Free Agent Frenzy: Who goes where?

The NBA draft is less than 24 hours away, and all eyes are on where the nation's top prospects will land. The draft does strike some interest this year, with some unusual suspects at the top of the board. The Los Angeles Lakers control the second overall selection, and the last time they had a top 5 pick was in 1982 when they selected James Worthy. Historically the Lakers are one of the Leagues most storied franchises with 16 NBA titles, so NBA fans are not used to seeing LA this high in the draft.

Following the draft beginning on July 1st, is the free agency period, which is one of my most favorite times of the year. Its the middle of summer, and nothing to worry about but seeing where the top free agents will land. Last July was one of the most eventful. Of course it was when Lebron James announced he was returning to Cleveland to bring his city a title. I remember being in the middle of a family dinner and getting the update on my phone and running outside and calling everyone I could think of. Flashback to 4 years before that, when Lebron caught the country by surprise and announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. The people of Cleveland were devastated. Burning Jerseys, crying fans, and little kids seeing the idol leave like that. Then of course it caused 4 horrid years of basketball in Cleveland and giving them ANOTHER sports team to be embarrassed of. That's why I love the month of July so much, besides celebrating our nations independence of course.

This year there are some big names on the market. Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Dwayne Wade, and the list goes on and on. Below is a list of some of my predictions on who is ending up where. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

1. Marc Gasol- stays put in Memphis
2. Kevin Love- long term deal with the Celtics
3. D-Wade- stays with Miami on pay cut
4. LaMarcus Aldridge- max deal with Portland
5. Rajon Rondo- teams with Kobe and the Lakers
6. DeAndre Jordan- Lob City cant afford to keep him... signs with Celtics to team up with Love
7. Paul Millsap- stays in Atlanta
8. Greg Monroe- the Knicks will overpay him
9. Goran Dragic- Mark Cuban needs a new PG... Mavericks
10. Monta Ellis- Portland for 7-7.5 mil./yr
11. Jimmy Butler- max deal with the Bulls 

Pitt Football begins to build 2016 recruiting class

The Pitt Panthers football program and new head coach Pat Narduzzi have made a splash in college football over the last 8 months.

Today that splash continues as Narduzzi and the Panthers add 3-star linebacker Chase Pine to the class.

Pine is from Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is listed as the 58th best OLB in the nation, and the 29th best player in the state of Virginia.

Pine will be the 6th recruit added to the 2016 class, and the 3rd in the last week. On the 18th, the Panthers added CB Bricen Garner from Pittsburgh Central Catholic, and on the 21st they added Chawntez Moss, a RB from Bedford, Ohio.

Narduzzi and his staff make it no secret when a recruit is added to the Pitt family. Within minutes of the announcement, several of the staff members will tweet hints like #crootin or "Pitt is It"

Its is a great way to keep the fans posted and even increase the fan base. The popular term among the Pitt fans is "The Pat Signal".

Although the Pitt staff is off to a great start, there is still plenty of work to be done. There are still many players out there to be recruited, especially in the state of Pennsylvania.

The WPIAL is absolutely stacked with talent this year. Many standouts include 4-stars Miles Sanders, a RB from Woodland Hills, and Damar Hamlin, a DB from Pittsburgh Central Catholic.

Sanders has already announced a verbal to Penn State, but Hamlin is undeclared. Other standouts include Aaron Matthews from Clariton, Kaezon Pugh from Aliquippa, Khaleke Hudson from McKeesport, and Tim Jackson from Allderdice.

Pitt and Penn state are the two schools who are battling for the load of talent of the state of Pennsylvania. This battle for talent will sure be an exciting preview for the inaugural re-opening of the rivalry in 2016.