In life it is said what a difference a day makes. On the board of NBA future betting, what a difference "a knee" makes. In this case, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls surgically necessary knee and how it completely has changed the entire wagering picture and championship scope for this year's NBA season.

This sadly makes two bad knees now for Rose, likely ending his season and the Bulls bright future forecast. Since the news was delivered Chicago's odds at most prominent online sports books have moved from 8-1 to 25-1 or higher. Along with that announcement changed the entire NBA futures picture, delighting some bettors who already have their money previously invested and obviously crushing some who risked their money before the season began. Yes, in betting the futures in sports wagering we cannot stress this enough: it's not always knowing who to bet to score big, but WHEN.

For example, take the case of the Miami Heat. It looked like Pat Riley pulled off one of his miracle deals only a week ago getting unhappy guard Goran Dragic in a trade from the Phoenix Suns. Dragic, a great shooter, would have teamed up with now playing-better Hall-of-Famer Dwayne Wade and All-Star Chris Bosh to give the Heat not only a playoff push but a decent longshot chance at the Cavaliers, Hawks and Raptors in the East. At least hope, now that the Bulls were finished. Then 48 hours later we learn that Bosh has a very serious medical condition with blood clots on his lungs and is done for the year. The Heat's chances have subsequented collapsed from a reasonable 20-1 to 200-1 at Bovada.lv and other major sportsbooks instantly.

Unlike NFL football when your star QB goes down, you can always pray for incredible defense or the lucky fortunes of one playoff game to advance. Near miracles can happen in NCAA College Football as we only have to look back to last month with the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrating a trophy with their 3rd string quarterback. In the NBA one key star player going down ends your hopes and means you can tear up your future bet ticket immediately.

2015 – THE YEAR OF VALUE
But here's the good news if not great news. Compared to any season in memory, we truly have an NBA "horse race" to win a championship this year. Where last year it was a basic question whether it was worth betting against LeBron James and the Miami Heat to repeat at 9-5 most of the season. Ironically, we have the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the pack at current odds of 5/2 at Bovada.lv and most other reputable offshore sportsbooks. Is that a result of the Cavs recent 17-3 run or Rose going down? Likely both, but are people betting on the best basketball player in the world or the best team?

That's where the tremendous value opportunity comes into play. Quietly, a good Toronto Raptors team is a pessimistic 20-1 while the Atlanta Hawks are a realistic 15/2 they can beat Cleveland in the NBA Finals but can they survive a 7-game series against much tougher teams from the Western Conference?

Speaking of the West, that is the much better group to isolate your NBA futures betting choice if you can decipher a winner from a much, much deeper group of contenders. Of the Top 12 selections listed from most books in Vegas and offshore, EIGHT of top selections come from the NBA Western Conference. In theory, discounting teams like the Pacers, Heat and Suns that have no legitimate chance, you have four selections in the East and eight selections in the West. Thankfully, they are not posting wagering odds for you to bet on teams in the draft lottery hunt like the 76ers, Knicks and Lakers.

Of course, the Golden State Warriors are going to grab the money now at 7/2 but it would not be shocking to see the Los Angeles Clippers or Dallas Mavericks get hot in May. They are both currently listed at a fat 20-1 and either would not be huge underdogs against the Warriors in a 7-game series. Should they pull the upset, they likely would be closely listed in odds against the Cavaliers in a potential NBA Finals series and absolutely be favored against any other Eastern team. Just food for thought.

Whatever you should "future do" and with any NBA team you should do it with there are two mandatory rules to consider: One: do it right now while the odds are favorable. Two: keep every finger crossed your best player doesn't get hurt until July.

Below are the current Odds to win 2015 NBA Championship from Elite-rated Bovada.lv.:

Cleveland Cavaliers         9/4
Golden State Warriors    15/4
Oklahoma City Thunder  11/2
Atlanta Hawks                8/1
Memphis Grizzlies           9/1
San Antonio Spurs          10/1
Dallas Mavericks             20/1
Los Angeles Clippers       20/1
Toronto Raptors               20/1
Chicago Bulls                 25/1
Houston Rockets            25/1
Portland Trailblazers       25/1
Washington Wizards       66/1
Detroit Pistons               200/1
Indiana Pacers              200/1
Miami Heat                    200/1
Milwaukee Bucks           200/1
New Orleans Pelicans     300/1
Phoenix Suns                300/1
Brooklyn Nets                500/1
Charlotte Hornets           500/1
Boston Celtics              1000/1