Hawks name Drew head coach

Basketball Betting Lines

06/13/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks have officially named Larry Drew as the team's next head coach.

Drew, who has been Atlanta's lead assistant for the past six years, takes the place of Mike Woodson, who was fired at the end of the season. A press conference to introduce Drew has been called for Monday at 4 p.m. (et). Terms of his contract were not released.

"We are very pleased to welcome Larry as the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks," said Hawks general manager and vice president Rick Sund. "After aggressively going through the interview process with all of the candidates it became clear, with his knowledge of the game as well as his experience as player and assistant coach, he had the qualities we were looking for to lead our club. Over the last few years, a number of teams have had success hiring from within and we feel he is more than ready for the challenge."

Drew has also been an assistant with the Lakers, Pistons, Wizards and Nets since retiring as a player in 1991. He becomes the 11th head coach in franchise history.

"It has been a long journey to reach this level in my career and I'm very appreciative of the support I've been given by the ownership group and Rick," said Drew. "I'm excited about the opportunity to become a head coach in this league, and I will do my very best to continue to build on what we've accomplished here in Atlanta."

The Hawks were 53-29 this past season and earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference. After rallying from a 3-2 series deficit to oust Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks were swept in dominating fashion by Orlando in the conference semifinals. The Magic outscored Atlanta by a total of 101 points during the four games.

Woodson finished with a record of 206-286 with the Hawks. The team was just 13-69 in his first season, then improved each year afterward and reached the playoffs each of the last three seasons.

Drew averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists in 714 career games over an 11-year tenure with the Pistons, Kings, Clippers and Lakers. He was selected 17th overall in the 1980 NBA Draft by Detroit.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.