NBA Weekend Recap - Stephen Jackson is a Bobcat

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their second game in a row this past Sunday when the Houston Rockets, sans both Tracey McGrady and Yao Ming, dominated the Lakers as 9 point underdogs in the NBA sportsbook 101 to 90.

It was an alarming loss because it came on the heels of a 105 to 79 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. That’s not the say that the Lakers won’t turn things around, but it is to say that unless they get Pau Gasol back and Kobe Bryant gets over his groin strain, the Lakers could be in some trouble. The NBA betting trends so far have been to give the Lakers more respect than they deserve. Beware betting on the Lakers until those trends change.

Both the Nuggets and the Rockets found a way to stifle the Lakers’ offense. Look at the teams that play great defense and you suddenly see that the Lakers already are having issues. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks 94 to 80 as 7 ½ point favorites in NBA online betting. The Lakers needed overtime to beat the Houston Rockets 103 to 102 the first time they met the Rockets and then were absolutely beat down on Sunday and this was after the Nuggets thumped the Lakers on Friday night.

Without Kobe Bryant’s terrific shot creating ability and the fantastic Gasol, teams are finding a way to keep the Lakers’ offense at bay. It could be a theme this season.

Golden State Unloads Stephen Jackson

The Golden State Warriors have finally unloaded bad boy Stephen Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic. The Bobcats also get Acie Law.

With Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph both playing well, the Warriors felt that getting rid of Jackson was the right move. It’s hard to disagree with them. Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic are going to add maturity, experience and defense, at least in Bell’s case, to a young Warriors’ team that has two big time scorers in Corey Maggette and Monta Ellis.

With Curry and Randolph adding buckets, the Warriors should be a much better overall team. The Bobcats? Not so much. Charlotte gave up one of their best players in Bell who, although injured since the season started, was also one of the leaders of their team. Radmanovic has played with some of the best in the NBA, like Kobe Bryant, and is a serviceable guy.

Taking on a head case like Jackson is not a wise move for a team that constantly appears to be rebuilding.

So Far, Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Cavs Aren’t Running Away and Hiding

We just went over the Lakers’ issues, but the Celtics, Magic and Cavs aren’t doing all that much better either.

No team has yet solidified themselves as the team to beat in the NBA yet this season. A lot of teams that weren’t taken seriously last season have so far proven to be better this season.

The Phoenix Suns are 9 and 2 so far this season. The Dallas Mavericks are 7 and 3 and the Portland Trailblazers are 8 and 3. In the Eastern Conference the Milwaukee Bucks are 5 and 2 and both the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are ahead of the Orlando Magic in the NBA Southeast Division at 8 and 2 and 7 and 2 respectively.