NFL Picks & Free Football Picks

The Dallas Mavericks have definitely missed out on some big deals over the last couple of seasons like Pau Gasol, Shaq and Vince Carter, but they are starting to make up for it with a few little deals that might go unnoticed.

First they resigned Jason Kidd which was obviously a must, but it didn't stop there as they went out and got Shawn Marion from the Toronto Raptors. And now they are on the verge of signing Tim Thomas who will thrive in the Dallas Mavericks lineup.

The Mavs will be a middle of the pack team with the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs all have improved teams, but they are doing the best they can with what they have to work with.

Will the Mavs be able to contend next season? Probably not, but they have the potential to surprise some people.

As arguably the best free agent left on the market, the New York Knicks forward/center David Lee has his options.

The Knicks would without doubt love to keep Lee how had a breakout year last season, but I have the feeling that they have their eye on bigger fish next season. The one team that does seem to be the most interested as of right now is the Portland Trailblazers.

With Lee in the Blazers frontcourt they would improve on many levels and have a pretty intimidating starting five. The Knicks have offered Lee a five year deal, but he has failed to accept or decline which has him leading towards leaving New York.

It is official, Shaq has packed his bags and headed for Cleveland with only one goal in mind: Win a Ring for the King!

Noble cause, but will the addition of Shaq really make the Cleveland Cavaliers title contenders? Can Shaq hold off a much young Dwight Howard?

I am sure there will be plenty of questions as we near the next NBA season, but I do have to give credit to Danny Ferry for acting quick and bringing Shaq daddy to Cleveland or he may have lost LeBron James for good in 2010 when the New York Knicks will throw God knows how much money at King James.

One thing is for certain though, the NBA offseason has just begun and NBA free agency is in full swing so the Cavs might not be done wheeling and dealing just yet. Rumor has it that Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest are now on the Cavs radar.

Game four was as forgettable a game the Los Angeles Lakers have played in the postseason thus far. Kobe Bryant was the end all be all of that game and now the Denver Nuggets have the momentum going into a pivitol game five in LA.

There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant and company will come out ready to take back control of this series in game five, but the Nuggets are proving to be tougher and tougher to beat with the production from the bench and supporting cast around Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony.

I think the Lakers will be able to win game five, but one thing is for certain in this series that the Denver bench is completely out playing the Lakers bench which is arguably one of the best benches in all of basketball.

This series is far from over as it now has to go at least six games, but it will all come down to how well the benches play in the final games.

When the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Charlotte Bobcats the other night everyone and their mother just lost it. Mostly Lakers fans yes, but so much talk was going around about how the Lakers were in trouble.

One thing I want to say is, all that talk is to start up some hype and interest in Lakers games since they have already clinched the Pacific division and the Western conference.

Give me a break! These games mean absolutely nothing, zip, zero!

Anyways, like I figured they would the Lakers bounced back from their disappointing loss to the lowly Bobcats and beat up on the Milwaukee Bucks.

So stop trippin' people! Lakers will be fine as always!

With the Los Angeles Lakers pretty having the already the Western conference number one seed in the bag right now  the addition of Andrew Bynum will only make arguably the best team in the NBA that much stronger.

If Bynum comes back as planned he will be back in the lineup by the end of round one or the beginning round two of the playoffs.

As of right now the eighth seed in the West is up in the air. The Dallas Mavericks have the spot right now, but it could just as easily be the Phoenix Suns or the Utah Jazz maybe even the Portland Trailblazers if the stumble towards the finish line.

If it does end up being the Mavs the Lakers should be ok without Bynum because Dallas is just terrible at this point with only Dirk Nowitzki being a threat. If it is the Jazz the Lakers could in trouble in the paint with Carlos Boozer and Paul Milsap to deal with.

Although anything can happen in the NBA, I really don't see the Memphis Grizzles beating the Denver Nuggets.

As of right now the spread is -6.5 in favor of the Nuggets and that is a steal for any avid sports bettor. The Nuggets might be playing on the road, but the Grizzles are just a team full of talented players who still need to learn how to play with each other.

The Nuggets on the other hand are full of veterans who have great team chemistry. Chauncey Billups has completely transformed this team from a high powered offense and no defense to one of the best all around teams in the NBA today.

Denver is on a three game winning streak and have a some big games coming up next week so they will be looking to keep up the winning momentum.

Another good Eastern conference battle tonight with the Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat going up against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Although the Celtics have played pretty terrible over the last couple weeks they are do for a win and should get the best of a hot Heat team.

Dwyane Wade will be a challenge for the Celtics defenders, but Boston always plays well at home. The spread right now is -4.5 to Boston. I would say that is a solid bet unless Wade goes off like has made a habit of doing this month.

KG will not be playing and the Celtics will have problems with Jermaine O'Neal in the paint, but I would still expect to see Boston beat up on the Heat.

If you haven't heard about it already, the Los Angeles Lakers just got destroyed last night in Portland by the Trailblazers.

For some reason the Lakers just haven't had any luck in Portland over the past few years as they have not been able to beat the Blazers at the Rose Garden.

Just like any great team like the Lakers when you are losing by 20 or more points and the other team keeps pounding on you there has to be physical message sent. The Lakers did just that last night in the form of Trevor Ariza manhandling Rudy Fernandez on a breakaway layup.

If you see the replay the foul doesn't look all that bad, but Fernandez fell extremely hard, enough to have him carted off on stretcher.

Ariza will not face discipline from the NBA and I think that is the right decision, but it is looking like Lamar Odom might after he came off the Lakers bench on got in the face of Brandon Roy.

Does something need to happen to Odom? I don't think so, but the whole coming off the bench thing has been a big no-no in the NBA in the past after the Pacers-Pistons brawl a few years back.

 Well, even though the Los Angeles Lakers were the first to pull the trigger on a trade before the upcoming NBA trade deadline getting Adam Morrison for Vladimir Radmanovic, the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat were the first two teams to pull off a blockbuster trade.

The deal has Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon going to the Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. 

Is it a good deal? Maybe. I don't know if O'Neal is really worth as much as people say anymore, but Jamario Moon is an up and coming talent that could be a steal for the Heat in the long run.

Marion going to the Raptors on the other hand might be just what the doctor ordered as he might bring so much needed balance to team looking to establish an identity in a disappointing season.

Will both teams be better? Probably. It might take some time for these teams to strike up some chemistry, but looking further down the road this deal might have made them a force to be reckoned with in the East once again.