T'Wolves finalize deal with Milicic; ink two first-round picks

Basketball Betting Lines

07/12/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves signed center Darko Milicic on Monday. Reports indicated it's a four-year contract worth close to $20 million.

The team also inked 2010 first-round draft picks Wesley Johnson and Lazar Hayward.

Milicic has bounced between five different teams since being taken second overall by Detroit in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was dealt to Minnesota from the Knicks in February after joining New York via a trade with Memphis last summer. He appeared in just eight games and averaged 8.9 minutes for New York, then started 18 of the 24 games in which he appeared for the T'Wolves and averaged 25.6 minutes. Over that time, Milicic tallied 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.8 assists per contest.

Milicic has career averages of 5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 369 games, 116 of those starts.

Johnson, a 6-7 forward, was the fourth overall selection. In his only season at Syracuse, he averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks in 35 games. Prior to transferring to Syracuse, Johnson spent his first two collegiate seasons at Iowa State.

Hayward was taken by the Washington Wizards with the 30th overall pick before being dealt to the Wolves in a draft-night trade. He played in 138 games at Marquette, averaging 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. He is the second all-time leading scorer in school history.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.