Wagering on NBA is not finished

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

Just because the 2007-08 NBA season reached a conclusion with the Boston Celtics' victory over the Lakers in the Finals, that doesn't mean pro basketball betting has shut down.

Next up is the league's draft, which will be held June 26 in New York.

Oddsmakers have listed Memphis point guard Derrick Rose as the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick by Chicago.

At Sportsbook.com, Rose is listed with 1-5 odds to be chosen by the Bulls, who have the first selection.

Kansas State forward Michael Beasley has 5-2 odds, followed by the field at 25-1, USC's O.J. Mayo and Stanford's Brook Lopez at 50-1, and UCLA's Kevin Love at 100-1.

Then there are the NBA draft proposition bets, which offer a variety of options for bettors.

Check out this combination bet on the correct draft order for the third, fourth and fifth picks between Mayo, Lopez and Arizona's Jerryd Bayless.

The field has the best odds at 1-3, followed by several interesting groupings.

The trio of Lopez, Bayless and Mayo is listed at 13-4, followed by Lopez-Mayo-Bayless at 5-1.

The combinations of Bayless-Mayo-Lopez, Mayo-Lopez-Bayless, and Bayless-Lopez-Mayo are listed at 6-1, followed by Mayo-Bayless-Lopez at 8-1.

Here are a couple of more prop bets listed at Sportsbetting.com: Where will Rose be drafted? No. 1 by Chicago (-250) or No. 2 Miami (+175); Over/under total for Memphis players being drafted in the first round: Over 2.5 (+150) or under 2.5 (-190); Over/under total for Kansas players being drafted in the first round: Over 2.5 (-150) or under 2.5 (+120).


By Lonnie White, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 19, 2008
LA Times.com