The Heat and Lakers have the lowest odds to win the NBA title even though Miami still needs a big man and the Lakers have done nothing in free agency besides lose last season’s 6th man of the year Lamar Odom.
Miami Heat
+250
The new Big 3 of James, Wade, and Bosh have a season under their belt and the Dream Team did make the finals last season. James has to step up in the 4th quarter in the playoffs and even though Miami did make a solid free agent pickup in Shane Battier, who can knock down the 3 and play great defense, the Heat still have no real big man to speak of. This is especially the case since Zydrunas Ilgauskas retired.
L.A. Lakers
Odds: +600
The Lakers have not had the best off-season, as the league voided their trade for Chris Paul and they traded Odom to the Mavericks and did not get much for him. Still, the Lakers have their core of Kobe, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum, but they need a PG, as Chris Paul torched them in the playoffs last season and last year showed Derek Fisher and Steve Blake are not the answer. They have Dwight Howard on their radar, but a deal for Superman looks unlikely.
Chicago Bulls
+700
The Bulls have not made much noise since free agency began, but Richard Hamilton was a good pickup. Derrick Rose is coming off a MVP season and Joakim Noah is one of the best young centers in the league, but to get over the hump Carlos Boozer must have a better season and Hamilton must help Rose out in the scoring department.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Odds: +900
The Thunder have done almost nothing in free agency and they will count on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to carry them again. This duo is one of the best young F/G combos in the league and James Harden is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Kendrick Perkins must stay healthy and have a good season at center and OKC must play better defense.
Dallas Mavericks
Odds +1200
Last season’s champions did make a great trade in getting Odom for the Lakers, but they lost J.J. Barea, Caron Butler, and Tyson Chandler. The loss of Chandler may really hurt, as he played great last season and gave the Mavs a great inside presence, especially on defense. Dallas also brought Vince Carter aboard, but does he have enough left in his tank? Not the best off-season for the Mavs, but they still have Dirk and a solid team.
Boston Celtics
Odds: +1700
The Celtics have not made any big moves and to give Boston another title they will rely on the original Big 3 of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce and none of these 3 are spring chickens any more. Boston has the talent, but to win the title the Big 3 must stay healthy, especially in the playoffs.
New York Knicks
+2200
The Knicks may be a good betting value at +2200, as Melo and Amare will play together for a full, sort of, season and New York made some great moves signing prized free agent Tyson Chandler and solid PG Mike Bibby. Once again, the Knicks will have the scoring and they may be a title contender if Chandler can play defense and hit the boards like he did in Dallas last season.
The Clippers (+5000) made the biggest deal in the off-season getting Chris Paul from the Hornets and their odds may improve because of that. Paul and Blake Griffin will make the Clips one of the most exciting teams to watch, but title contenders? Don’t think so.
Here are the odds to win the NBA title as of December 16th.
- Miami Heat +250
- Los Angeles Lakers +600
- Chicago Bulls +700
- Oklahoma City Thunder +900
- Dallas Mavericks +1200
- Boston Celtics +1700
- New York Knicks +2200
- Orlando Magic +3300
- Portland Trail Blazers +4000
- Memphis Grizzlies +4000
- San Antonio Spurs +5000
- Los Angeles Clippers +5000
- Atlanta Hawks +6000
- New Jersey Nets +8000
- Indiana Pacers +10000
- Houston Rockets +15000
- Denver Nuggets +15000
- Phoenix Suns +15000
- Milwaukee Bucks +15000
- New Orleans Hornets +20000
- Golden State Warriors +20000
- Utah Jazz +20000
- Philadelphia 76ers +25000
- Sacramento Kings +35000
- Washington Wizards +40000
- Cleveland Cavaliers +50000
- Detroit Pistons +50000
- Charlotte Bobcats +50000
- Minnesota Timberwolves +75000
- Toronto Raptors +85000
