NBA betting online handicappers will have a new Toronto Raptors team to evaluate heading into the season but with many of the same problems as before. The rebuilding Raptors are a +15000 longshot choice at Sbg global to win the 2011 NBA championship.
Failure to Gain Traction
There are times when the Raptors have looked like they were poised to make a playoff run as was the case last year when they finished 40-42 straight up and 39-43 against the spread. Toronto seemed to be in firm position for the final playoff spot but lost 5 consecutive games down the stretch to end up out of the money
Missing Links
Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu were considered to be two the key NBA betting assets that would take the Raptors to the Promised Land. Both are now gone as Bosch is with the Miami Heat and Turkoglu escaped to the warmth of Phoenix. Toronto head coach Jay Triano now faces the daunting challenge of making a team better with less than he had last year.
Full Circle
Last year Toronto entered training camp as a team that was favored to make the NBA playoff and instead finished out of running. This year the Raptors are given very little chance of reaching post season play and Triano is using that as a motivational tool to boost up the efforts of his team. Triano is also trying to emphasize how quickly things can change in the NBA and that a good effort can make a difference in the Eastern Conference.
Virtual Expansion Team
The fact remains however that no matter how Triano tries to sell it the Raptors is viewed by many NBA betting online handicappers as a virtual expansion team that will be a big underdog most nights. As weak as the Eastern Conference has been recently there is still very little about Toronto to get excited about, let alone bet money with.
Forgotten Team
The Raptors have always played in the shadows of hockey’s Toronto Maple Leafs and will only fall further behind in popularity and attention. The entire scenario is not one that is conducive to producing NBA betting profits. The only potential upside to the Raptors is that that they will have such little betting appeal with the public that oddsmakers will have to sweeten the pot with enhanced prices to draw action their way.