounds, which will give him an idea of where his game is. Westwood has odds of +2800 in your offshore sportsbook.

5) Rory McIlroy

The 20-year-old from Northern Ireland says that he could have some troubles if it’s windy due to a high ball flight. But my thing is, he’s practiced with that flight, I would assume, since he’s been golfing, so he should be used to how to work the ball. He’s coming off a 10th-place result in the US Open, and he finished 20th in The Masters. He has odds of +2200 along with two-time defending champ Padraig Harrington (DO NOT BET on Paddy this weekend), and he’s definitely worth a shot in your betting software.

The big online betting news out of the NBA this weekend was Hedo Turkoglu’s change of heart. Sources had him all but gone to Portland as of Friday, but over the weekend, Turkey-doo (shout out to Fiyastarter) reneged and signed with Toronto, of all teams, for over $10 mil a season.

So how does this impact the NBA landscape? Well, first of all, the Raptors getting Turkey-doo is similar to Frank Mir pulling out the UFC betting upset over Brock Lesnar this weekend. The Raptors were awful last year, but a lot of that was due to injury, and they needed a player who could create for himself and his teammates off the dribble. However, you have to wonder how smart it is to give a 30-year-old a five year contract when his best days are surely behind him. On the defensive end, he doesn’t help the Raptors that much, but they play in the low-scoring East. Turkey-doo also said he wanted to play in Toronto because of the Turkish population, and that could rise the price per head of tickets at the ACC.

All in all, though, this was done to show Chris Bosh that the Raptors are serious about being a contender, as he can leave in next year’s free-agent bonanza. How much of a difference can Turkey-doo make for the Raptors to those who make sports picks? Stay tuned.

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.

The UFC 100 fight card is out at the best online sportsbook in the industry, even though the event isn’t until July 11th in Las Vegas. The highlights of the card? The main event, of course, but since it’s the 100th UFC card, there are not one, but TWO big fights lined up.

Lesnar Mir Odds: Lesnar (-225)

Brock Lesnar is looking to avenge his lone UFC loss, and he’s much better prepared to take on Frank Mir now. He was actually dominating that fight before his inexperience allowed him to give up his leg, which Mir used to perform a kneebar to end the fight. This will be for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship, and those who make sports picks will have a big (heavyweight, as it were) decision to make.

St. Pierre Alves odds (GSP -260)

This is for GSP’s welterweight title, and the champion hasn’t lost in his last five bouts.  But Alves is no slouch, and hasn’t lost in his last seven outings. This fight should make the price per head be worth it alone, as neither man will back down willingly.