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07/20/2010 -
MIAMI (AP) -With just about every Miami Heat acquisition this summer, another recruiting story seems to emerge.
Dwyane Wade helped lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh. James played a big role in talking Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Miller into coming to Miami.
And now, Miller is taking a turn.
Only days after signing with Miami, Miller is talking to close pal Jason Williams about reuniting with the team. Williams started at point guard for the Heat during Miami's championship season in 2006.
``I'd love to have him,'' said Miller, who spoke to Williams on Sunday. ``Obviously, it has to work out on both sides. J-Will would have to want to come back and Miami would have to be good with that. I just talked to him more as a friend, just to see how he's doing and what he's thinking about doing. I'm just excited for him. He had an unbelievable year last year and we'll see what happens in the future here.''
It might be a long shot, getting Williams back to Miami.
Fortunately for the Heat, Miller didn't need much convincing.
He agreed to a deal with Miami shortly after James said he was coming to join Wade and Bosh. Like at least four other players - James, Wade, Bosh and Udonis Haslem - Miller took significantly less money from Heat owner Micky Arison than he could have made elsewhere in order to be part of the rebuilt Miami roster.
Miller took a five-year deal worth around $25 million. So far this summer, Miami has closed roughly $400 million worth of deals, and done so at what might be considered around the league as bargain prices.
``In order for it to happen, it took a lot of moving parts to come together,'' Miller said. ``For one, (Heat president) Pat Riley had to do an amazing job to clear cap space, and then Mr. Arison had to go out and spend every dollar he could possibly spend to get everybody and then guys had to take less. So it was a commitment all around the board.''
Miller isn't sure if he'll start for Miami this coming season, nor has he been told exactly what role he'll have on the rebuilt Heat roster.
He just knows he should be open - a lot.
The NBA's second-best shooter from 3-point range last season came to the Heat in large part because of the opportunities he could get playing alongside Wade and James. Knowing they'll be double-covered much of the time, someone should usually be open, and that somebody could very well be him.
``There should be a lot of looks,'' Miller said. ``There's no question about it.''
Miller has started at least 47 games in nine of his first 10 NBA seasons, with the lone exception when he came off the bench 65 times for Memphis in 2005-06. He was a runaway winner of the NBA's sixth man award that season, easily outdistancing Speedy Claxton and Jerry Stackhouse.
Being the top reserve might be his starting point in Miami. Miller plays shooting guard and small forward primarily, spots also held by Wade and James.
``We can chalk those guys in as the starters,'' Miller said. ``I think it'll probably be a role that I play and I have no problem with that. I'm just here to help win games and if that's one of the ways that we can do it, then that's what I'll do.''
Coming to Miami also made sense to Miller in one other way. He gets to pair with Haslem again.
They were teammates on the Florida team that lost the 2000 NCAA title game. And Miller and Haslem have talked for years about the chance to be teammates one more time.
``Unfinished business,'' Miller said.
They'll have a chance at a bigger prize together with the Heat.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.
<< Diamondbacks pummel light-hitting Mets
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Reynolds tripled in a run as part of a big
first inning and belted a three-run homer in the sixth, carrying Arizona to a
13-2 blowout win over the New York Mets.
Chris Young had three hits and scored th
<< Rios' HR helps White Sox get past Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios clubbed a two-run homer and added a
sacrifice fly, as the Chicago White Sox defeated Seattle, 6-1, in the opener
of a three-game series at Safeco Field.
Omar Vizquel went 2-for-4 with a walk a
<< Beltre, Dice-K pace Red Sox over A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Beltre went 3-for-4 with a home run and
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw into the seventh inning, as the Boston Red Sox cooled
off the Oakland Athletics with a 2-1 victory in the opener of a three-game
series.
<< Indians pound out 20 hits in rout of Twins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Crowe had a career-high four hits
and drove in two runs, as the Cleveland Indians remained hot with a 10-4
victory over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series at
Target
Line of Scrimmage: NFL GameChangers '10: Specialists >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Belichick has achieved considerable
success during his 10-season stint as head coach of the New England Patriots,
but for those with the time or wherewithal to look at his resume' with a
magnifying glass
NHL veteran Keane won't return to Manitoba >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time NHL forward Mike Keane won't return
to the Manitoba Moose for the 2010-11 season.
Manitoba, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks,
announced it won't renew the 43-year-
Cardinals seek seventh straight victory in clash with Phils >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home runs are not easy to hit, but the St. Louis Cardinals
made it their job in last night's win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The NL
Central-leading Cardinals will try to go deep again Tuesday in the second
installment of
Mets hope to find their road game in Arizona >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The road hasn't been too kind for the New York Mets and
last night's embarrassing loss in Arizona was proof. The Mets will try to
regroup on their 11-game, three-city tour out west tonight in the second
portion of a three-gam
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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