World Cup 2010: Everyone's Teams and Odds

The teams have been picked so if you watched the video on the previous post then you know your teams at this point. Now I will post the list of everyones teams and the odds of them winning the world cup and winning their group. All the odds are taken from the World Sports Exchange. The first numbers next to the name are the odds of the team winning it all and the second number next to that are the odds that they win their group. Keep in mind, in order to advance to the second round a team does not need to win their group, but does need to finish in the top 2.

World Cup Winner Odds:

1. Brazil - 3:1

2. Spain - 4:1

3. England - 13:2

4. Argentina - 7:1

5. Netherlands - 13:1

T6. Germany - 14:1

T6. Italy - 14:1

8. France - 18:1

9. Portugal - 28:1

10. Ivory Coast - 30:1

11. USA - 50:1

12. Serbia - 60:1

T13. Chile - 66:1

T13. Mexico - 66:1

T15. Ghana - 80:1

T15. Paraguay - 80:1

17. Cameroon - 100:1

T18. Uruguay - 125:1

T18. Nigeria - 125:1

T20. South Africa - 150:1

T20. Australia - 150:1

T20. Denmark - 150:1

T20. Greece - 150:1

T24. Switzerland - 200:1

T24. South Korea - 200:1

26. Slovenia - 275:1

27. Slovakia - 300:1

28. Japan - 350:1

29. Algeria - 500:1

T30. Honduras - 750:1

T30. New Zealand - 750:1

T30. North Korea - 750:1

Here are the groups in the World Cup with their projected finish by the odds

Group A

1. France (1:1)

2. Mexico (3:1)

3. Uruguay (7:2)

4. South Africa (6:1)

Group B

1. Argentina (3:7)

2. Nigeria (9:2)

3. Greece (8:1)

4. South Korea (12:1)

Group C

1. England (1:3)

2. USA (4:1)

3. Slovenia (11:1)

4. Algeria (21:1)

Group D

1. Germany (4:5)

2. Serbia (10:3)

3. Ghana (14:3)

4. Australia (8:1)

Group E

1. Netherlands (4:7)

2. Denmark (17:4)

3. Cameroon (9:2)

4. Japan (14:1)

Group F

1. Italy (4:9)

2. Paraguay (10:3)

3. Slovakia (7:1)

4. New Zealand (45:1)

Group G

1. Brazil (4:7)

2. Portugal (11:3)

3. Ivory Coast (4:1)

4. North Korea (80:1)

Group H

1. Spain (4:15)

2. Chile (5:1)

3. Switzerland (12:1)

4. Honduras (33:1)

Rankings & Analysis:

In this section I'm going to list everyones teams with the odds of winning the world cup and the odds of winning their group next to that. Following that I will give your World Cup winning rank number and group number by adding up the ranks by odds of the 4 teams you have for both the world cup and group. (Example - person X has Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Greece. Their odds on the world cup list has them at 5, 10, 15, and 20 respectively. I add those up and your number is 50. The lower the score the better. Think of it like a golf score. Group numbers will also be calculated with the best number you can get being a 4 (meaning all your teams are projected to win their group) and the worst being 16 (meaning all your teams are projected to come in last).

1. AJ -

1. England (13:2, 1:3)

2. Netherlands (10:1, 4:7)

3. France (18:1, 1:1)

4. Cameroon (100:1, 9:2)

World Cup Winning Score: 33

World Cup Group Score: 6

Definitely has the best chance to win this pool. Three teams in the top 8 for world cup odds with Cameroon as an outside shot playing on their continent. Looks like he will definitely have those three teams advancing in their groups into the second round with a very realistic chance for all four to do so. AJ continues to be the luckiest gambler I know.

2. Bobby -

1. Spain (4:1, 4:15)

2. Portugal (28:1, 11:3)

3. Serbia (60:1, 10:3)

4. Mexico (66:1, 3:1)

World Cup Winning Score: 36

World Cup Group Score: 7

All four of babydick's teams are projected to advance to the next round. Portugal might not though, sitting in the group of death with Brazil and Ivory Coast, a home favorite. If they do advance then they definitely have a good shot to win it all behind the leg of Christiano Ronaldo. Spain obviously is the favorite though and I have seen some sites project them as the favorite to win it all. Bobby and AJ are the luckiest people I know.

If you don't believe me with Bobby let me tell you a little story that might make you believe in his luck. When Bobby was just a little cucumber, he and his family went to some event that had a raffle. There were a few hundred people there and two of the prizes were soccer goals. Bobby bought two tickets for this raffle and not only did he win one of the soccer goals, oh no, but he won BOTH of them. The only way you can argue against Bobby's luck is to point to the baby carrot he calls a dick. That's your only argument. Is there a reason I always compare Bobby to phallic vegetables? I don't know, it just feels right.

3. Ryan -

1. Brazil (3:1, 4:7)

2. Italy (14:1, 4:9)

3. South Africa (150:1, 6:1)

4. Algeria (500:1, 21:1)

World Cup Winning Score: 56

World Cup Group Score: 10

Two powerhouses here including the favorite to win it all give Ryan a very good shot to win. Only two of his teams project to advance past the 1st round, but South Africa is the host country and host countries always seem to outperform where they are projected. He would be lucky to get three in the second round, but either way he will definitely get two and those two will be projected to go deep in the tournament.

4. Gary -

1. Argentina (7:1, 3:7)

2. Ghana (80:1, 14:3)

3. Greece (150:1, 8:1)

4. Switzerland (200:1, 12:1)

World Cup Winning Score: 63

World Cup Group Score: 10

Gary has what might be the most interesting team to watch this year with Argentina. They have what soccer people are calling the best player in the world hands down, Lionel Messi. When you have a guy that good then there really is no telling how good this team can be. The other three teams are not projected to advance, but I'm sure one of them will because they are all close 3rds in their groups. Messi should be a fun player to watch and Gary's hopes are really riding on him.

5. Lorenzo -

1. Germany (14:1, 4:5)

2. Nigeria (125:1, 9:2)

3. Slovakia (300:1, 7:1)

4. Honduras (750:1, 33:1)

World Cup Winning Score: 81

World Cup Group Score: 10

Germany is the lone powerhouse and only team I have that really has a legit chance of winning. A great pedigree and a history of thriving in the World Cup, Germany is always a feisty team that gives others headaches. I am comfortable knowing I have a team that can do that. Nigeria is projected to advance as well, but my hopes are dim for my others to make any noise, but at least with Germany I know I have a chance.

6. Mike -

1. Ivory Coast (30:1, 4:1)

2. Chile (66:1, 5:1)

3. Australia (150:1, 8:1)

4. Denmark (150:1, 17:4)

World Cup Winning Score: 63

World Cup Group Score: 11

Only one of your teams is projected to advance and it's your second best team, Chile. The problem is that Ivory Coast, a very good team, ranked at 10 in the odds, is in the group of death. Didier Drogba is an outstanding player and I believe they will beat Portugal out of that group of death with a crowd that will be behind them. If they move on, look out, because they instantly turn into one of the favorites. The thing is you could advance as little as one of your teams into the second round with an outside shot for all of them.

7. Brian -

1. USA (50:1, 4:1)

2. Uruguay (125:1, 7:2)

3. Japan (350:1, 14:1)

4. North Korea (750:1, 80:1)

World Cup Winning Score: 87

World Cup Group Score: 13

Oh Brian, you're such a patriot. The good ol USA looks like your only shot and believe me it's a long shot. The good part is that it looks like they will advance out of that group with England, but injuries have hurt them and they are not going into this full strength. Landon Donovan has really progressed as a player these last couple years so maybe instead of deferring to everyone else he will be the goal scorer they desperately need. Uruguay also has a chance to advance out of that group, but your Asian countries, much like your Asian eyes, have a very small squinty chance to do anything.

8. Josh -

1. Paraguay (80:1, 10:3)

2. South Korea (200:1, 12:1)

3. Slovenia (275:1, 11:1)

4. New Zealand (750:1, 45:1)

World Cup Winning Score: 95

World Cup Group Score: 13

Obviously the worst draw, which sucks because I know either you or I would be the most pissed about not having a good team to root for. Paraguay should advance to the second round, but it would be unlikely for any of your other teams to follow suit. Oh well, there's always World Cup 2014.

Announcement: New Rule

Some of you have inquired about an option to trade teams between each other. Listen, I am not against that because it's your own money at stake. If you would like to make a trade with another player in this pool, be my guest, however all trades, once accepted will then go to me. I will then have final say on whether it goes through or not, but I don't see myself rejecting anything as long as there was no foul play. I will post or send an email on any changes that happen to all of you. Have a nice day.

World Cup 2010 Team Picking Ceremony

Sorry for the delay, but I had to split the video into two parts to get in on youtube since it is over 10 minutes (12:52) to be exact. I posted the videos on youtube under "unlisted" so that only those who have the link to the video will be able to see it rendering it unsearchable.

Here is part 1 and part 2 of the video. Later this week I will be posting each teams world cup odds to win the tournament and their chances of getting out of their group. Enjoy.

NBA Draft 2010 Power Rankings: Top 25 and More

Finally I am getting to do my first piece on the 2010 NBA Draft. Very excited. This draft is a really interesting one. Last year everyone bashed the draft, but I thought it had some talent and it did. I will revisit some of my critiques about the players in last year's draft next year although 3 years is probably the optimal time. There was a lot of mystery in the 2009 draft as to who would emerge and become big time players. We are already seeing it from a guy I pegged as the 3rd best player in the draft, a guy I didn't believe in too strongly, and a guy whom I strongly doubted could make it because I thought he was a head case. There are always players that outperform expectations like Tyreke Evans has shown. Brandon Jennings got his team to the playoffs and Steph Curry showed the poise of a veteran. We are still waiting to see the players I believe will still be the top 2, Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio.

So now we get to this draft. Around this time every year we hear about how weak a draft is, just like last year. The thing is, with this year's draft it seems like everyone who had a shot at the first round declared, for better or worse. I believe this draft is quite deep and has a top 4 that has been much better than the top 4s in most recent drafts. Something else I noticed about this incoming class of rookies is how tall everyone is. We always hear about how this guy's a tweener, or how that guy is stuck in between positions, or how another guy would be great if he was 3 inches taller, but you won't be hearing any of that this year. It seems like everyone has prototypical size for their position.

For example, there is a certain height that scouts and GMs stop calling you undersized. This is the perfect height for each position. If you're above these heights in your position it can be a bonus and a great matchup for that player, but sometimes it just makes that player a little out of position and a little too slow for that slot. So here's the prototypical lineup in heights.

PG - 6-3

SG - 6-6

SF - 6-8

PF - 6-10

C - 6-11/7-0

Now let's look at last year's prospects and see how many of the 1st rounders fit that size.

Blake Griffin PF 6-10

Hasheem Thabeet C 7-3

Tyreke Evans PG 6-5 (If you consider him a PG which I don't think he projects to be by 2012)

Ricky Rubio PG 6-5

Stephen Curry PG 6-3

Jordan Hill PF 6-10

Demar DeRozan SG 6-6

Jrue Holiday PG 6-4

Earl Clark SF 6-10

Austin Daye SF 6-11

Eric Maynor PG 6-3

Omri Casspi SF 6-9

BJ Mullens C 7-0

Taj Gibson PF 6-10

That's 14 players. That means that 16 1st rounders were considered undersized for their respective position. Now let's look at Chad Ford's top 30 and see how many we have this year.

John Wall PG 6-4

Derrick Favors PF 6-10

Evan Turner SG 6-7

DeMarcus Cousins C 6-11

Wesley Johnson SF 6-8

Greg Monroe PF 6-11

Ed Davis PF 6-10

Al-Farouq Aminu SF 6-9

Gordon Heyward SF 6-8

Avery Bradley PG 6-3

Donitas Motiejunas PF 7-0

Ekpe Udoh PF 6-10

Hassan Whiteside C 7-0

Paul George SG 6-9

Xavier Henry SG 6-7

Luke Babbitt SF 6-9

James Anderson SG 6-6

Damion James SF 6-8

Kevin Seraphin PF 6-10

Larry Sanders PF 6-11

Solomon Alabi C 7-1

Craig Brackins PF 6-10

Lance Stephenson SG 6-6

Willie Warren PG 6-4

You don't have to go through the whole list but thats 24 of Chad Ford's top 30 that fit into or above prototypical size. Smallest player in the first round mix is Eric Bledsoe at 6-2. Nobody is smaller than that and this is why it's one of the longest drafts I've ever seen. The other 6 guys that didn't fit the prototype for their position missed it by ONE INCH. Huge draft. Size is coming into the league in spades.

So now we get to MY TOP 25! These rankings will probably change a little bit as workouts happen and we get a better idea of who each player is, but this is my current top 25 with about a month before the draft. I'm going to break it down into tiers to show where the drop off is from player D to player E. For the last 3 drafts we have had Tier 1 be only 2 players. In 07 it was Greg "I have a giant penis and everyone knows it because of a naked picture I sent a girl, but I'm horribly embarrassed this information came out to the public" Oden and Kevin "Maybe I, not LeBron, am the chosen one" Durantula. In 08 it was Derrick Rose and Michael "we thought we would be calling him beastley, but instead his nickname is vagina" Beasley. In 09 it was Blake Griffin and Ricky "the Spanish Sensation that was NBA-blocked by my most hated GM ever David Kahn" Rubio. This year is a little different. Let's get to it.

Tier 1

1. John Wall PG 6-4 196 lbs Kentucky Fr.

2. Evan Turner SG 6-7 214 Ohio St. Jr.

3. Derrick Favors PF 6-10 245 Georgia Tech Fr.

4. DeMarcus Cousins C 6-11 292 Kentucky Fr.

Tier 2

5. Wesley Johnson SF 6-8 206 Syracuse Jr.

6. Greg Monroe PF 6-11 247 Georgetown So.

7. Eric Bledsoe PG 6-2 192 Kentucky Fr.

8. Donatas Motiejunas PF 7-0 220 Lithuania 19

9. Al-Farouq Aminu SF 6-9 215 Wake Forest So.

10. Xavier Henry SG 6-7 210 Kansas Fr.

11. Paul George SG 6-9 214 Fresno St. So.

Tier 3

12. Gordon Heyward SF 6-8 211 Butler So.

13. Patrick Patterson PF 6-9 240 Kentucky Jr.

14. Avery Bradley PG 6-3 180 Texas Fr.

15. Ekpe Udoh PF 6-10 237 Baylor Jr.

16. James Anderson SG 6-6 210 Oklahoma St. Jr.

17. Luke Babbitt SF 6-9 214 Nevada So.

18. Ed Davis PF 6-10 227 UNC So.

Tier 4

19. Jordan Crawford SG 6-4 198 Xavier So.

20. Stanley Robinson SF 6-8 213 UConn Sr.

21. Craig Brackins PF 6-10 229 Iowa St. Jr.

22. Hassan Whiteside C 7-0 227 Marshall Fr.

Tier 5

23. Darington Hobson SF 6-7 204 New Mexico Jr.

24. Cole Aldrich C 6-10 236 Kansas Jr.

25. Devin Ebanks SF 6-8 208 West Virignia So.

This is my list right now. I'm going to go into deeper analysis as the days pass on each guy. Some of you might notice I'm a bit high on a few guys like Bledsoe, down on some guys like Ed Davis, and really down on some guys like Cole Aldrich and Daniel Orton who's not even in my top 25. I will get into all of that before the draft. We are creeping up to June 24 so expect the blog to start rolling. Late

McDonald's All-American Game: Thoughts

So I'm trying to get back into the thick of things here. Hello blogosphere. Lots of things are happening right now that relate to the NBA Draft, which most of you know is my obsession. I'm going to start documenting these things more closely and give my thoughts, hopefully on a weekly basis. There's so much to talk about the kids that will be coming into this years draft from college, but I watched the McDonald's All-American game tonight and it gave me my first real look at a lot of guys I have been reading about for a few years now. Perhaps I will get to those soon-to-be NBA rookies next week, but I wanted to share some thoughts on some guys that stood out to me in this game.

Let me preface this by saying that you can't put a lot of judgement on a high school all star game as it is taken as lightly as an NBA all star game so I won't be praising or killing anyone too badly here. I'll wait till they have a college logo on their chest for that. So for those of you interested in the guys coming into college next year (and for some, the NBA in two years) check out my observations.

Harrison Barnes - 6-8, 210 lbs SF, #1 ranked player in class, committed to UNC

If I didn't know where these kids stood coming into the game I would have easily seen that Harrison Barnes was one of the best, if not the best, players on the court. He's a really long 6-8 (possibly 7 foot plus wingspan). He seems to do everything well. Reminded me of Tracy McGrady in that he can shoot, handle the ball, pass it well for his position, and really get up in the air. I saw him finish with both hands when attacking the rim. A very smooth player. Another thing I really liked about Barnes is that he is an academic all-american and was very well spoken in the short interview I saw of him in the game. He made some nice highlights with some high flying dunks and I think he will easily get UNC out of the NIT (Not Invited Tournament. That's what is stands for right?) and into a dangerous tournament team. With a good year, look for him to be one and done and be a high to mid lottery pick when he declares.

Kyrie Irving - 6-1, 170 lbs PG, #4 ranked, committed to Duke

What I like about Kyrie Irving is that he is a pass first point guard. Everyone loves playing with guys like that. Now there was not a lot of passing in this game from anyone, but I did see him make some nice dishes. He also handled the ball really well, never seeming out of control. When he lands at Duke playing in some big ACC games I think people will see a young, but poised player that will keep a team in control. Everyone took some bad shots in this game and he is no exception, but his form looked good and I'm sure he will be a good shooter in college. It's a little too early to gauge where he might be drafted in the pros right now, but he will be under a legend at Duke so hopefully his game will improve to an NBA level.

Tobias Harris - 6-8, 21o lbs SF, #5 ranked, committed to Tennessee

An interesting player that I hadn't heard anything about till tonight. The reason for that is he has skyrocketed up the rankings by chiseling his body and working on his game. That's a great sign for a kid that's just in high school. He had 14 points, but they were all in the first half (sat out the second half by aggravating his foot). It was a quiet 14 as he wasn't doing it with anything flashy. It was simply him having a nose for the ball and displaying some good skills. With Chism leaving, I think Harris will have an immediate impact as a guy that might not be on any sportscenter top ten plays, but will do the big and little things to make that team a winner. I can see him being a late lottery pick to mid first round depending on how he progresses and when he comes out.

Perry Jones - 6-11, 220 lbs SF, #9 ranked, committed to Baylor

This was the guy I had wanted to see the most coming in. Scouts are almost unanimous that Perry Jones has the most NBA potential out of anyone in the class. So why is he only ranked #9 in the class? Well when you watch him play a whole game it's easy to see why. He reminds me of a hot chick with big tits and a tight little ass that doesn't wear makeup, do her hair, and wears big sweatshirts to cover up all the goodness. You just wanna say to them "You could be a 10 if you actually put in some effort and didn't wear North Face fleeces everywhere you go". I actually had to look for him on the court because he didn't do anything. He basically sleep walked through the entire game. The last two minutes was the only time it looked like he was trying. Once again, it was an all star game, but these where the criticisms going in and he did nothing to disprove that on a national stage.

That was the bad, so let's get to those last two minutes. Wow. Now that hot girl is on the beach in a bikini and even she can't hide the talent. The kid is huge, long, in shape, and is probably the most gifted athlete in the class. He made some highlight dunks and blocks and it was easy to see the potential. At 6-11 Perry can really do some special things on the court. There will be some good competition in the Big 12 so he really needs to step up every night. My guess is that he will be inconsistent, but show enough flashes of his limitless upside that he will be a lotto pick. If he did it every night he could be the #1 pick. It is up to Perry Jones and that almost hot chick to be as good as he/she wants.

Jared Sullinger - 6-8, 262 lbs C, #2 ranked, committed to Ohio St.

Was the co-mvp in the game with 24 points, Jared Sullinger showed a versatile game. He was 2-3 from 3 and showed very nice touch and good hands. He could be a very nice pick and pop guy in the NBA with that big body and perimeter game. Reminded me of Karl Malone, but needs to get in better shape. He's not a great athlete, but neither is Demarcus Cousins and he seems to be a lock to be a top 5 pick this year. Sullinger isn't as tall as Cousins, but he also doesn't have the red flags Cousins has, which are major. Jared will definitely be an immediate contributor next year for Columbus and should be a lottery pick when he declares.

So there are my thoughts and my return to the blogosphere on what will hopefully be a consistent basis. Next week I will definitely be touching on the guys coming into this year's draft. If anyone else watched it I wouldn't mind hearing your opinions. Late