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Why Raptors' Norman Powell is the secret star of the NBA trade deadline – CBS Sports

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A good rule of thumb in the buildup to the NBA trade deadline is to always remember that every available player is available for a reason. They’re old, they’re unhappy, they’re defective, they’re replaceable. Teams generally don’t find cornerstones at the deadline. They add niche pieces for specific roles or aging veterans with enough left in the tank for one last ride. Sellers don’t sell their younger players with premium skill sets. They keep them. 

That is especially true on offense. Multi-level scorers are usually impossible to find in the middle of the season. Vince Carter is the only player in NBA history to be traded in a season in which he averaged at least 20 points per game and shot above 40 percent on 3-pointers (on at least two attempts per game), and he himself pushed for that deal. Lower the scoring threshold to 15 and the list is still only 10 players long. Bump the shooting threshold up to 43 percent from there and the list drops back down to two: Cuttino Mobley in 2005 and Al Harrington in 2007. Both had more NBA experience at the time of their trades than Norman Powell does now. 

That, in part, explains Powell’s availability. He has started 119 games in his career, only 11 more than LeBron James did as a teenager. In fairness, Powell’s play didn’t warrant a starting slot earlier in his career. This is only his second season scoring in double figures. He shot 28.5 percent from behind the arc only three seasons ago. His ascent with the Toronto Raptors has been as meteoric as it was unexpected. Nothing from the early portion of Powell’s career suggested he was going to become one of the NBA’s best all-around scorers. 

Yet here we are, a day away from a deadline in which Powell might be the best scorer that gets traded. If he does get dealt, he would become the highest-scoring 43 percent 3-point shooter ever to be traded at 19.5 points per game. The ends aren’t as impressive as the means. Powell generates points in just about every way that an NBA player can do so. He shoots at least 41 percent on both pull-up and catch-and-shoot 3s. He draws more fouls on a per-possession basis than Kyrie Irving and Paul George, makes 64 percent of his field goals in the restricted area and ranks in the 85th percentile or better in terms of spot-up, isolation and pick-and-roll scoring efficiency. He is that preciously rare multi-level scorer, a possible deadline addition as capable of creating shots for himself as he is benefitting from the ones a superstar makes for him. 

This begs the question that frames most deadline deals: What’s the catch? Why is he available? He’s not old. At 27, he’s still quite young, and given how few minutes he’s played and games he’s started, there’s an argument to be made that he still has a fair bit of room to improve. Is he unhappy? Not that we know of. He’s not defective, either. His height (6-3) can prove a bit problematic on defense in certain matchups, but his 6-11 wingspan more than makes up for it, and Powell has never been a glaring negative on defense. He’s already played rotation minutes on a championship team before. Teams don’t need to worry about him getting played off the floor.

If anything, his defect is that he’s too valuable. Powell has an $11.6 million player option for next season. He is expected to decline that and seek a salary in the neighborhood of $20 million per year. It’s one that he’s earned. Jerami Grant earned a similar contract without ever posting the numbers Powell is putting up now. Paying Powell market value might not bother some teams. It seems to bother the Raptors, who have carefully spent the past several years carving out significant cap space for this offseason. They did so with Giannis Antetokounmpo in mind, but even with the superstars now spoken for, Toronto is nine games below .500 with Powell and Kyle Lowry in place. Wanting to retool around the existing core of Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam is understandable, and it’s not fully possible with Powell on the books. 

Teams with more modest offseason ambitions don’t need to worry about that. Powell will be expensive, yes, but acquiring him now could allow an interested party without 2021 cap space to get him, and use his Bird rights to keep him, when they otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to do so. That’s a chance to circumvent not only the salary cap, but historical norms. 

Players like Powell just don’t become available particularly often. That doesn’t make him a superstar, but it makes him the hidden star of the 2021 trade deadline. Some team is going to add the sort of player most of the league doesn’t have access to at this point in the season, and if the right team does so, it won’t only impact the coming postseason, but change the face of a contending roster for years to come. 

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Sports betting roundup: NFL and college football were all about the favourites

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The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.

The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.

Trends of the Week

The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.

In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.

When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.

Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.

Coming up

Right after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series, odds for the 2025 World Series were released.

The Dodgers have the best odds at +400, while the Atlanta Braves and Yankees are next at +800.

The Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies round out the top five, both at +1100.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports:

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Longtime rivals Ovechkin, Crosby join Necas as NHL’s three stars of the week

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NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.

Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.

The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.

Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.

Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.

Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Oliveira, Mitchell named as finalists for CFL outstanding player award

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TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.

Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).

Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.

Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.

Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.

Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.

The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).

The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.

The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.

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