NBA Handicapping Articles

2017-18 Los Angeles Clippers Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2017

There are some offseasons that are easy to evaluate - the Celtics and Thunder had really good ones, and the Knicks really didn't. And then there are teams like the Clippers, who did so much that it's hard to really know for sure. Some of what they did was awful - they can spin it all they want, but there is no upside to losing Chris Paul. And some of what they did is brilliant, though it came much later than it should have - stripping Doc Rivers of his front office duties is a move that could only have been exceeded but not being dumb enough to give him the duties in the first place.

2017-18 Portland Trail Blazers Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2017

Some things don't make sense when it comes to how teams are managed. Portland is a good example this year. They went 41-41 last year. That was enough to make the playoffs as the 8th seed, but no one - not even anyone in Portland, or the dressing room for that matter - thought that they had any chance at all against the Warriors in the first round. All they did by finishing 8th was cost themselves a chance at a better draft pick in the lottery. And it's not like they dramatically underachieved, either. After losing significantly more than they had gained entering the season the team was about as good as they were capable of being.

2017-18 Utah Jazz Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2017

For the last few seasons Gordon Hayward has been the face of the Utah Jazz - the one player that people outside of Utah knew and cared about. Well, now he's gone to Boston. He played it up like there was drama involved in his decision, and he didn't know until the end if he was staying or going, but from where I was sitting and watching it sure didn't feel that way. Now the team needs to figure out what their identity is with their centerpiece gone. It would be a mistake to assume that the team is doomed, or that they have nothing else going for them, though. They will be different, but if everything went right then there is a chance that they could exceed the expectations of casual bettors and provide some nice profits as a result. They aren't going to win 51 games like they did last year, so the question is how many fewer games it will be.

2017-18 Phoenix Suns Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2017

It was only a year or so ago that the narrative was that the Phoenix Suns were a very exciting team on the verge of a serious breakthrough. They had loaded up on young talent, Devin Booker served notice that he was legitimate, and the future seemed unavoidably as bright as the desert sun. But after a conference-worst 24 wins last year, and a season win total of a lowly 29 wins this year, it seems that that there is an eclipse of that bright future. It is certainly not time to panic or give up on this team entirely - there is all sorts of young talent aboard. It is just necessary to be very patient - something Suns' fans are all too practiced at having to be. What does the year hold for this squad?

2017-18 Sacramento Kings Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/5/2017

Things have been bleak for the Kings for a long time. A really, really long time. And this year is going to be a bleak year again. But, for once, there is bit of hope for the future. They have three first-round draft picks joining the team, a second-rounder who was national player of the year last year for Kansas, and a fifth rookie from Europe who is as intriguing as any of them. There will be inevitable growing pains, but they aren't burdened with the moodiness of Demarcus Cousins, and they have some guys on board that could grow into a foundation for the future. It's still the Kings, so it's reasonable to be pessimistic that they can pull this off, but things have certainly been worse.

2017-18 Los Angeles Lakers Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/4/2017

The Lakers are back - at least in one way. After a couple of years of being so pathetic that they could only be pitied, the arrival of the Ball family circus has returned them to a familiar place for many NBA fans and bettors - they are again the most hated team in the league. They aren't likely to be very good this year, yet, but they are on the way, and they are poised to make a big splash in free agency next summer to speed up the process dramatically. By this time next year they will very likely be back to being both relevant and incredibly worthy of hate - or love if you are one of 'those'. But where will they be this year?

2017-18 Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/4/2017

The number of teams that have missed the playoffs for as long or longer than Minnesota has? Zero. In fact, if Minnesota were to miss the playoffs again this year they would be just one year short of the all-time NBA record for futility. Last year they thought they were poised to break the streak. And they won just 31 games in a bit of a disaster of a season. They could have tweaked slightly and hoped for the best. Instead, they blew things up. It was aggressive, and there was a lot to like - especially if you have been a Bulls fan in recent years. But have they done enough? Can they make the playoffs? And can they be any kind of a viable threat once they get there?

2017-18 Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/3/2017

You can fault the Oklahoma City Thunder for a few things, but one of them certainly isn't a willingness to experiment. They built a team based around two superstars, and it worked reasonably well, but it wasn't going to get all the way to the promised land, and Kevin Durant realized that and bolted. So they went with one superstar. It got them an MVP title, but never in a million years was it going to win them a title.

2017-18 Houston Rockets Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2017

James Harden had one heck of a season last year, but it wasn't nearly good enough. They beat Oklahoma City in five games in the first round - something that will be much tougher to do this year than it was last year. But then they lost four of six games against the Spurs and were blown out in three of those games. They knew their window wasn't going to stay open forever, and they knew they weren't going to beat Golden State as they were, so they had to get aggressive.

2017-18 Dallas Mavericks Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2017

The Dallas Mavericks were bad last year. Really bad. Their strategy seemed to consist mostly of hoping that Dirk Nowitzki got 10 years younger and a point guard appeared out of thin air. Nether happened. Dirk is pretty good - for a guy who has played 19 years in the NBA. He's not him at him best, though, or anywhere near it. The Mavs are stuck in an arms race in the West, with the Warriors all but untouchable, and Houston, Oklahoma City and Minnesota taking very significant steps to try to get closer to success.

2017-18 New Orleans Pelicans Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2017

Teams in the NBA have, generally, gone away from a focus on big guys clogging the paint and have focused more on speed and shooting. The New Orleans Pelicans have charted an entirely different approach. They have built around two big men, and they seem short on shooting. The advantage they have, of course, is that the big guys are two of the very best in the league. But the approach they are taking in a very tough conference certainly isn't making things easier for themselves. And this isn't a good time for this team to struggle. DeMarcus Cousins is a free agent after this year, and the team really needs to figure out if Anthony Davis can be the core of a serious contender going forward. I just find it really tough to be overly optimistic about this team,

2017-18 San Antonio Spurs Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2017

The San Antonio Spurs just keep rolling along. The summer turned into one big arms race in the league, as Houston, Oklahoma City, Boston, and Minnesota all got very aggressive in their attempts to match the Cavaliers - never mind the Warriors. And the Cavaliers did more than they probably wanted to as well. There was a whole lot of panicking going on. The Spurs don't panic. They tweak and adjust, but mostly they keep doing what they do.

2017-18 Memphis Grizzlies Predictions and NBA Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2017

The Memphis Grizzlies have been boring for a long time. There is just no avoiding that truth. They have played a boring, grinding style of ball. They have boring, personality-limited players who don't make a pop culture splash. They always make the playoffs but then bore us with an effort that we all know is never going to be good enough to do any real damage. They are a decent team but a boring one.

NBA Handicapping: Betting Impact of Kyrie Irving Trade
by Trevor Whenham - 8/31/2017

The dust has settled, and the Kyrie Irving trade is now officially official (Cleveland accepted that when you trade for a guy with hip issues you can't really expect much compensation when you discover he has hip issues). Now that some time has passed, we can sit back and evaluate what the deal really means from a betting perspective. Here are five thoughts on the subject:

NBA Betting Props: Where will LeBron James play in 2018?
by Trevor Whenham - 8/7/2017

LeBron James is going to play for a team somewhere in 2018-19, and it will very likely be in the NBA. That's all we really know. Not long ago it would have been all but impossible to really believe that it would be anywhere but Cleveland, but the bizarre front office changes, the Kyrie Irving unrest, and the massive gap between what the team is and what they need to be to beat the Warriors with Kevin Durant all make it much more possible to believe he'll takes his services somewhere other than Cleveland for a second time. And, of course, we can bet on the possibilities.

NBA Betting Impact of Chris Paul to Houston Rockets Trade
by Trevor Whenham - 8/7/2017

Some time has passed, the dust has settled a bit, and we have had time to absorb what Chris Paul's move to Houston means when it comes to betting the Western Conference. The picture still isn't totally clear because we don't know where Kyrie Irving will land - if anywhere ultimately - and that will have further impact on things. As it stands, though, a backcourt of Paul and James Harden has the biggest disruptive factor in a disruptive offseason. Bigger than Jimmy Butler in Minnesota, or Paul George in Oklahoma City, or Gordon Hayward in Boston.

NBA Betting Advice: Jimmy Butler Trade Impact
by Trevor Whenham - 6/27/2017

At first glance, the Bulls trading away Jimmy Butler was one of the worst deals a team has made in a long time. And at second, third and fourth glance as well. It seems bizarre that the Bulls would choose to trade their lone truly attractive asset at a steep discount compared to what they could have gotten at last year's trade deadline or the next. It seems like gross mismanagement of the kind that can cripple teams for years. But was it really? (Short answer - yes). And, more significantly, what is the impact of this deal for bettors next year? Here are four factors to consider when pondering those questions:

2017 BIG3 Basketball Betting Preview and Wagering Advice
by Trevor Whenham - 6/21/2017

We are on the eve of the birth of a new sports league. The question is if anyone will care. We know that BIG3 will be exciting enough - the format lends itself to fun. But indoor sports in the summer are a tough sell, and I don't know if anyone has been crying out to see old guys play 3-on-3 basketball. I haven't bought myself a BIG3 jersey or anything, but there are odds offered on the league, so it's worth a look. (Odds are from BetOnline)

Betting on the 2017 NBA Draft: Props Odds and Expert Wagering Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 6/20/2017

The NBA Draft this year doesn't lack for depth, potential impact players or, thanks to all the trades and speculation, potential excitement. It is a great look at the future of the league. And it is a great chance to get a bet or two down in the offseason. Here is a look at some of the more interesting draft props that BetOnline is offering this year:

NBA Draft Betting Odds: Player Props with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/20/2017

We don't yet know how the 2017 NBA Draft will turn out on the court, but we sure can't complain about the week leading up to it. The Celtics dealt the top pick to the Sixers. Paul George, Jimmy Butler and, bizarrely, Kristaps Porzingis, all seem to be in serious play. The Cavs made the strangest front office move in recent memory. And with a lot of talent available in the lottery, nothing is nearly as certain as it is some years. It's chaos like only the NBA can deliver.