2014 NBA Round 1 Mock Draft

Here is my 2014 NBA mock draft for round 1.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Andrew Wiggins, SG- Kentucky: Cleveland's front office apparently wants Jabari Parker, but owner Dan Gilbert has the final say and he apparently wants Wiggins over Parker. Parker is the better fit but Wiggins would be nice there too. It was a near-lock that Joel Embiid would go first overall until he broke his foot. Wiggins landing in Cleveland would mean that guard Dion Waiters's days as a Cavalier may be numbered.

2. Milwaukee Bucks: Jabari Parker, SF- Duke: With Wiggins Cleveland bound, it's a lock that Parker would go second overall to Milwaukee. Milwaukee loves the fact that Parker is from Chicago, which is not too far away from Milwaukee. Parker would fit very well in Milwaukee with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the wing.

3. Philadelphia 76ers: Dante Exum, PG- Austrailia: Philadelphia really like this Australian prospect and Exum is believed to be better than current 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who's days in Philadelphia may be numbered if Philadelphia does indeed select Exum.

4. Orlando Magic: Joel Embiid, C- Kansas: The currently injured prospect is believed to have the most upside out of every player in this draft. Orlando is rumored to like Embiid. It would be a great fit, especially with the franchises track record of drafting great centers (Shaquille O'Neal & Dwight Howard).

5. Utah Jazz: Noah Vonleh, PF- Indiana: This fit is a neat one indeed, but this pick could put current Jazz forward Derrick Favors on the trading block.

6. Boston Celtics: Aaron Gordon, PF- Arizona: Boston is apparently in love with this young prospect and Gordon would be a nice fit in Boston. Current Celtics forward Brandon Bass could be on the move with either this pick or Bass plus the pick could be shopped for Timberwolves forward Kevin Love.

7. Los Angeles Lakers: Julius Randle, PF- Kentucky: Randle impressed the Lakers in his private workouts. This would be a great fit for Randle and a great player to build around, but don't rule out the Lakers trading this pick for a big-name player.

8. Sacramento Kings: Marcus Smart, PG- Oklahoma State: This would be the safe pick for Sacramento, in case they lose point guard Isaiah Thomas in restricted free agency. With or without Thomas, Smart would fit nicely in Sacramento.

9. Charlotte Hornets: Doug McDermott, SF- Creighton: Charlotte has a need on the wing, and McDermott would fill the need. McDermott is a very intriguing prospect and assuming Charlotte brings back forward Josh McRoberts with center Al Jefferson and point guard Kemba Walker, add McDermott to the mix and that's a great core to build around.

10. Philadelphia 76ers: Nik Stauskas, SG- Michigan: Like Charlotte, Philadelphia has a need on the wing. Stauskas is a nice prospect and Philadelphia can hope Stauskas can turn out to be what they thought former lottery pick Evan Turner would be.

11. Denver Nuggets: Jusuf Nurkic, C- Bosnia: This international prospect would be a nice fit in Denver. Either Nurkic can come off the bench or start and if Nurkic starts, current center Javale McGhee could be shopped.

12. Orlando Magic: Elfrid Payton, PG- Louisiana-Lafayette: Orlando clearly needs a point guard. Current Magic guard Victor Olidipo played point guard last year, but he is really a shooting guard. Payton would fill Orlando's point guard need and it would be a great fit.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves: Gary Harris, SG- Michigan State: Minnesota is a nice fit for Harris. Minnesota could use a winger off the bench or Harris can start if guard Kevin Martin is shipped in a potential Kevin Love trade. A Harris-Ricky Rubio back court would be interesting to watch if Love and Martin are dealt away.

14. Phoenix Suns: James Young, SF- Kentucky: Phoenix has a need on the wing and Young would fill the void on this intriguing young team. Don't be surprised if Phoenix trades the pick though.

15. Atlanta Hawks: Shabazz Napier, PG- Connecticut: Atlanta could use another guard off the bench behind current guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schorder. Napier would fit nicely in what Atlanta is trying to do.

16. Chicago Bulls: Adreian Payne, PF- Michigan State: Payne would be a nice fit in Chicago, coming off the bench behind forwards Taj Gibson and Nikola Merotic, assuming Carlos Boozer is traded or amnestied.

17. Boston Celtics: Zach LaVine, PG- UCLA: Whether current Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is traded or not, LaVine would be a nice fit here whether it's off the bench or starting.

18. Phoenix Suns: Rodney Hood, SG- Duke: Hood would be a great fit in Phoenix on the wing. Hood could actually start if point guard Eric Bledsoe leaves in restricted free agency or if Bledsoe or even guard Goran Dragic used in a potential trade for Kevin Love.

19. Chicago Bulls: TJ Warren, SF- North Carolina State: Warren would be a great fit in Chicago, coming off the bench at least. Don't rule out Chicago trading this pick along with the sixteenth pick so they can potentially land Heat forward LeBron James or Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony this summer in free agency.

20. Toronto Raptors: Tyler Ennis, PG- Syracuse: Toronto is in love with Ennis. My takeaway from hearing that is that they could draft him and they could care less if point guard Kyle Lowry leaves in free agency. Ennis is the safe pick for the reason I just mentioned.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Dario Saric, PF- Croatia: Saric could be an intriguing piece on a championship team, which Oklahoma City is. Saric would come off the bench behind current forward Serge Ibaka since beloved forward Nick Collison is in decline.

22. Memphis Grizzlies: PJ Hairston, SG- North Carolina: Despite Hairston's off court troubles, Hairston is an intriguing prospect. Hairston would fit well in Memphis coming off the bench.

23. Utah Jazz: KJ McDaniels, SF- Clemson: McDaniels would be a nice fit in Utah, coming off their bench, which is a weakness of theirs.

24. Charlotte Hornets: Kyle Anderson, PF- UCLA: Anderson would be a great fit in Charlotte coming off the bench.

25. Houston Rockets: Jarnell Stokes, PF- Tennessee: Houston does have power forward Terrence Jones on their roster, but they do need depth up front since Houston traded away center Omer Asik to New Orleans to clear cap space to bring in either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony.

26. Miami Heat: Mitch McGary, PF- Michigan: Miami's weakness is up front and McGary will help coming off the bench assuming the band comes back together this summer.

27. Phoenix Suns: Clint Capela, PF- Switzerland: Phoenix is an intriguing fit for this international prospect. Capela could bring what forward Channing Frye brought last season assuming Frye leaves in free agency.

28. Los Angeles Clippers: Nikola Jokic, PF- Serbia: The Clippers need depth up front behind forward Blake Griffin and center DeAndre Jordan. Jokic certainly fills a need the Clippers desperately need up front, coming off the bench.

29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jordan Adams, SG- UCLA: Oklahoma City needs wingers coming off the bench and Adams would fill the need.

30. San Antonio Spurs: Jordan Clarkson, PG- Missouri: Clarkson is the safe pick for San Antonio here (if he is still on the board) since they can lose back-up point guard Patty Mills in free agency. If Mills leaves, Clarkson could strive in that role.

2014 World Cup Schedule

Here is the schedule for the 2014 World Cup

June 12th- Brazil vs. Croatia – Group A; 4PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
June 13th- Mexico vs. Cameroon – Group A; 12PM, ESPN2: Fernando Palomo & Alejandro Moreno
June 13th- Spain vs. Netherlands – Group B; 3PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 13th- Chile vs. Australia – Group B; 6PM, ESPN2: Daniel Mann & Kasey Keller
June 14th- Colombia vs. Greece – Group C; 12PM, ABC: Adrian Healy & Taylor Twellman
June 14th- Uruguay vs. Costa Rica – Group D; 3PM, ABC: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 14th- England vs. Italy – Group D; 6PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
June 14th- Cote d’Ivoire vs. Japan – Group C; 9PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Efan Ekoku
June 15th- Switzerland vs. Ecuador – Group E; 12PM, ABC: Adrian Healy & Alejandro Moreno
June 15th- France vs. Honduras – Group E; 3PM, ABC: Daniel Mann & Kasey Keller
June 15th- Argentina vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina – Group F; 6PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Roberto Martinez
June 16th- Germany vs. Portugal – Group G; 12PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 16th- Iran vs. Nigeria – Group F; 3PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Efan Ekoku
June 16th- Ghana vs. United States – Group G; 6PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Taylor Twellman
June 17th- Belgium vs. Algeria – Group H; 12PM, ESPN: Adrian Healy & Efan Ekoku
June 17th- Brazil vs. Mexico – Group A; 3PM, ESPN: Fernando Palomo & Alejandro Moreno
June 17th- Russia vs. South Korea – Group H; 6PM, ESPN: Daniel Mann & Kasey Keller
June 18th- Australia vs. Netherlands – Group B; 12PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 18th- Spain vs. Chile – Group B; 3PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
June 18th- Cameroon vs. Croatia – Group A; 6PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Kasey Keller
June 19th- Columbia vs. Cote d’Ivoire – Group C; 12PM, ESPN: Adrian Healey & Alejandro Moreno
June 19th- Uruguay vs. England – Group D; 3PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
June 19th- Japan vs. Greece – Group C; 6PM, ESPN: Daniel Mann & Efan Ekoku
June 20th- Italy vs. Costa Rica – Group D; 12PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Kasey Keller
June 20th- Switzerland vs. France – Group E; 3PM, ESPN: Daniel Mann & Efan Ekoku
June 20th- Honduras vs. Ecuador – Group F; 6PM, ESPN: Fernando Palomo & Alejandro Moreno
June 21st- Argentina vs. Iran – Group F; 12PM, ESPN: Adrian Healey & Roberto Martinez
June 21st- Germany vs. Ghana – Group G; 3PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 21st- Nigeria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina – Group F; 6PM, ESPN: Daniel Mann & Efan Ekoku
June 22nd- Belgium vs. Russia – Group H; 12PM, ABC: Derek Rae & Efan Ekoku
June 22nd- South Korea vs. Algeria – Group H; 3PM, ABC: Daniel Mann & Kasey Keller
June 22nd- United States vs. Portugal – Group G; 6PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Taylor Twellman
June 23rd- Australia vs. Spain – Group B; 12PM, ESPN2: Daniel Mann & Kasey Keller
June 23rd- Netherlands vs. Chile – Group B; 12PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 23rd- Cameroon vs. Brazil – Group A; 4PM, ESPN2: Adrian Healey & Efan Ekoku
June 23rd- Croatia vs. Mexico – Group A; 4PM, ESPN: Fernando Palomo & Alejandro Moreno
June 24th- Italy vs. Uruguay – Group D; 12PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 24th- Costa Rica vs. England – Group D; 12PM, ESPN2: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
June 24th- Japan vs. Colombia – Group C; 4PM, ESPN: Daniel Mann & Taylor Twellman
June 24th- Greece vs. Cote d’Ivoire – Group C; 4PM, ESPN2: Derek Rae & Kasey Keller
June 25th- Nigeria vs. Argentina – Group F; 12PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Efan Ekoku
June 25th- Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Iran – Group F; 12PM, ESPN2: Daniel Mann & Craig Burley
June 25th- Honduras vs. Switzerland – Group E; 4PM, ESPN2: Fernando Palomo & Kasey Keller
June 25th- Ecuador vs. France – Group E; 4PM, ESPN: Adrian Healey & Alejandro Palomo
June 26th- United States vs. Germany – Group G; 12PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Taylor Twellman
June 26th- Portugal vs. Ghana – Group G; 12PM, ESPN2: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 26th- South Korea vs. Belgium – Group H; 4PM, ESPN: Adrian Healey & Alejandro Moreno
June 26th- Algeria vs. Russia – Group H; 4PM, ESPN2: Derek Rae & Efan Ekoku
June 28th- Brazil vs. Chile – Round of 16; 12PM, ABC: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
June 28th- Columbia vs. Uruguay – Round of 16; 4PM, ABC: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
June 29th- Netherlands vs. Mexico – Round of 16; 12PM, ESPN: Fernando Palomo & Alejandro Moreno
June 29th- Costa Rica vs. Greece – Round of 16; 4PM, ESPN: Daniel Mann & Kasey Keller
June 30th- France vs. Nigeria – Round of 16; 12PM, ESPN: Derek Rae & Efam Ekoku
June 30th- Germany vs. Algeria – Round of 16; 4PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
July 1st- Argentina vs. Switzerland – Round of 16; 12PM, ESPN: Adrian Healy & Alejandro Moreno
July 1st- Belgium vs. United States – Round of 16; 4PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Taylor Twellman
July 4th- France vs. Germany – Quarterfinal; 12PM, ESPN2: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
July 4th- Brazil vs. Columbia – Quarterfinal; 4PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
July 5th- Argentina vs. Belgium – Quarterfinal; 12PM, ABC: Derek Rae & Kasey Keller
July 5th- Netherlands vs. Costa Rica – Quarterfinal; 4PM, ESPN: Adrian Healey & Alejandro Moreno
July 8th- Germany vs. Brazil – Semifinal; 4PM, ESPN: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman
July 9th- Argentina vs. Netherlands – Semifinal; 4PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
July 12th- Brazil vs. Netherlands – Third Place Match; 4PM, ESPN: Jon Champion & Stewart Robson
July 13th- Argentina vs. Germany – Final; 4PM, ABC: Ian Darke & Steve McManaman

2014 NBA Finals Prediction

Who could've asked for a better finals than last seasons finals? Well, guess what? We got a rematch! Here is my take on this years rematch.

(W1) San Antonio Spurs vs (E2) Miami Heat: Two point zero between these teams for the second year in a row features the leagues best player in LeBron James and the Miami Heat versus the leagues best team in the San Antonio Spurs featuring three hall of fame players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. One key for this rematch for both teams is three-point shooting. San Antonio has the likes of Marco Belinelli and Danny Green who can both shoot the three ball and have an impact and potentially swing a game. Miami has the likes of Shane Battier and Ray Allen (don't forget the Ray Corner, too) who can shoot the three ball as well. The key matchup in this series is LeBron James vs Kawhi Leonard without a doubt. Another interesting matchup is Chris Bosh vs Tim Duncan and I'm curious to see if Dwayne Wade and Tony Parker will match up as well considering they are both guards expect one runs the point and the other is on the wing. On to the prediction, I believe this can potentially top last years finals considering how close these teams really are. There maybe a blowout or two but expect most of the games to be close. Give me the team that's clearly looking for revenge. Spurs in 7.

2014 Stanley Cup Final Prediction

East Coast versus West Coast. Broadway versus Hollywood. New York versus Los Angeles. Rangers versus Kings. Say what you want. What a final we got this year! The country's two biggest markets are facing each other for a championship for the first time in a long time. Here is a breakdown and my prediction for the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.

(M2) New York Rangers vs (P3) Los Angeles Kings: This is one of the most anticipating match ups we've seen in some time considering its New York and Los Angeles. To the match up now. Goaltending is dead even with the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and the Kings' Jonathan Quick. Defensively the Kings get a slight edge over the Rangers who have some underrated defenseman such as Ryan McDonaugh and Dan Girardi. What gives the Kings the defensive edge is that they have the leagues best defenseman in Drew Doughty. Offensively is pretty much even as well and both teams run four lines. The Rangers have the offensive weapons in Rick Nash and Derek Stepan the Kings have the offensive weapons in Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik. By the way, the two guys I mentioned offensively for the Kings in Kopitar and Gaborik have been lights out these playoffs. Special teams are equal for both the Rangers and the Kings as well, even though the Rangers had that power play drought against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. To the prediction, tough call for two outstanding teams who are probably the best two teams in the league right now, but I'm going with the team who's goalie has been the better one in the postseason and is the favorite for the Conn Smythe trophy at this point. Rangers in 6.