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NBA ASG and Deadline Odds – Kobe’s Last Hurrah

Larry Houser

by Larry Houser in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

“Thank you so much for voting me to the All-Star team, but I haven’t played anywhere close to the standard I have set for myself and I respectfully decline in order to allow someone more deserving to have a spot.”

Add the above to things that you will never hear Kobe Bryant say.

Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, will suit up for the Western Conference in Toronto this weekend and you can be sure he’ll relish the respite from playing with his lackluster Laker teammates. Black Mamba has been the game’s MVP four times, mainly because his style (shoot early, shoot often) meshes nicely with the no-defense-until-midway-through-the-fourth-quarter-and-then-only-if-the-game-is-close theme.

Bryant has more field goals and more points than any other player in All-Star Game history, and he will add to those totals on Sunday. Then, come Monday, he’ll resume his regular job with all the joy of a West Virginia coal miner.

Yet, it doesn’t look like he has much of an appetite for a trade, even to a contender. So his no-trade-clause – and general lack of interest from other teams – means he’ll be staying put at the impending trade deadline. Can the same be said of superstars like Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant, whose names have been incessently mentioned in trade rumors over the past couple days?

Below, we set the odds for Kobe’s last national TV lovefest along with some juicy trade deadline props.

2016 NBA All-Star Weekend Odds:

ODDS TO WIN ALL-STAR GAME MVP
Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers: 4/1
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: 4/1
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors: 5/1
DeMar Derozan, Toronto Raptors: 6/1
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors: 6/1
Russell Westbrook, OKC Thunder: 6/1
Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder: 8/1
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs: 12/1
Carmelo Anthony, NY Knicks: 15/1
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: 20/1
Lowry & Derozan (Co-MVPs): 75/1

ODDS TO WIN SLAM DUNK CONTEST
Zach Lavine, Minnesota Timberwolves: 3/2
Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic: 3/1
Will Barton, Denver Nuggets: 7/2
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons: 6/1

ODDS TO WIN THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 3/1
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors: 6/1
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: 8/1
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks: 8/1
James Harden, Houston Rockets: 8/1
J.J. Redick, L.A. Clippers: 9/1
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors: 9/1
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat: 16/1

OVER/UNDER ON TOTAL POINTS FOR KOBE BRYANT IN THE ASG: 17.5 points

ODDS KOBE BRYANT TAKES THE MOST SHOTS IN THE ASG
Yes: 3/1
No: 1/3

OVER/UNDER ON HOW MANY TIMES MARV ALBERT AND REGGIE MILLER USE THE WORDS “RETIRE” or “RETIREMENT” IN RELATION TO KOBE BRYANT DURING THE ASG: 13 times

ODDS THAT KOBE BRYANT’S 81-POINT GAME VS. TORONTO IS MENTIONED IN THE BROADCAST
Yes: 2/9
No: 9/2

OVER/UNDER ON HOW MANY OF KOBE’S 23 FELLOW ALL-STARS WILL HUG HIM ON THE AIR CANADA CENTRE FLOOR ON SUNDAY: 22.5

OVER/UNDER ON HOW MANY OF KOBE’S 23 FELLOW ALL-STARS WILL KISS HIM ON THE AIR CANADA CENTRE FLOOR ON SUNDAY: 0.5

ODDS SHAQUILLE O’NEAL SAYS SOMETHING NEGATIVE ABOUT KOBE BRYANT DURING THE ASG BROADCAST
Yes: 4/1
No: 1/4

ODDS TO PLAY THE MOST MINUTES FOR THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IN THE ASG
Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers: 5/1
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs: 5/1
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 6/1
Russell Westbrook, OKC Thunder: 6/1
Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder: 8/1
FIELD: 5/2

OVER/UNDER ON THE MOST EXPENSIVE TICKET TO THE ASG SOLD ON STUBHUB: $67,500

ODDS ON WHICH CANADIAN POP STAR – JUSTIN BIEBER OR DRAKE – WILL BE SHOWN MORE OFTEN DURING TNT’s ASG BROADCAST
Justin Bieber: 2/9
Drake: 4/1

ODDS ON THE FIRST SONG STING WILL PERFORM DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW
Walking on the Moon: 9/1
Every Little Thing She Does: 10/1
King of Pain: 12/1
Don’t Stand So Close to Me: 13/1
Fields of the Moon: 13/1
Message in a Bottle: 15/1
Roxanne: 75/1
FIELD: 1/1

ODDS TO WIN CELEBRITY GAME MVP
Tammy Sutton-Brown: 5/1
Elena Delle Donne: 5/1
José Bautista: 7/1
Chauncey Billups: 7/1
Nick Cannon: 9/1
Joel David Moore: 9/1
Win Butler: 12/1
Milos Raonic: 15/1
FIELD: 11/2

OVER/UNDER ON THE TEMPERATURE IN TORONTO AT TIP-OFF: 13 degrees F

ODDS THE ASG TELECAST EARNS A NIELSEN RATING OF 5.0 OR BETTER
Yes: 6/5
No: 5/6

2016 NBA TRADE DEADLINE ODDS

ODDS THAT THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS WILL BE TRADED BEFORE THE DEADLINE
Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee Bucks: 3/1
Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks: 3/1
Jamal Crawford, LA Clippers: 4/1
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks: 4/1
Blake Griffin, LA Clippers: 8/1
Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder: 12/1
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers: 12/1
Demarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings: 15/1
Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers: 8,000/1

ODDS ON WHICH TEAM THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS WILL BE ON AFTER THE DEADLINE
Blake Griffin

  • Clippers: 2/11
  • Thunder: 7/1
  • Celtics: 18/1

Kevin Durant

  • Thunder: 2/11
  • Lakers: 15/1
  • Rockets: 25/1

Al Horford

  • Hawks 5/1
  • Celtics 9/1
  • Raptors 14/1

Jeff Teague

  • Hawks: 4/1
  • Cavaliers: 12/1
  • Celtics: 14/1

Kevin Love

  • Cavaliers: 2/17
  • Spurs: 25/1
  • Nuggets: 40/1

Demarcus Cousins

  • Kings: 2/7
  • Celtics: 25/1
  • Magic: 35/1

Jamal Crawford

  • Clippers: 5/1
  • Cavaliers: 12/1
  • Raptors: 30/1

Michael Carter-Williams

  • Bucks: 3/1
  • Heat: 20/1
  • Grizzlies: 25/1

Kobe Bryant

  • Lakers: 1/100
  • Knicks: 8,000/1
  • 76ers: 76,000/1

(Photo credit: Christopher Johnson [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)

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