AP source: Timberwolves agree to deal with Ridnour

Basketball Betting Lines

07/14/2010 -

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to a four-year, $16 million deal with free agent point guard Luke Ridnour.

The person spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been officially announced. The agreement was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

Ridnour averaged 10.4 points and 4.0 assists per game as the backup to Brandon Jennings in Milwaukee last season.

The deal likely means that backup point guard Ramon Sessions will be traded from Minnesota. The team hopes to have Ricky Rubio come over from Spain next season and still has Jonny Flynn on the roster, so there may not be room for the veteran Sessions.

The Wolves were able to swing the deal after shipping Al Jefferson to Utah on Tuesday to create more salary cap room.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wtravelocity Basketball Betting News

<< Former 76ers executive Billy King to replace Thorn
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Billy King is the New Jersey Nets' new general manager.King was hired Wednesday to replace Rod Thorn as the team's top executive, new owner Mikhail Prokhorov announced in a release.Thorn is stepping aside as president and

<< Grizzlies sign Tony Allen
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies have announced the signing of guard Tony Allen to a multi-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, per team policy. It was earlier reported the contract would start at c

<< Cavs ink Kyle Lowry to offer sheet
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have made their first move of the post-LeBron James era, signing restricted free-agent guard Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the Cle

<< Harrington says he's headed to Denver
DENVER (AP) -Free agent power forward Al Harrington says he's headed to the Denver Nuggets, who are in dire need of frontcourt help with Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen and Nene coming off leg injuries.The former New York Knicks backup tweeted: ``I'm

<< New York signs French striker Henry as second DP
Secaucus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York signed French forward Thierry Henry to a multi-year contract as its second designated player, the Major League Soccer club announced on Wednesday. Henry, a World Cup, European Cha

Report: Nets tab Billy King to run basketball operations >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets are reportedly set to hire Billy King to oversee the team's basketball operations. King had formerly been general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, but was fired by team chairman Ed Snider

Suns get Childress from Atlanta >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns have acquired guard Josh Childress from the Atlanta Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal for a future second- round draft pick. In addition to the draft pick, Atlanta will get a trade exception to us

Safarova pulls out in Prague >>
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded heavy Czech crowd favorite Lucie Safarova pulled out of her scheduled second-round match Wednesday at the $220,000 Prague Open tennis event. Safarova was slated to meet Swe

Braves get Gonzalez from Jays in five-player deal >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday in a five-player trade. The Braves sent shortstop Yunel Escobar and pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto and also acqu

Nets name Billy King general manager >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have named Billy King as their next general manager. King takes the reins from Rod Thorn, who is stepping down as team president and general manager after 10 years on the job

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.