Dwight Howard has apparently decided to sign with the Houston Rockets. Although no press conference has been held to announce the specifics of the jordan 8 phoenix suns deal, a person close to the situation told USA Today Sports, who then broke the story Friday afternoon. Las Vegas sports books had already done some tinkering with their odds to win the 2013-14 NBA Championship when rumors began surfacing last week about Howard's plans, but now that it's rumored to be official, they can go all-in with the odds move rather than just the precautionary adjustments on multiple teams that also included Golden State and Dallas as well.
"I don't see this as being that big a deal for Houston," said Wynn sports book director John Avello, "but it was still enough for us to drop the Rockets from 20-to-1 down to 12-to-1." Avello isn't one of Howard's biggest fans and doesn't believe adding him to the mix elevates them over teams like Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the West. "There's no doubt about his defensive abilities, but I would have concerns in other areas beyond the free-throw line, such as his lazy attitude and constant complaining. That type of stuff gets old after a while." The Rockets were already a playoff team prior to the signing with James Harden averaging 25 points-per-game last season, but the adjustment on the Rockets is more about staying ahead of public perception on the Rockets. No matter how you feel about Howard, he does make Houston better.
As for the Lakers, Avello stayed put at 15-to-1. "Now they've (Lakers) got some money to fill in some missing pieces, and if Kobe gets back 100 percent with Pau Gasol being a focal point again due to Howard being gone, there might be better chemistry," said Avello. "I wouldn't count out the Lakers just yet." Kobe Bryant is coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon injured during an April 13 game and is shooting for a return to action in November or December. The LVH Super Book moved the Rockets from 15-to-1 down to 12-to-1 after the news.
Last week they had moved the Rockets from 25-to-1 down to 15-to-1 on the probability that Howard phoenix suns 8s would choose the Rockets. However, the LVH isn't as confident as Avello is about the Lakers improving by subtraction. They've raised the Lakers' odds from 40-to-1 all the way up to 100-to-1, the highest odds ever offered on the Lakers in Las Vegas prior to a season beginning in phoenix suns 8s for sale at least 34 years, or since Magic Johnson became a Laker.