Keep an eye on Minnesota's Jefferson

Basketball Betting Lines

10/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2007-08 NBA season figures to offer fans of host of unique and entertaining storylines for all fans of the league.

During the offseason, there was a blockbuster trade that could change the standings in the Eastern Conference in a big way. There are rookies who will make a huge impact, while some players will have breakout seasons.

Which players are going to shine this year? Who is going to have the biggest impact on his new squad? Which rookie will stand out? Who will have a disappointing season?

Here's a list of 10 players to keep a watchful eye on during the 2007-08 campaign.

1. AL JEFFERSON (MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES) - The 22-year-old Jefferson was the key acquisition for Minnesota when it traded its franchise player Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics in the big deal of the summer. On July 31st, the Timberwolves acquired forwards Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair, center Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks for Garnett, who averaged 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 76 games last season.

Minnesota vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale is very high on Jefferson's game. The 6-10 Jefferson had a breakout campaign in 2006-07, as he posted 16.0 points and 11.0 boards in 69 contests for Boston. McHale would like to build the new-look Timberwolves around the up-and-coming big man. This is Jefferson's chance to shine and get the rest of the league to notice his all-around talents.

2. PAUL PIERCE (BOSTON CELTICS) - Pierce is no longer a one-man show in Boston. In fact, it is fair to say that he is the third option on the Celtics. Executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge acquired All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in separate deals during the offseason.

A five-time All-Star, Pierce averaged 25.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 47 games for Boston last season. The 30-year-old Pierce now has the help and quality teammates he has been looking for. The Kansas product wanted to play with better players, and Ainge has made that a reality.

Can Pierce take a back seat to Garnett and Allen? Is he willing to sacrifice to make the team better?

3. ALLEN IVERSON (DENVER NUGGETS) - Will the Anthony and Iverson experiment work over the course of a full season? The Nuggets acquired the 32-year-old Iverson on December 19th from the Philadelphia 76ers for a pair of 2007 first- round draft picks, point guard Andre Miller and forward Joe Smith. Denver earned its fourth straight playoff berth last season, but it was eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Anthony - who averaged a team-best 28.9 points per game last season but has not led his team out of the opening round of the postseason in four attempts - and Iverson love to have the ball in their hands. They are both scorers who enjoy being in the spotlight, and the duo is still learning to play together. They both are hungry to win, but can they do it together? This has the makings of an experiment that may fail very early.

4. RASHARD LEWIS (ORLANDO MAGIC) - The Magic added arguably the top free agent in the offseason class in Lewis, who was acquired from the Seattle SuperSonics in a sign-and-trade deal. The 28-year-old Lewis was an unrestricted free agent and received a lucrative multi-year contract prior to the deal. Lewis was dealt by Seattle in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick

The 6-10 Lewis averaged a career-high 22.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds for Seattle last season. He is a big threat from the perimeter and should be the perfect complement to All-Star big man Dwight Howard. Adding Lewis should push Orlando to the top of the Southeast Division.

5. DERON WILLIAMS (UTAH JAZZ) - Williams is on the verge of becoming a superstar. The 23-year-old Williams emerged as one of the best point guards in the league last season, as he averaged 16.2 points and a team-best 9.3 assists in 80 games.

The 6-3 Williams has talented teammates who will benefit from playing with a top playmaker. Carlos Boozer, who led the Jazz in scoring (20.9 ppg) and rebounding (11.7 rpg) in 2006-07, and fellow All-Star Mehmet Okur are scorers, while Andrei Kirilenko is trying to bounce back from an off year. Williams' job is to make them better, and if he can do that, he will become a great player.

6. ANDREW BOGUT (MILWAUKEE BUCKS) - Milwaukee needs its starting center to reach his full potential. Bogut, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, netted 12.3 points and grabbed a team-best 8.8 rebounds in 66 games last season for the Bucks, who finished a disappointing 28-54 and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Entering his third season in the NBA, the 22-year-old Bogut should be averaging a double-double. Bogut needs to give the Bucks more on the offensive end of the court, as they want him to become a force in the low post. If Bogut can find his complete game, Milwaukee has a chance to be one of the big surprises of 2007-08.

7. KEVIN DURANT (SEATTLE SUPERSONICS) - On draft night, the SuperSonics grabbed multi-talented Kevin Durant of Texas with the second overall pick. Durant was the most talented offensive player in the draft and is expected to make an immediate impact.

The 6-9 Durant looks like he is going to start out his career playing shooting guard. He can drain threes, is tough to guard off the dribble and knows how to create his own shot. Using Durant at guard will definitely cause matchup problems for Seattle's opponents. Look for huge numbers offensively from the Texas product and expect to see plenty of Durant jerseys being worn in the crowd.

8. JOAKIM NOAH (CHICAGO BULLS) - Questions regarding Noah's ability to play at the next level will be answered quickly. The Bulls selected Noah, who played his college ball at Florida, with the ninth overall pick in the draft.

Chicago expects Noah to add size, toughness and attitude to its frontcourt. The 6-11 Noah can run the floor, is athletic and has the ability to score and rebound on both ends of the court. If anyone can prove the so-called experts wrong, it's Noah.

9. MARVIN WILLIAMS (ATLANTA HAWKS) - In 2006-07, Williams averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 boards in his second season in the league. The North Carolina product showed big improvement during his sophomore campaign, as his numbers increased and he look like a more complete player.

The 21-year-old Williams is a big part of Atlanta's youth movement. The Hawks expect him to continue to develop his game. The 6-9 Williams can play both forward spots and could be one of those players primed for a breakout season.

10. LOUIS WILLIAMS (PHILADELPHIA 76ERS) - Here is a name that NBA fans should get to know. Williams, who turns 21 on October 27th, is a 6-2 guard who has the ability to play both spots in the backcourt. He shined in summer league games and proved at the end of last season that he can play when given consistent playing time.

Williams will start the new season as starting point guard Andre Miller's backup, but could be the starter before the end of the campaign. If the Sixers struggle, they may look to trade Miller by the deadline, which would open up a lot of minutes for the third-year guard. Look for Williams to take advantage of any opportunity he gets.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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