miaowang123: After he passed his concussion tests and received approv

miaowang123

The 2014 NBA Draft will be a historic one for Canadian basketball, with as many as seven players from Canada - three of them as high as the first round - possibly selected. JaVale McGee Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Watch the 2014 NBA Draft on TSN, Thursday at 7pm et/4pm pt. Name: Khem BirchFrom: Montreal, QuebecPlayed: University of Nevada, Las VegasHeight: 69"Weight: 209 Position: Power Forward2013-2014 Stats: 11.5 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 3.8 blocks Breakout Game: 15 points, 15 rebounds, 6 blocks assists in win vs. Boise State on Feb 1.Accolades: 2013-14 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, finished second in the nation in blocked shots per game.Draft Projection: Mid-late second round.Comparable NBA player: Chris Andersen Khem Birchs young basketball career has already been fuelled by some interesting decisions. Birch entered the NCAA ranks as the 11th-best high school player in the United States, and accepted a scholarship with the University of Pittsburgh. However, the Montreal native controversially left Pitt only 10 games into his freshman season. At the point of his departure, he earned a spot in the starting line up and showed glimpses of the defence and athleticism that made him a blue chip prospect. Yet after citing team issues of selfishness, he returned home to figure out his next move, which would eventually lead him to transfer to UNLV. Birch played two seasons at UNLV, his first coinciding with Toronto native Anthony Bennetts standout freshman campaign that culminated in his first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Bennett outshined Birch with his dominant play and impressive stat line, yet Birch was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. This season with Bennett out of the picture, Birch almost doubled his scoring (7.5 ppg to 11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg to 10.2 rpg) averaging a double-double, and again winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honours. Despite improvement across the board Birch is very much a raw athlete, and instead of spending another year at school to work on his offensive game, he declared for the 2014 NBA Draft. Birchs strength is his defence. His 71" wingspan placed him second in the NCAA in blocked shots behind fellow Canadian Jordan Bachynski at a clip of 3.8 per game. His quickness and mobility make him a strong rim protector and help defender where his tenacity on defence cant be overlooked, tallying 1.2 steals per game. Offensively, he can run the floor and moves well without the ball, but is very limited in terms of offensive moves. His inability to create his own shot, coupled with his slight build will make it hard for him to maintain position in the low post. Quite simply, Birch will have to bulk up, which will help him on the defensive end as well. A great athlete with a high motor equals lots of upside, yet hes still a project. If an NBA team wants to develop him and help round out his game, its not a risk, but a long-term investment. It would be an interesting choice, however thats something that Birch is not averse to. Damian Jones Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Pineda won his second straight start last Wednesday against Chicago, as he held the Cubs to just four hits over six scoreless innings to run his record to 2-0, while lowering his ERA to 1. Omri Casspi Jersey . The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B. DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki apparently wasnt kidding when he said an early season game against Charlotte was a must-win for the Mavericks. Once the big German finally found his scoring groove, he got Monta Ellis to play along. Nowitzki scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and combined with Ellis to score Dallas last 19 points, and the Mavericks kept the Bobcats winless in Dallas by rallying for an 89-82 victory Tuesday night. "We were just reading one another," said Ellis, who had 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, when Dallas outscored Charlotte 29-15. "irk did a great job of keeping us close, then he got us ahead and we ran the two-man game and we just picked to see what the defence was doing." Al Jefferson had 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker scored 16 apiece for the Bobcats, who fell to 0-10 in Dallas and 1-17 overall against the Mavericks despite leading by 12 in the third quarter. "Weve got to get more organized," said Walker, who also had seven rebounds and five assists. "We tend to stop doing what weve been doing for the first three quarters. In order to win in this league, you have to stick with what youve been doing." The Mavericks had lost four of their previous five and trailed from late in the second quarter to the middle of the fourth before rallying to wrap up a stretch of seven home games in nine outings. Dallas, which is 2-6 on the road, starts a four-game trip Wednesday night in New Orleans. "We talked about it a little bit during timeouts that we needed to get things going," said Nowitzki, who was 1 of 10 from the floor in the first half. "This was a big game for us with us about to hit the road for a lot of tough games." Nowitzki put Dallas ahead for good 79-78 with a free throw after Josh McRoberts was called for a technical after getting whistled for a foul while Nowitzki was setting up with Ellis for a pick-and-roll with 3:08 left. Ellis hit a driving layup on the same possession, and then a jumper after Anthony Tolliver missed a 3-pointer. Ellis, who got hiss fourth quarter going with a tough baseline jumper late in the shot clock for a 78-76 lead, finished 22 points and five assists. Latrell Sprewell Jersey. . Dallas was up 83-78 when Ellis jumped high for a rebound after a miss from Walker. Nowitzki hit a long jumper at the other end to turn the game into a free-throw exercise. Dallas guard Jose Calderon played after missing one game with an ankle injury and had back-to-back 3-pointers to give Dallas a 35-33 lead with 4:16 left in the first half. He finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from long range and was on the floor with Nowitzki and Ellis late. "Nowitzki and Ellis took over the game," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "And if we would run around a double team, theyve got 3-point shooters all over." A cold-shooting first quarter provided a preview of a sluggish offensive game in the fourth quarter, when the teams either misfired or couldnt get off a shot in 10 consecutive possessions with the Bobcats leading 73-70. A 3-minute scoreless stretch ended with three straight made shots -- two jumpers from Nowitzki over McRoberts and a bucket from Jefferson on an assist from McRoberts. The 6-foot-10 McRoberts had three assists, including one on a running behind-the-back pass to Henderson for a fast-break dunk to cap an 11-0 run in the first half. The Mavericks scored the first five points of the fourth quarter on a runner in the lane from Vince Carter and a 3-pointer from Nowitzki to get within 67-65. "The turning point was at the beginning of the fourth quarter when we had a chance to extend the lead or to give it up," Clifford said. The Bobcats went ahead by 12 with a 10-run early in the second half. Henderson had a three-point play for a 54-42 lead after making a jumper earlier, and Walker hit a 3-pointer. NOTES: The teams combined to shoot 28 per cent in the first quarter (11 of 40). ... Bobcats G Michael Kidd-Gilchrist left the game in the second half with a fractured left hand. Clifford said he didnt know how long Kidd-Gilchrist would be sidelined. "Its going to be tough to make up for what he does," Clifford said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '