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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. 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. Wholesale NHL Jerseys .Derrick Rose scored 23 points, and the Bulls pulled away from the Nets for a 105-80 victory on Wednesday night. Chicago held Brooklyn to 29 points on 26. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. Discount NHL Jerseys .com) - The Toronto Blue Jays will look to snap a three-game skid Friday night when they continue their road trip in the opener of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. NHL Jerseys Sale . Ferrer, the two-time defending champion in Buenos Aires, is aiming to win his 21st ATP tournament. Ferrer will next face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the fourth seed, who defeated Jeremy Chardy of France 7-6 (7), 6-3 in another quarterfinal match. LAS VEGAS -- Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored 51 goals last season to capture his second consecutive and fourth career Maurice Richard Trophy, an award hell collect at Tuesday nights NHL Awards in Las Vegas. But it was a dinner meeting he had over the weekend that created the buzz at Mondays informal media event at the Wynn Country Club. Ovechkin and Barry Trotz finally had a chance to meet face to face for the first time since the former Nashville Predators coach was named Capitals coach on May 26. "It was a good meeting, I think hell be happy," said Ovechkin, who leads the NHL in goals (422), points (814), power-play goals (151) and game-winning goals (69) since entering the league in 2005. "We talked about the system, how he wants to coach." The Capitals star made it a point to avoid discussing the details of his conversation with Trotz, but did acknowledge that the coach said there would be some changes. "Hes going to explain to everybody, its not about just me, everybody will have to change," said Ovechkin, who became the 11th player in NHL history to record five 50-goal campaigns. "We just talked about how he wants to play with me and how he wants to play with the team. We talked about good things -- lots of good things, lots of bad things -- he sees what he can change with the team and what he can change with my game." Trotz, who has never coacheed a 40-goal scorer, instilled a defensive scheme in Nashville.dddddddddddd He was the only coach of the Predators since they joined the league as an expansion franchise for the 1998-99 season. The 51-year-old Trotz was fired at the end of last season, after compiling a career record of 557-479-60 in 15 seasons. His 1,196 regular-season games coached ranks him 14th on the all-time coaching list. "Hes a straightforward coach and thats the best thing you can expect from a new guy," said Ovechkin. "Hes going to bring some new stuff for me and my teammates. Its going to be a new season and its going to be a brand new day for me. We still have the same team, the same group of guys right now. The new coach is going to bring a new system and well see how it goes." When Trotz was named coach, the Capitals also promoted Brian MacLellan to general manager, making him the sixth GM in team history after he spent the past seven seasons as the teams assistant general manager. "The whole organization is making a big step; they fired (former GM) George (McPhee), fired (former coach) Adam (Oates) and the organization wants to make improvements," Ovechkin said. "Just glad they havent fired me yet. Im still here with a Capitals jersey. ... New coach, a new GM and well see whats going to happen with the team, the system and all kind of stuff. Its going to be an interesting year." ' ' '