a new Wizard of Oz, John Wall..

The NBA’s draft lottery had been reduced to three teams – the New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers – and John Wall, a bundle of emotions for the previous half-hour, suddenly became quiet. He was watching his future unfold on a TV at the home of his agent. Wall’s childhood friend sat to his left, his advisors on the right, his cell phone buzzing incessantly in front of him. Someone started clapping.t’s also big-time for the Wizards. About four months after Gilbert Arenas(notes) was suspended for brandishing guns in the locker room, followed by trades of the franchise’s other two stars, Antawn Jamison(notes) and Caron Butler(notes), Washington suddenly can envision a brighter future after landing the No. 1 pick in the June draft.

Wall’s big day began Tuesday morning with a workout with former NBA assistant coach Jarinn Akana. He went shopping at the Nike Store in the afternoon then returned to Fegan’s home to watch the announcement with friend Ty Williams and advisors Brian and Dwon Clifton. As the lottery approached, Wall stood on a ledge in the backyard performing his famous “John Wall Dance” for a TV camera crew.

Wall stretched his arms high above him. A picturesque view of Los Angeles served as a backdrop. Wall couldn’t be sure where he was headed, but it didn’t matter. Never had his future seemed so clo

Kobe - "Lakers for Life"

On Friday, the 31-year-old guard signed a three-year extension that will put him in a Lakers uniform through the 2013-14 season.
"My position all along -- and I've mentioned many times -- is that Kobe started as a Laker and he should end his career as a Laker," said Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak before Friday's game against the Jazz.
"We're fairly assured now that he will end his career as a Laker. Now of course in four years he will be 35 years old. Maybe we'll go through this again... but I think at that point in time after all those years if he did choose to play some more it would be here in Los Angeles."
As for the contract, which is reportedly worth $90 million, there were no qualms of shelving out the cash.
"There are very few players you are really excited about when you sign them to long-term contracts and Kobe is one of those players," Kupchak said. "Although you're making a huge commitment, I think it's something you have to do and you're happy to do it and you're glad when it's done. I would say that's how [Lakers owner Jerry Buss] stands today."
With one year left on his current contract, the four-time NBA champion and 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player now joins a core group of Lakers who are now signed through at least the next three seasons.
Pau Gasol, who inked a three-year extension worth up to $64.7 million in December, and Ron Artest are under contract through the 2014 season.
Lamar Odom, who in the offseason signed a four-year deal worth up to $33 million, and Andrew Bynum are locked in through 2013.
During discussions, Kupchak said Lakers coach Phil Jackson's future was "never a factor in the negotiations" in Bryant's extension.
When asked whether he would stay for the duration of the core groups under contract, Jackson laughed and quickly dismissed the idea.
"I'm not going to buy into anything in the three to four years kind of situation," Jackson said. "I just don't think that's in the cards at all. I can look into the season one year at a time right now and feel comfortable with the commitment that I can generate maybe enough energy to get through another year or push the team hard enough as a coach to get done through a year.
"But when you talk about those long-term things there's got to be a change here in the near future."
Bryant is averaging 27.2 points per game (fourth best in the league), 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists in his 14th season. With that kind of mileage, Jackson has continued to be impressed by his play, but does have some advice.
"He needs to actually take a summer off and really respond to the recuperative powers and regenerate that energy again in August next year... he needs a real break," Jackson said. "He is by far one of the hardest working athletes I've been close to and he's done a terrific job to sustain this over the years."

Futures Odds Favor Lakers and Cavs to Meet in Finals

Online betting players should have a big weekend, as Masters odds are out, the MLB betting season has started, and NBA betting players are thinking about who will represent the Eastern and Western Conferences in the Finals. The Lakers are the Western favorites, by far, while Boston and Cleveland could have some competition from Orlando in the East.

The Lakers are listed at +135 to win it all, and they’ve had the top spot wrapped up in the West for a while now. They’ve even managed to keep Kobe Bryant’s minutes down in hopes of keeping him fresh for the postseason, which should scare the rest of the West. Denver is listed at +1815 and, while they put up a lot of points, the Nuggets give up a lot of points as well. In the postseason, the game slows down, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle a slower pace.

Houston has NBA betting odds of +2550, but they still have to prove they can get out of the first round, much less win the NBA championship. San Antonio is rated at +2850, but they just received word that Manu Ginobili is out for the season with an ankle injury, while Tim Duncan’s knees don’t enable him to play back-to-back games. It could be the first chink in the Spurs’ armor.

The Cavaliers are the top East team with NBA odds of +265, and Cleveland’s homecourt advantage in the playoffs will be crucial. Cleveland is an insane 38-1 at home, with the Lakers ruining their shot at a perfect record back in February. The Celtics are listed at +465, and Kevin Garnett’s knee is probably the biggest injury worry in the postseason. Garnett’s intensity, especially on defense, is what powered thNBA Playoffs Betting - Finals Future Odds - Cavs, Lakerse Celtics to last year’s title, and he’ll need to be at least 95 per cent for Boston to make it out of the East.

Orlando is listed at +1015, and it’s not a stretch to think that the Magic can do it. They are 2-2 against Boston this year, and 2-1 against Cleveland, and if their outside shooters can keep the opposition from crowding Dwight Howard, the Magic could easily end up in the Finals.

The darkhorse in either conference? Miami, who is listed in the field at +2250. The Heat have a player, Dwayne Wade, who has already carried his team to a championship, and his numbers this year have been simply outstanding. If the Heat can play defense, and Michael Beasley can become a second option, the Heat are in the running for an NBA betting upset.