LeBron James South Beach Home Does Not Change NBA Betting Odds

LeBron James has everything a young NBA star could want, he has money, fame, athletic skills, and now a South Beach mansion. James finalized the purchase of his South Beach home on Thursday, but that did nothing to change the Miami Heat's NBA championship betting odds.

James ruffled a lot of feathers last summer when he traded in his Cleveland Cavalier home jersey for a Heat jersey. James was blasted for the way in which he handled leaving Cleveland, and his reputation has yet to recover from the media circus that he created when he announced his decision on a live ESPN telecast.

James has taken his time in finding a permanent home on South Beach and Thursday he decided on a $9 million mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay. The house is 20,000 square feet, has two sixty-foot yacht docks, six bedrooms and eight and a half bathrooms.

As for their on the court adventures, the Heat have steadied the ship in recent weeks. They are on a winning streak that was extended last night in Utah, where the Heat avenged an earlier home loss to the Jazz. The next big test for Miami will come on Christmas Day when they face the two-time defending NBA champions in Los Angeles.

The Lakers and the Heat have exchanged places at the top of the championship betting odds several times since the summer. Los Angeles has struggled a bit of late, while the heat have started to click. The Lakers have fallen to the third position in the West, the same spot the Heat are tied for in the East, behind Boston and Orlando.

In the West, Dallas is the hottest team in the conference, but the San Antonio Spurs still have the best record. The Spurs have a rejuvenated Manu Ginobli and a healthy Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. The Lakers will be helped out by the return of Andrew Bynum sometime before the end of the month. Miami is still awaiting the return of sharp-shooter Mike Miller.