The 2008-2009 NBA Season just ended and already gamblers should be thinking about the 20009-2010 NBA Season.

After all, the season starts in roughly three months, at the end of October, and already some major moves in regards to trades and free agent signings have made some teams top contenders to win the title, and other teams without any chance to be taking home rings next spring.

Let’s take a look at which teams, at this point, have the best chance to win the 2009-2010 NBA Championship and which teams that NBA bettors should steer clear from.

2009-2010 NBA Championship

Top Contenders

1. Boston Celtics +425 - - With apologies to L.A., Cleveland and Orlando, the Boston Celtics improved the most over the off-season by signing Rasheed Wallace away from the Detroit Pistons. ‘Sheed, a primarily defensive player, joins a primarily defensive team. With a healthy Kevin Garnett and an improving Rajon Rondo at the point-guard position, the Celtics have the pieces in place to make another run in the 2009-2010 season. Gamblers should be all over these guys in the sportsbook at those odds.


2. Los Angeles Lakers +250 - - The odds aren’t worth it to put the Lakers on top after the Celtics the signed ‘Sheed, but make no mistake, with Lamar Odom back and the youngsters getting better, the Lakers are definitely the team to beat in the Western Conference. Kobe Bryant is the best player in the universe and Pau Gasol finally stepped up into a leadership role during last year’s championship run. Plus, Ron Artest will really, really help this team on the defensive side. L.A. will be formidable once again.

3. San Antonio Spurs +1400 - - Yes, they’re old, but Richard Jefferson is about as solid of a player as the Spurs are likely to ever get through a trade. Jefferson’s style if the same as other great Spurs players like Michael Finley and Manu Ginobili. If Ginobili returns, Tony Parker stays healthy, and Tim Duncan suddenly finds the fountain of youth, then the Spurs will pose the greatest challenge to the Lakers out west. I like their chances.

Maybe, but They Will Have to Prove It

1. Cleveland Cavaliers +325 - - Shaq may help or he may hurt. Either way, the Cavs will have to prove that they can play something besides “LeBron Ball”, where LeBron does everything, meaning absolutely everything, on the court. James is brilliant, no doubt, but he showed a keen lack of leadership skills when calling out Dwight Howard during the Magic series in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. That bothers me. If James can’t keep himself intact, how is he going to get this team past the rough and tumble Boston Celtics?

2. Orlando Magic +900 - - The Magic were oh so close to winning the championship last year and are a favorite again this year, but trading Hedo Turkoglu for Vince Carter does not give me a lot of confidence. Carter is a lot like Rashard Lewis except he doesn’t really enjoy playing defense. This team needs someone to step up big time as a leader. Turkoglu tried last year. Carter won’t even give it a shot this year.

Don’t Even Think About Betting

1. Utah Jazz +1400 - - The Jazz are a good team. That’s the problem. They’re not a great team, just a good team. They don’t even seem to want to become a good team as all they have done is continued to be a good team. This off-season, they kept Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap. That means that they haven’t changed a bit from last year. Teams don’t get great by not making changes in the NBA.

2. Denver Nuggets +1100 - - The Nuggets are the worse bet in the online sportsbook right now to win the NBA Championship. Like Utah, they didn’t make a single significant change during the off-season, to justify their odds. So what if both Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups are two of the best players in the NBA? So what if Chris Andersen is a stud off the bench? Who cares if Coach George Karl is a master strategist? None of those things helped the Nuggets to beat the Lakers last year and none of those things will help them to beat either the Lakers or the Spurs in this year injuries aside, of course.

3. Houston Rockets +1800 - - Yippee. We signed Trevor Ariza. That’s about the way that Rockets’ fans probably reacted after hearing about Ron Artest going to the Lakers. No Yao Ming. Tracey McGrady coming off a knee injury, no Ron Artest, and…did I mention no Yao Ming? But, hey, Houston signed Trevor Ariza. Again… yippee.

4. Portland Trailblazers +1800 - - Andre Miller will help, but they still don’t have the leadership needed to challenge for a title out west. The odds are low as well which leads me to believe that some gamblers must think that Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge are indeed coming into their own. Maybe, but I’ll wait for 45 to 1 before considering a wager on these guys.
Best Long Shot

Dallas Mavericks +4000 - - Sure, I don’t really, truly believe they have a shot either but I’d rather bet a team at big odds who made a move, acquiring Shawn Marion, then on a team that did absolutely nothing during the off-season to get better. At 40 to 1, the Mavs are a better bet than Houston, Denver, Utah or Portland to take home rings at the end of the season.


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