NBA Expansion Draft

[microbrew]

Today is the day teams submit their protected player lists for the Bobcats expansion draft. The Lakers and Pistons are exempt until after the Finals are over.

Expansion Draft info:
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2319119&postcount=359

What might the Nets do:
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/108693660048470.xml

[skipshady]

Expansion drafts are fun! Too bad it's only one team this time.

Re: Nets
If I were the Bobcats, I would want someone like Kittles, just so I have a solid veteran presence. Though Tamar Slay probably makes more sense because of age and salary.

Also, it'll be interesting to see how many players the Cats will take, and how many they'll end up keeping. I figure at least half of them, they will select just so they can waive them later in exchange for draft picks or other players.

Past expansion drafts:
1995 - Toronto & Vancouver (http://www.sportsstats.com/jazzyj/drafts/1995exp.htm)
1989 - Orlando & Minnesota (http://www.sportsstats.com/jazzyj/drafts/1989exp.htm)
1988 - Miami & Charlotte (http://www.sportsstats.com/jazzyj/drafts/1988exp.htm)

[microbrew]

Expansion List of players available
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/basketball/nba/charlotte_bobcats/8917532.htm

Username: bigsoccer@bigsoccer.com
Password: bigsoccer

[Don Boppero 3000]

Looks like the Bulls will might be able to get rid of Davis.

[skipshady]

Looks like the Bulls will might be able to get rid of Davis.
I think you're stuck with Antonio. He's still got a couple of years and over $20 million left on his contract. I think the Bobcats are more likely to pick Fizer and let him be an unrestricted free agent.

The names that stand out to me as possible picks are Juan Dixon, Brandon Hunter/Jumaine Jones, Anthony Johnson, Ervin Johnson, Reece Gaines and Gerald Wallace.

[skipshady]

I wonder who the Lakers will protect. I'm pretty certain the Pistons will leave Corliss Williamson unprotected - they only have 8 players under contract, and Billups, Darko, Rip and Williamson are the only ones with long term contracts.

[TheSlipperyOne]

I think you're stuck with Antonio. He's still got a couple of years and over $20 million left on his contract. I think the Bobcats are more likely to pick Fizer and let him be an unrestricted free agent.


I was reading that the starting cap for the Bobcats this year is somewhere around $29 mil.

That's why they won't be taking any of the big name/big contract players available.

I would be hugely surprised if they don't take Fizer. He's a good talent who can put up points and boards when he gets PT and he won't count against their cap because he'll be turned into the UFA.

Didn't Memphis waste (oops.... I mean use) their two first round draft picks last year on Bell and Jones?

[skipshady]

Didn't Memphis waste (oops.... I mean use) their two first round draft picks last year on Bell and Jones?Yep. I thought they were both stretches at that point in the draft.

But for Memphis, I think it was a matter of who they wanted to keep, rather than guys they didn't need. They have a rotation that goes 10-12 deep and they're not like the Bulls who have a few contracts they want to unload.
The Griz are keeping:
Swift
Battier
Gasol
Watson
Posey
Wells
J. Williams
M. Miller

I think all these guys were too important to lose, so the rookies had to be unprotected.

[microbrew]

What would be interesting is find out what deals have been cut. For example, are any of the players on their way to a third team? And what teams will pay three million dollars for the Bobcats to draft then cut player X? I know the Knicks will do everything they can to off-load a contract.

Some of the desirable over-priced players may be also headed to a third team. I get that vibe off of Kerry Kittles and Antoine Walker.

[DutchFootballRulez]

This draft will be interesting, who would the Bobcats take first, I'm very angry that the Wizards have unprotected Juan Dixon and Jerry Stackhouse. That makes perfect sense..then these two can win NBA titles w/in 3 years of leaving the team as well.

Both Wallaces, and Hamilton...its so frustrating.

[skipshady]

This draft will be interesting, who would the Bobcats take first, I'm very angry that the Wizards have unprotected Juan Dixon and Jerry Stackhouse. That makes perfect sense..then these two can win NBA titles w/in 3 years of leaving the team as well.

Both Wallaces, and Hamilton...its so frustrating.
Wes Unseld and Michael Jordan: great players, horrible judge of talent.

Leaving Jerry Stackhouse unprotected makes sense. He has 3 years left on his contract and is due $18 million the final two. They won't mind if the Bobcats take him, but know they probably won't. He could very well be headed to a third team in a 3-way though.

Jaun Dixon, I'm not quite sure I understand, since he's exactly the kind of player Charlotte would want. Young, athletic, very manageable contract, ACC connection.
Though he was probably up against Jarvis Hayes, Steve Blake and Larry Hughes - Blake and Hughes have expiring contracts, and Hayes probably has a bigger upside, and is bigger.

Also, this is a great link: http://www.dfw.net/~patricia/contracts
Lists the contract of every NBA player.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Tonight's the big night.

Here's a good little article about what the B-Cats might be looking to do. And I definitely think they'll be taking Dixon.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1825868

[skipshady]

Tonight's the big night.

Here's a good little article about what the B-Cats might be looking to do. And I definitely think they'll be taking Dixon.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1825868
I can say with full certainty that Peja Drobjnak will be taken in the expansion draft.
And yeah, Dixon, Gerald Wallace and Jason Kapono all fit the profile. And the Bobcats also want Aleksander Pavlovic of Utah, reportedly.

I like that they're going young. They won't win too many games, but they'll be fun to watch.

[TheSlipperyOne]

And the Bobcats also want Aleksander Pavlovic of Utah, reportedly.


Also known as Sasha Pavlovic and they're going to take him and then trade him to Cleveland for a future lottery protected 1st round pick.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2004/news/story?id=1826382

This also states the B-Cats will pick Primoz Brezec of Indiana and Theron Smith of Memphis. Keeping them is another matter.

[microbrew]

same article, updated?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1826394

Also, the Suns apparently cut a deal to get rid of Jahidi White. I don't think the Bobcats are going to keep him around... more importantly, this frees up salary cap space for the Suns to give out a max-type contract.

[TheSlipperyOne]

same article, updated?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1826394

Also, the Suns apparently cut a deal to get rid of Jahidi White. I don't think the Bobcats are going to keep him around... more importantly, this frees up salary cap space for the Suns to give out a max-type contract.

So the B-Cats have already gained 2 future first round picks and $3 mil. cash for basically nothing.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Here's who they've taken so far:

Lonny Baxter - Washington (so no J. Dixon now)
JR Bremer - Golden State (could be interesting)
Primoz Breze - Indiana (soon to be traded)
Maurice Carter - New Orleans (who??)
Predrag Drobnjak - LAC (hope his cat likes Charlotte)
Desmon Ferguson - Portland (once again: who??)
Marcus Fizer - Chicago (finally one we predicted)
Richie Frahm - Seattle (I didn't even know he was in the NBA; go 'Zags!)
Brandon Hunter - Boston (if you say so)
Jason Kapono - Cleveland (there's another good one)
Zaza Pachulia - Orlando (I hear he smells nice)
Aleksandar Pavlovic - Utah (soon to be traded)
Jamal Sampson - LAL (maybe they hope he's a mix of Ralph Sampson & Jamal Mashburn)
Tamar Slay - NJ (I like his name)
Theron Smith - Memphis (probably will be let go)
Jeff Trepagnier - Denver (has talent, but is it enough for the NBA?)
Gerald Wallace - Sacramento (I wonder if he'll be the go-to guy)
Jahidi White - Phoenix (will be traded or let go)
Loren Woods - Miami (if only he could have lived up to his potential)

[TheSlipperyOne]

Nine of the players they drafted were restricted free agents thereby making them unrestricted free agents now and meaning they might not be on the team coming tip-off either.

[skipshady]

Brandon Hunter - Boston (if you say so)I think he'll stay. He was an undrafted rookie and played well after Crazy Danny's Crazy Firesale.

Lonny Baxter - I still would've gone with Dixon, but I guess they decided they weren't going to find many young big guys in the free agent market. And like Dixon, he's an ACC guy, so the Charlotte market already knows his name.

Tamar Slay was a good pick, along with Wallace and Kapono.

[odg78]

--Please let Loren Woods sign somewhere else. I was there for the Loren Woods era at Wake and he proved definitively that he wasn't the next Timmy D.