NBA Finals betting players are still wagering on the Celtics and Lakers, but it’s not too early for us to take a look back at the most disappointing teams of the season. Here’s who fell short of their benchmark this year.
Cleveland
Really, any team with LeBron James that doesn’t win a title is going to be considered a bust, but the Cavaliers really stepped in it this year. Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison were brought in and the Cavaliers ended up with the best regular-season record, but they had nothing for Boston, who let James do his thing and shut down the rest of the team. Now, James is a free agent, leading the most heralded class in NBA history, and they fired Mike Brown and are trying to lure Tom Izzo from Michigan State. This is like placing a World Cup bet on Spain, and having them fall short.
Orlando
The Magic also fell to Boston in the playoffs, and there are a few reasons for their disappointing season: Dwight Howard’s foul troubles in the postseason and the fact that he still doesn’t have a post game despite being mentored by Patrick Ewing, Vince Carter’s play in the Boston series, and more complaining about anything and everything by coach Stan Van Gundy. The Magic aren’t going to go anywhere until Howard learns to do more than dunk consistently.
Toronto
The Raptors were a mess all season, reeling off long losing and winning streaks right after one another. Chris Bosh was lost for some of the year, and now it’s very likely that he’ll be leaving Toronto. One year into a monster contract, Hedo Turkoglu also said he wants to leave after a poor season, and we’re not sure if Jay Triano is a NBA head coach. If you’re planning on taking Toronto’s NBA betting odds next year, don’t bother.
Denver
This is more about off-court stuff, and it was out of the Nuggets’ hands when coach George Karl had to leave the team for chemotherapy relating to his cancer. The Nuggets badly missed Karl’s leadership, especially in their first-round playoff loss to Utah, but they were also hurt by injuries to big men Kenyon Martin and Chris “Birdman” Andersen.
New Orleans
No one expected them to win the Western Conference, but the Hornets were at least a solid pick to Northbet.com odds favorite to make the playoffs, which they failed to. Most of that was down to an injured Chris Paul, and while Darren Collison definitely turned some heads with his play, he’s no Chris Paul. David West especially missed Paul, and they also fired Byron Scott, replaced him with Jeff Bower, and now Monty Williams will lead them into next season. It would be for the best to stay away from New Orleans’ betting odds next year.