Gambling is sometimes defined as entertainment for people who don't understand mathematics. Everyone has heard stories about a basketball bettor who has a great streak...but streaks tend to be relatively shortlived. Ultimately, bettors generally end up in the red.

But, winning basketball bets is possible if you're smart and have a little good fortune.

Sports bettors...those who successfully wager on basketball or any other sport...tend to adhere to a pretty similar set of guidelines. Here are some good gidelines for basketball bettors.

1. Draw up a contract for yourself, in writing, before you begin betting. Included in it should be the maximum amount of money you will bet on any individual game, a limit on the number of games you will bet each week, and a ceiling on the total number of games on which you will place wagers during the season. If you ever find yourself tempted to exceed the limits set in your contract, get help...you may have a gambling problem.

2. If your goal is winning, treat every wager as an individual investment decision. Research, analyze, and weigh the options.

3. It is far easier to pick a few winners than a lot of winners. Do not bet on a game unless you have done a careful analysis of it, and bet only on contests about which you feel most confident about the result.

4. Do not get too carried away with trends, particularly longterm historical trends. Are statistics from past seasons really important? Decide what data is really relevant.

5. Continue to question and analyze the method by which you select games and winners. Do you tend to select games which interest you instead of games in which choosing a winner might be easier? Too you place too much value on a team's ability to shoot three pointers? Do you tend to favor teams from tough conferences without deeper analysis? What kinds of games have you been more likely to win?

6. If you do not understand how big an advantage the home court is in basketball, do some research. Playing at home offers a bigger advantage in college basketball than it does in any major sport.

The reality is, you may very well be able to win bets against your friends if you follow the guidelines above. And, even if you lose a little every season, you can have a lot of fun. Just don't think you can win betting against the pros. Small wagers can make watching a great game even more fun, large wagers are for fools.

Gambling is sometimes defined as entertainment for people who don't understand mathematics. Everyone has heard stories about a basketball bettor who has a great streak...but streaks tend to be relatively shortlived. Ultimately, bettors generally end up in the red.

But, winning basketball bets is possible if you're smart and have a little good fortune.

Those who do win...that small minority...tend to do it by strictly adhering to six simple rules.

1. Decide on a budget at the beginning of the season. Determine how much you want to bet on individual games, and the maximum number of games on which you will wager. Your budget should be low...an amount of money you can afford to lose without hardship. If at any point you are tempted to increase the maximums you have set, stop gambling immediately.

2. If your goal is winning, treat every wager as an individual investment decision. Research, analyze, and weigh the options.

3. It is far easier to pick a few winners than a lot of winners. Do not bet on a game unless you have done a careful analysis of it, and bet only on contests about which you feel most confident about the result.

4. Lots of bettors make decisions on the basis of, "gee whiz" information. Remember that current trends mean far more than historical trends. Because two teams have played each other closely for five years may not mean that will be the case this season, for instance.

5. Whether you win or you lose, continue to analyze the effectiveness of your selection process. Are you betting too much with your heart? Are your perceptions about the quality of play in a given league proving to be correct? Are you giving too much (or too little) weight to the quality of teams' coaches? Refine your selection criteria if warranted.

6. Never underestimate the value of the homecourt in basketball, especially college basketball. In no other major sport is playing at home such a huge advantage.

If you follow the six rules above, you can probably make money betting with your friends, and few things are more fun than that. Betting on the net or in the casino sportsbooks is an entirely different story.

If you want to make a difference in the lives of young people, you should try coaching youth basketball. I did, and boy am I happy about the whole thing. There are many many places that will show you how to coach youth basketball, from charities to workshops to who knows what else.

I can tell you that I have been involved in youth basketball coaching for over a year now, and there has never been a more rewarding experience in my life thus far. You really should not take my word for it alone. You have to try youth basketball coaching to believe it.

The great thing about youth basketball coaching is you can, with very little experience or background in sports, be the one to keep kids away from bad or dangerous influences in their lives. It is a scary world out there, what with crime, drugs, and all manner of other temptations which plague our youth today. Why, when I was a kid, we did not even know what drugs were. But anyway, using youth basketball coaching - especially when working with a good, well organized community center - you can help kids to say no to crime, drugs, and any other dangerous or destructive influences in their lives. You have to see it to believe it. The difference it makes is amazing.

Thinking about all the positive influence you could have, why don't you coach youth basketball? There's no reason why you couldn't. Help make a difference in a bunch of kids' lives while getting you out of the house. Make the neighborhood a better place by single-handedly reducing drug usage and crime.

Even if you know nothing about basketball there is still no reason for you to not become a youth basketball coach. Simply buy or rent some self-teaching videos and books, and see if your local community centre offers any training programs. In no time you will be out there helping make a positive influence on some kid's lives. Believe me, it's well worth giving up a few nights in front of the TV.

Abdur-Rahim also played for Atlanta and Portland before becoming a King in 2005. He averaged at least 18.7 points in each of his first 7 1/2 NBA seasons while becoming the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points, but knee problems plagued his three years with the Kings.

He played in just six games last year before getting season-ending surgery in December on his long-injured right knee. The former California star had two surgeries on his knee in 6 months last year to clean out the joint, but the speed of his recovery was frustratingly slow.

Rumor has it the Kings plan to hire Abdur-Rahim to fill a yet-to-be-determined job with the organization.