posted February 26, 2008 at 20:07 EST in NBA Articles

Now that the trade deadline is over, teams are battling for postseason with their new additions but what the NBA betting community is really interested in is: Who's covering spreads and making money?

Despite all the talk about Shaquille O'Neal going to Phoenix, and his new club being a strong contender in the West, the Suns are below .500 ATS (against the spread). But the big man's presence inside figures to generate many more paydays for Suns' investors.

However, there are many questions to be answered in Phoenix with Shaq invading the desert and it will be interesting to see how they fare at the ticket window in days to come.

NBA wagering fans that play totals may want to keep an eye on the tempo Phoenix generates with O'Neal in tow. The Suns own the second-highest scoring offense in the NBA and they have put more games over versus under, but Shaq could actually slow the high-octane offense down.

Players start to lose their lateral quickness as they get older, but can still be effective playing an up-tempo north-south game like the Suns.

One club that isn't having troubles covering spreads is the Los Angeles Lakers, who are the biggest money-makers in the league ATS. The Pacific-leading Lakers also added a big man inside.

With the addition of Pau Gasol, the Lakers went from playoff team to championship contender overnight. The Lakers have the rest of the league on notice that they are now the team to beat.

The West is a wild conference that's wide-open, but don't forget the right coast forces. The East has improved with the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic joining the Detroit Pistons as division leaders.

The Cleveland Cavaliers retooled their roster, though they are still below .500 ATS. The Cavaliers brought in some quality; they got center Ben Wallace and forward Joe Smith from Chicago, and forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from Seattle. The Cavs and LeBron James are now poised to make its playoff run while recovering lost funds for those who bet on NBA excitement.

For the first time in years, it looks like the league really has parity. There’s just no clear-cut championship favorite at this time. This could even be the first time that a 50-win team ends up sitting at home when the playoffs begin.

It's going to be an incredible remainder of the season with all the moves. There's play nightly, so be sure to follow the BetUS NBA odds on a regular basis.

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