Johnson averaged 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists with the Wolf Pack last season as a junior.
Johnson was the second Nevada player to figure in the Blazers' draft Thursday night. Portland also acquired Nevada shooter Luke Babbitt, the 16th overall pick, and veteran Ryan Gomes from Minnesota for forward Martell Webster, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because the trade had not been officially announced.
The Trail Blazers selected Memphis swingman Elliot Williams with the 22nd pick.
The moves come amid a report that the Blazers had fired general manager Kevin Pritchard less than an hour before the start of the draft.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Jazz take Hayward at No. 9 in NBA draft
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -The Utah Jazz have selected Butler forward Gordon Hayward with the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft.Hayward helped lead Butler on its run to the NCAA championship game this spring, which included a win in Salt Lake City that
<< D'Antoni: 'Our big date is circled as July 1'
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -Draft day is a bit anticlimactic for Mike D'Antoni.``Our big date is circled as July 1,'' the New York Knicks coach said Thursday, not exactly revealing a franchise secret.For two years team president Donnie Walsh has maneuver
<< Morrow, Wells shine as Blue Jays blank Cardinals
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Morrow pitched eight strong innings,
and Vernon Wells slugged a pair of home runs, as Toronto avoided a three-game
sweep by the Cardinals with a 5-0 win.
Morrow (5-5) allowed just five hits, walke
<< Nets take G Crawford with No. 27th pick in draft
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -The New Jersey Nets have selected guard Jordan Crawford with the 27th pick in the NBA draft.The pick was the Nets' second in the first round and was acquired from Dallas in the deal that sent Jason Kidd to the Mavericks.C
<< Washington's Pondexter headed to Hornets
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -University of Washington swingman Quincy Pondexter is headed to New Orleans after being taken with the No. 26 pick in the NBA draft.Pondexter was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder but will go to the Hornets in a trade that net
Tomasulo leads suspended Mexico Open >>
Leon, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Tomasulo fired an eight-under 64 on
Thursday to take a one-shot lead during the first round of the suspended
Mexico Open.
Tomasulo had two eagles, six birdies and two bogeys on the 7,700-yard El
Bosque
Mavs get Dominique Jones from Grizzlies >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks acquired guard Dominique
Jones from Memphis in exchange for cash considerations during Thursday night's
NBA Draft.
Jones, who played at South Florida, was selected at No. 25 by the Memphis
Tigers edge Mets to avoid sweep >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Magglio Ordonez clubbed a two-run homer and
Ryan Raburn added a solo blast, as the Detroit Tigers fended off the New York
Mets, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Citi Field.
Raburn
Hornets trade Aldrich, Peterson to Thunder >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets traded their first-
round pick center Cole Aldrich along with guard Morris Peterson to the
Oklahoma City Thunder for a pair of lower first-round picks.
The swap was reported by multipl
Wolves acquire Webster from Blazers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired swingman
Martell Webster from Portland in a draft-night deal.
Going to the Trail Blazers were veteran forward Ryan Gomes and Luke Babbitt, a
power forward from Nevada who wa
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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