Lemieux says deal with Balsillie to buy Penguins "is dead"

Hockey Betting Lines

12/19/2006 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux said in a statement released Monday a deal to sell the team to Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO of Research in Motion, "is dead."

Lemieux said the Penguins are now trying to reach a deal with Isle of Capri Casinos to build a new arena and keep the financially struggling team in Pittsburgh. No public money is available to fund the project, which would replace the 45-year-old Mellon Arena as part of a $1 billion-plus development plan.

"As you know, the long-term future of the Penguins in Pittsburgh is dependent on a new arena," said Lemieux. "That has been our stance since we purchased the team out of bankruptcy in 1999. When our group (Lemieux Group LP) bought the team more than seven years ago, I never could have imagined that we would be standing here today, still without a new arena. But that is the reality."

The Isle of Capri has made an offer to privately fund construction of a $290 million arena, but that pledge is dependent on whether the casino will be awarded a slots license. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will award the sole license on Wednesday, but the Isle of Capri faces competition from two other bidders.

"Many have asked us, in light of Mr. Balsillie's withdrawal, what will we do in the event that the Isle of Capri is not awarded a license," Lemieux continued. "Will we negotiate a Plan B? Will we continue our efforts to sell the team? What I can tell you is that we are solely focused on the Isle of Capri's bid, which would ensure the Penguins' future in Pittsburgh for the long term. If the Isle is not successful on Wednesday, we will have to consider all of our options."

The 45-year-old Balsillie, who is from Ontario, signed an agreement more than two months ago to buy the Penguins for a reported $175 million. He then backed out of the deal last week by sending a letter of termination to the team, but Lemieux said they will retain Balsillie's deposit because they believe he is in breach of the agreement.

RIM is a Canadian-based company behind the BlackBerry products. Balsillie and his business partner were recently named Canada's CEOs of the Year.

"Our ownership group has worked very hard for the past seven years to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh," Lemieux concluded. "We now have a very exciting young team with a tremendous future on the ice. If the Isle of Capri is successful on Wednesday, it guarantees that the tremendous future will be right here in Pittsburgh."

In a related development, it's been reported Toronto businessman Frank D'Angelo and a billionaire partner, Dr. Barry Sherman, are interested in buying the Penguins.

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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