With NBA free agency just around the block I decided to look at where the top 51 unrestricted free agents in the NBA are going to land.  This is what I have come up with:

The Charlotte Bobcats are going to re-sign point guard Raymond Felton.  They are also going to get back both Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed who have early termination options and I don’t see either one of them opting out.

The New York Knicks are going to bring in four pretty good basketball players.  Despite being upset at missing out on LeBron James and D-Wade they will still get Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Brad Miller and Shaun Livingston.  But they will get blind sided by the Nets who are going to nab David Lee.

The Miami Heat are going to have a good summer.  D-Wade and Udonis Haslem are going to re-sign with the Heat and they are going to be joined by Chris Bosh, Brendan Haywood and Luke Ridnour giving them a very solid looking basketball team for 2010-11.

The Chicago Bears get snubbed by the big time free agents having to settle for Ray Allen.  They also will decide to bring back Flip Murray and Hakim Warrick for the bench.

The Atlanta Hawks see Joe Johnson leave town and they will quickly replace him with John Salmons.

The Utah Jazz will take some of Carlos Boozer’s cash and give it to Mike Miller.  He should be a perfect fit with the Jazz due to his unselfish play.

The Milwaukee Bucks will take a chance and sign Al Harrington.  If he can stay healthy, Harrington will give the offense a boost.  Michael Redd will also be coming back as he won’t opt out of his contract.

The Toronto Raptors will offer Tony Allen more cash and P.T. that the Celtics are willing to offer.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will re-sign both LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.  Despite all of the talk to the contrary I just don’t see LeBron leaving home.

The Boston Celtics will sign Josh Howard and give him a chance to start at shooting guard if he is healthy due to Ray Allen’s departure.  Paul Pierce won’t opt out of his contract staying with the Celtics.

The San Antonio Spurs will re-sign Matt Bonner and Richard Jefferson definitely won’t opt out of his contract.

The Phoenix Suns will have Grant Hill back for another year as he has stated that he is going to pick up his player option valued at $3.4 million bucks. 

The New Orleans Hornets will get Peja Stojakovic back as he isn’t going to opt out of his contract.

The Washington Wizards have money to spend and they are going to sign Matt Barnes, Carlos Boozer and Quentin Richardson.

The Dallas Mavericks are going to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki even though he’s opting out of his contract this summer.

The New Jersey Nets are going to be spending the new owner’s money nabbing David Lee, Shaquille O’Neal and Shannon Brown this summer.

The Denver Nuggets are going to get Kenyon Martin back as I don’t see him opting out this summer.  With Chris Andersen hurting and knowing that Martin will miss at least a couple of games in 2010-11 they will ink Craig Smith.

The Houston Rockets will exercise a team option on Chuck Hayes and Yao Ming won’t opt out of his contract.

The Memphis Grizzlies will look to reinforce the bench by signing Steve Blake and Kyle Korver which will make them a playoff team in 2010-11.

The Philadelphia 76ers will sign Chris Duhon to back up Jrue Holiday next season.

The Los Angeles Lakers will re-sign Derek Fisher to share the point guard job once again with Jordan Farmar.

The Los Angeles Clippers will have a hard time finding players to take their money.  But I think Channing Frye will sign with the Clippers and Rasual Butler will re-sign with them.

The Portland Trailblazers will look small and bring back Travis Outlaw.

The Golden State Warriors will sign Drew Gooden with the idea that he will help the rebounding and defense in 2010-11.

The Sacramento Kings won’t want left out so they will sign a player with a nice upside in Amir Johnson.

The Detroit Pistons will bring back fan favorite Ben Wallace back for one more year.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will bring back Darko Milicic.

Despite this being a very touted NBA free agent class it’s also very top heavy and not all of the teams with a lot of cap space are going to be happy.

All four teams in the AFC West filled big holes on draft day.  In my opinion the Raiders made the best move of the draft getting Jason Campbell for a future 4th round pick as it ended Jamarcus Russell’s awful stint in Oakland.  Here’s a closer look at how these teams did:

Denver Broncos:  Going into the draft the Broncos appeared to have the ammo to do some serious damage but they kept trading down before trading back into the first round (to the Ravens joy) to select Tim Tebow.  QB was not a huge need for the Broncos who had other more pressing needs they could have filled by keeping the picks they traded for Tebow who will likely be the #3 QB this year.  It wasn’t all bad though as the Broncos did nab WRs Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas who should help out whoever is playing QB for the Broncos both now and down the road.  GRADE:  C

Kansas City Chiefs:  I think the Chiefs did a outstanding job in the first two days of the NFL Draft.  Safety Eric Berry might wind up being the best defensive player in this draft as he reminds me a lot of Ronnie Lott (NFL Hall of Fame, 49ers).  RB Dexter McCluster was picked in the second round and he will likely be the third down back and he will be used a lot in the slot.  He can go the distance any time he touches the football.  CB Javier Arenas will help out in the return game and on defense right away.  Jon Asamoah could force his way into a guard position in the near future for the Chiefs.  GRADE:  B

Oakland Raiders:  The Raiders made some bold moves in this draft.  They took the best inside linebacker in the draft in the first round (Rolando McClain) which allowed them to trade Kirk Morrison to the Jags for a 4th round pick which turned into WR Jacoby Ford who runs a 4.2 40.  The Raiders also took DT/DE Lamarr Houston in the 2nd round and they hope he can start at RDE as a rookie.  The Raiders took two developmental offensive linemen in T Jared Veldheer and G/T Bruce Campbell who both have nice upsides.  But the biggest move in this draft was trading for QB Jason Campbell (for a future 4th round pick).  GRADE:  A

San Diego Chargers:  The Chargers really wanted RB Ryan Mathews out of Fresno so they traded up 16 spots to pick him.  They knew if they didn’t trade ahead of the Texans that they weren’t going to get him.  Mathews will share the ball with Darren Sproles this season but he will likely bump him to the curb at some point.  LB Donald Butler, S Darrell Stuckey and NT Cam Thomas will hopefully be able to help the run defense as early as this season.  GRADE:  B-

The AFC South had a couple of teams reaching a lot for need (Texans, Jaguars), a team with it’s usual type draft (Colts) and a team that was catching a lot of players falling on the draft board (Titans).  Here is a breakdown of each teams’ draft:

Indianapolis Colts:  The Colts had their usual type draft snagging six defensive players, a offensive lineman (they pick at least one every year) and a TE.  A lot of the rookies on the Colts will cut their teeth on special teams while being backup players.  But first round pick Jerry Hughes (DE) out of TCU has a huge upside and he could play right away behind Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis at end but he also could play some outside linebacker.  GRADE: C

Houston Texans:  The Texans went out to fill a few needs at all costs as they nabbed CB Kareem Jackson, RB Ben Tate and DT Earl Mitchell in the first three rounds.  The Texans picked each of these guys about a round too early but any of them could wind up starting this season at the same time so it’s hard to get on them too much.  Keep an eye on return specialist Trindon Holliday and WR Dorin Dickerson who were picked in the 6th and 7th rounds as either or both of them could have a huge impact for the Texans in 2010.  GRADE:  B

Jacksonville Jaguars:  The Jaguars went defense in this draft using their first four picks on that side of the ball and they traded for new starting inside linebacker Kirk Morrison (for a 4th round pick).  I like the fact that the Jaguars come in focused on what they want to do on draft day but they really could have helped themselves a lot by taking a WR early.  JAGUARS:  D+

Tennessee Titans:  I really like the first four picks that the Titans made in this draft.  DE Derrick Morgan just shouldn’t have been there for the Titans with the 16th pick of the first round but he was.  He will likely step right into the starting lineup from day #1.  WR Damian Williams could easily rise up the depth chart for the Titans at WR and he could help out returning kicks and punts as a rookie too.  LB Rennie Curran and CB Alterraun Verner will also made immediate impacts on both defense and special teams.  GRADE:  B+

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Peter Moylan is distinctively Australian with his accent, laid-back demeanour and “Down Under” submarine pitcher style. But everyday fans of baseball have more in common with Moylan than they may realise.

In 1996 and 1997 Moylan had two seasons of Rookie Ball with the Minnesota Twins, but it was all over at eighteen years old with news that he wouldn’t be returning to play Minor League Baseball. Like so many baseball players who have pursued a professional career to no avail Moylan had to start afresh. A Perth boy he made the New York to Los Angeles like journey to Melbourne Australia; where he would secure employment as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative. And so Moylan worked a day job to support his young family.

Like any family man Moylan had to see to his infant child in the slightest hours of morning, hope for some sleep, work a full day and do it all again. Any parent knows what this is like. His throwing arm was not what it once was but he played some baseball in Australia’s former domestic league, The Claxton Shield, which Milwaukee Brewers National League All-Star David Nilsson participated in too. Moylan found himself batting clean up for the Victorian Aces and even hit some home runs. Yet his thirst for baseball could not be satisfied with just this, and so he started pitching submarine style as an experiment.

In 2006 Moylan’s 96 mph submarine fastball earned him a spot on the Australian Team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic; where he impressed by striking out Bobby Abreu, Marco Scutaro, Romon Hernandez and Magglio Ordonez. He was promptly signed by the Atlanta Braves and he made his Major League debut on April 12.

Since 2006 Moylan has produced some genuine thunder from Down Under for the Atlanta Braves. In 2007 his ERA of 1.80 was proof that 2006 was no fluke and in 2009 he set an Atlanta Braves franchise record by appearing in 87 games. As for 2010 among the four Australians who have played or are playing Major League Baseball Moylan sits up-top with two wins next to his name, with Detroit Tigers Aussie Brad Thomas having one win.

An eight year hiatus from professional baseball and then suddenly playing at the Major League level would be enough to make any head spin. But with the exception of an injury ravaged 2008 Moylan has progressed with distinction. I can’t help but wonder if Moylan’s second-coming is one of the best in recent baseball history. What do you think?

In a world of mega rich sports stars surely it is refreshing to know that a Major League player had to work just like the rest us for years at a time. With a baseball career once a distant subjunctive and then coming through Tommy John surgery faster than expected by 2009, is Moylan really a T-800 model 101 Terminator under his canvas of fully tattooed arms?

It is nice to see stories in baseball which are inspiring, and Peter Moylan certainly has given baseball fans an extra reason to clap at games. So who is your favourite baseball player who has made a notable second-coming?

The Baltimore Ravens are now the King of the Mountain in the AFC North but the other teams in the division tried to get closer to them in the draft.  Here is a closer look at how the AFC North drafted last month:

Baltimore Ravens:  The Ravens took full advantage of Broncos’ coach Josh McDaniels’ love affair with Tim Tebow as they extracted a few picks out of him to move out of the first round.  The Ravens then started cherry picking sliding prospects.  NT Terrence Cody and OLB Sergio Kindle could have went in the first round but the Ravens got them both in the second.  They could both be starting players soon for the Ravens.  The Ravens also wanted some depth behind Todd Heap at TE so they picked Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  GRADE:  A

Cincinnati Bengals:  The Bengals drafted for need and they look like they did pretty well.  First round pick Jermaine Gresham should start at TE for the Bengals in 2010.  They also drafted WR Jordan Shipley out of Texas in the third round and he will likely help them out in the slot.  The Bengals also got a trio of solid defenders in DE Carlos Dunlap, CB Brandon Ghee and DT Geno Atkins who could start for them down the road.  GRADE:  B

Cleveland Browns:  Mike Holmgren and new GM Tom Heckert put their stamp on the team with their first draft.  They wanted to improve the secondary and it looks like they have after drafting CB Joe Haden, S T.J. Ward and S Larry Asante.  RB Montario Hardesty was picked to share time with Jerome Harrison which should give the Browns a pretty solid running game.  The Browns picked Colt McCoy in the third round and he will get a chance to be the new QB of the future.  OG Shawn Lauvao was a solid pick in the third round as he will compete with Pork Chop Womack for the starting right guard spot in training camp.  Despite having a HUGE need at WR the Browns waited until the 6th round to draft one (Carlton Mitchell).   GRADE:  B-

Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Steelers had their usual boring draft picking OLBs and O-Linemen.  Center Maurkice Pouncey will likely start at RG from day #1 for the Steelers so he was a solid pick.  OLBs Thaddeus Gibson and Jason Worilds will likely watch and learn behind the starters for a couple of years before getting a chance to show what they can do.  WR Emmanuel Sanders was a interesting pick as the Steelers are loaded already at the position.  The best pick the Steelers made was in the sixth round when they selected RB Jonathan Dwyer who most experts had going in the 2nd or 3rd round.  GRADE:  C