Timberwolves introduce Wesley Johnson

Basketball Betting Lines

06/26/2010 -

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -In one of the longest and most difficult seasons in franchise history, one thing became painfully obvious to David Kahn and Kurt Rambis above all others - the Minnesota Timberwolves needed a star.

Both acknowledge it is much easier to find a player who can take over games and become the face of a franchise through the draft than in free agency.

So can Wesley Johnson - the long and lean Syracuse forward with the pretty jumper and knack for rebounding - become that player?

The Wolves drafted Johnson fourth overall Thursday night, a move that preceded a series of trades and acquisitions of players who do little to excite the fan base with their names alone. Martell Webster, Lazar Hayward, Nemanja Bjelica and Paulao Prestes all are players who may eventually fit in very well with Minnesota.

But Johnson is the only one of the group who has the name recognition that the team can market, so the Wolves sorely need to have made the right move in taking the soon-to-be 23-year-old over Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins.

``Over time, that's where every guy wants to be,'' said Johnson, who showed off a bright smile and quick sense of humor during his introductory news conference Friday. ``I'm just trying to come in and impact the team and help them win. If that role jumps on me, it jumps on me, but other than that I'm just trying to help the team move in the right direction.''

The Wolves traded the 16th pick to Portland for Webster, an athletic wing player who they think will fit right in with their up-tempo style. But he has averaged just over eight points per game in five seasons with the Blazers.

Hayward, taken 30th overall, was a hard-working senior at Marquette. But even he didn't expect to be taken in the first round. The Serbian Bjelica and Brazilian Prestes may as well be from Mars and Jupiter as far as most Wolves fans are concerned, and could stay overseas for at least another year.

That leaves Johnson, a first-team All-America selection in his lone season at Syracuse, as the key component to this class. Kahn, the team president, has said numerous times that the Wolves are looking for their version of Brandon Roy or Kevin Durant, highly skilled players with outsized personalities who thrive in the spotlight.

At first blush, Johnson is polite, humble and well-mannered. The Wolves will have to wait and see if he has the makeup to emerge as a go-to player in the NBA.

``It's going to take a while to develop that characteristic,'' Rambis said. ``It'll be interesting to see how he competes at an NBA level. Players have that mindset where they want to be aggressive and feel confident making a shot as well as missing a shot. Certain players can handle it and certain players can't. At this point in time, I don't know where he lies.''

Kahn, who heaped praise and high expectations upon Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn after drafting them last year, tried to play it a little safer with Johnson.

``I don't want to put that kind of pressure on these kids, him included,'' Kahn said. ``I think he has great potential and still a lot of upside. ... The adjustment from college to the NBA's tough enough without some team GM in a suit saying they should become such-and-such or else.''

What sold the Timberwolves on Johnson over Cousins was that he filled the team's most immediate need on the roster - an athletic, versatile wing player who can shoot the 3.

``I see him being multifaceted, playing a lot of different areas,'' Rambis said. ``You can just see the confidence and poise that he has. Combine that with his athleticism, his size and his length and he has the capabilities and the potential to be that guy. But a lot of that is in his mindset.''

Another possible reason the Wolves went for Johnson over Cousins was their expectation that free-agent center Darko Milicic will return next season. Labeled a bust for most of his first seven seasons in the league, Milicic blossomed after being acquired by the Wolves at the trading deadline.

Rambis said on Friday that he expects Milicic to be back next season and Kahn said signing him will be one of their first orders of business when the free-agent season opens on July 1.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.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.