Wednesday, March 10, 2004
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
How do teams go about deciding who to protect for the expansion draft?
It's an emerging science that many teams are still wrestling with. Insider talked to numerous team sources to try to get insight into that process, and from those conversations we have made our first attempt at projecting who will and won't be protected for the expansion draft.
The rules are pretty simple. Teams are allowed to protected a maximum of eight players for the expansion draft. Since unrestricted free agents are ineligible to be drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats, they don't count. If a team has fewer than eight players under contract, they still must leave at least one player unprotected.
That's the bad news. The good news is the Bobcats are only allowed to select one player from each NBA team. If a team has one of its players selected, the team receives a trade exception equal to the player's 2004-05 salary. This allows teams to replace a player lost in the expansion draft with another player of comparable salary.
So how do teams go about making the list? The general rule is for teams to put players on the unprotected list who make huge salaries. The Bobcats are unlikely to select players with onerous contracts, which is why players like Keith Van Horn, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Penny Hardaway, Raef LaFrentz, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel could be left unprotected.
Teams also try to keep young players with reasonable contracts off the list. That's why it's likely you'll see a team like Washington leave a better player, like Larry Hughes, unprotected in order to protect a cheap, young player like Steve Blake.
Finally, teams are allowed to entice the Bobcats to take, or refrain from taking, a player on the list. Teams can offer draft picks, cash or future trades to incent Charlotte one way or the other. Several teams, including the Suns, Wizards and Pistons, may go this route.
With that said, some teams have no choice but to leave players they value unprotected. The Grizzlies are the best example. They have a very deep team, and almost all of their players are under contract. They'll have to leave as many as five or six very serviceable players unprotected. They could offer the Bobcats money or a pick not to pick someone, but if he's on the list, he's fair game.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Protected players,
Boris Diaw, Travis Hansen, Stephen Jackson, Joel Przybilla and Jason Terry.
Unprotected players
Chris Crawford and Alan Henderson.
BOSTON CELTICS
Protected players
Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Brandon Hunter, Chris Mihm, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce and Jiri Welsch.
Unprotected players
Jumaine Jones, Raef LaFrentz, Walter McCarty and Michael Stewart.
CHICAGO BULLS
Protected players
Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, Ronald Dupree, Marcus Fizer, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Jefferies and Linton Johnson.
Unprotected players
Antonio Davis, Scottie Pippen, Eddie Robinson and Jerome Williams.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Protected players
Tony Battie, Carlos Boozer, Kedrick Brown, DeSagana Diop, LeBron James, Jason Kapono, Jeff McInnis and Dajuan Wagner.
Unprotected players
Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ira Newble and Kevin Ollie.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Protected players
Marquis Daniels, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, Antawn Jamison, Eduardo Najera, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Antoine Walker.
Unprotected players
Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Shawn Bradley, Tony Delk, Danny Fortson and Jon Stefansson.
DENVER NUGGETS
Protected players
Chris Andersen, Carmelo Anthony, Earl Boykins, Marcus Camby, Nene Hilario, Voshon Lenard, Andre Miller and Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
Unprotected players
Ryan Bowen, Francisco Elson and Jeff Trepagnier.
DETROIT PISTONS
Protected players
Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Darko Milicic, Mehmet Okur, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Corliss Williamson.
Unprotected players
Elden Campbell.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Protected players
Speedy Claxton, Erick Dampier, Mike Dunleavy, Popeye Jones, Troy Murphy, Mickael Pietrus, Jason Richardson and Cliff Robinson.
Unprotected players
Evan Eschmeyer and Nick Van Exel.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Protected players
Steve Francis, Adrian Griffin, Jim Jackson, Yao Ming, Cuttino Mobley, Bostjan Nachbar, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks.
Unprotected players
Kelvin Cato, Maurice Taylor and Clarence Weatherspoon.
INDIANA PACERS
Protected players
Ron Artest, Jonathan Bender, Jeff Foster, Al Harrington, Fred Jones, Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley.
Unprotected players
Jamison Brewer, Primoz Brezec, Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, James Jones and Scot Pollard.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Protected players
Elton Brand, Keyon Dooling, Eddie House, Marko Jaric, Chris Kaman, Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson and Chris Wilcox.
Unprotected players
Matt Barnes, Peja Drobnjak, Melvin Ely, Josh Moore and Bobby Simmons.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Protected players
Kobe Bryant, Brian Cook, Devean George, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Kareem Rush and Luke Walton.
Unprotected players
Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and Jamal Sampson.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Protected players
Shane Battier, Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, James Posey, Stromile Swift, Earl Watson, Bonzi Wells and Jason Williams.
Unprotected players
Troy Bell, Ryan Humphrey, Dahntay Jones, Bo Outlaw, Theron Smith, Jake Tsakalidis and Lorenzen Wright.
MIAMI HEAT
Protected players
Malik Allen, Jerome Beasley, Caron Butler, Rasual Butler, Udonis Haslem, Lamar Odom, Dwyane Wade and Loren Woods.
Unprotected players
Brian Grant and Eddie Jones.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Protected players
T.J. Ford, Dan Gadzuric, Marcus Haislip, Desmond Mason, Michael Redd, Daniel Santiago, Brian Skinner and Joe Smith.
Unprotected players
Erick Strickland and Keith Van Horn.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Protected players
Sam Cassell, Ndudi Ebi, Kevin Garnett, Trenton Hassell, Troy Hudson, Mark Madsen, Michael Olowokandi and Wally Szczerbiak.
Unprotected players
Ervin Johnson and Latrell Sprewell.
NEW JERSEY NETS
Protected players
Jason Collins, Lucious Harris, Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Kenyon Martin, Zoran Planinic and Aaron Williams.
Unprotected players
Alonzo Mourning, Rodney Rogers, Brian Scalabrine and Tamar Slay.
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
Protected players
Courtney Alexander, Darrell Armstrong, P.J. Brown, Baron Davis, George Lynch, Jamaal Magloire, Jamal Mashburn and David West.
Unprotected players
David Wesley.
NEW YORK KNICKS
Protected players
Othella Harrington, Allan Houston, Stephon Marbury, Nazr Mohammed, Mike Sweetney, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas and Frank Williams.
Unprotected players
Shandon Anderson, Penny Hardaway, Dikembe Mutombo, Moochie Norris and Cezary Trybanski.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Protected players
Keith Bogans, Andrew DeClercq, Reece Gaines, Drew Gooden, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, Tracy McGrady and Zaza Pachulia.
Unprotected players
Pat Garrity and Grant Hill.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Protected players
Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, Allen Iverson, Kyle Korver, Glenn Robinson, John Salmons, Eric Snow and Kenny Thomas.
Unprotected players
Greg Buckner, Derrick Coleman, Marc Jackson, Todd MacCulloch and Aaron McKie.
PHOENIX SUNS
Protected players
Leandro Barbosa, Zarko Cabarkapa, Casey Jacobsen, Joe Johnson, Maciej Lampe, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Jake Voskuhl.
Unprotected players
Howard Eisley and Jahidi White.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Protected players
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Dale Davis, Darius Miles, Travis Outlaw, Zach Randolph, Theo Ratliff and Qyntel Woods.
Unprotected players
Derek Anderson, Omar Cook, Eddie Gill, Ruben Patterson, Vladimir Stepania and Damon Stoudamire.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Protected players
Mike Bibby, Bobby Jackson, Brad Miller, Anthony Peeler, Darius Songaila, Peja Stojakovic, Gerald Wallace and Chris Webber.
Unprotected players
Doug Christie.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Protected players
Bruce Bowen, Devin Brown, Tim Duncan, Alex Garcia, Manu Ginobili, Rasho Nesterovic, Tony Parker and Hedo Turkoglu.
Unprotected players
Robert Horry and Malik Rose.
SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Protected players
Ray Allen, Nick Collison, Antonio Daniels, Reggie Evans, Rashard Lewis, Ronald Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Ridnour.
Unprotected players
Calvin Booth, Richie Frahm, Jerome James and Vitaly Potapenko.
TORONTO RAPTORS
Protected players
Robert Archibald, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Donyell Marshall, Roger Mason Jr., Jerome Moiso, Milt Palacio and Morris Peterson.
Unprotected players
Lamond Murray, Jalen Rose and Alvin Williams.
UTAH JAZZ
Protected players
Carlos Arroyo, Curtis Borchardt, Gordan Giricek, Matt Harpring, Andrei Kirilenko, Raul Lopez, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Maurice Williams.
Unprotected players
Raja Bell and Jarron Collins.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Protected players
Gilbert Arenas, Steve Blake, Kwame Brown, Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes, Brendan Haywood, Jared Jeffries and Etan Thomas.
Unprotected players
Larry Hughes, Christian Laettner and Jerry Stackhouse.
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
How do teams go about deciding who to protect for the expansion draft?
It's an emerging science that many teams are still wrestling with. Insider talked to numerous team sources to try to get insight into that process, and from those conversations we have made our first attempt at projecting who will and won't be protected for the expansion draft.
The rules are pretty simple. Teams are allowed to protected a maximum of eight players for the expansion draft. Since unrestricted free agents are ineligible to be drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats, they don't count. If a team has fewer than eight players under contract, they still must leave at least one player unprotected.
That's the bad news. The good news is the Bobcats are only allowed to select one player from each NBA team. If a team has one of its players selected, the team receives a trade exception equal to the player's 2004-05 salary. This allows teams to replace a player lost in the expansion draft with another player of comparable salary.
So how do teams go about making the list? The general rule is for teams to put players on the unprotected list who make huge salaries. The Bobcats are unlikely to select players with onerous contracts, which is why players like Keith Van Horn, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Penny Hardaway, Raef LaFrentz, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel could be left unprotected.
Teams also try to keep young players with reasonable contracts off the list. That's why it's likely you'll see a team like Washington leave a better player, like Larry Hughes, unprotected in order to protect a cheap, young player like Steve Blake.
Finally, teams are allowed to entice the Bobcats to take, or refrain from taking, a player on the list. Teams can offer draft picks, cash or future trades to incent Charlotte one way or the other. Several teams, including the Suns, Wizards and Pistons, may go this route.
With that said, some teams have no choice but to leave players they value unprotected. The Grizzlies are the best example. They have a very deep team, and almost all of their players are under contract. They'll have to leave as many as five or six very serviceable players unprotected. They could offer the Bobcats money or a pick not to pick someone, but if he's on the list, he's fair game.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Protected players,
Boris Diaw, Travis Hansen, Stephen Jackson, Joel Przybilla and Jason Terry.
Unprotected players
Chris Crawford and Alan Henderson.
BOSTON CELTICS
Protected players
Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Brandon Hunter, Chris Mihm, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce and Jiri Welsch.
Unprotected players
Jumaine Jones, Raef LaFrentz, Walter McCarty and Michael Stewart.
CHICAGO BULLS
Protected players
Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, Ronald Dupree, Marcus Fizer, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Jefferies and Linton Johnson.
Unprotected players
Antonio Davis, Scottie Pippen, Eddie Robinson and Jerome Williams.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Protected players
Tony Battie, Carlos Boozer, Kedrick Brown, DeSagana Diop, LeBron James, Jason Kapono, Jeff McInnis and Dajuan Wagner.
Unprotected players
Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ira Newble and Kevin Ollie.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Protected players
Marquis Daniels, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, Antawn Jamison, Eduardo Najera, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Antoine Walker.
Unprotected players
Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Shawn Bradley, Tony Delk, Danny Fortson and Jon Stefansson.
DENVER NUGGETS
Protected players
Chris Andersen, Carmelo Anthony, Earl Boykins, Marcus Camby, Nene Hilario, Voshon Lenard, Andre Miller and Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
Unprotected players
Ryan Bowen, Francisco Elson and Jeff Trepagnier.
DETROIT PISTONS
Protected players
Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Darko Milicic, Mehmet Okur, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Corliss Williamson.
Unprotected players
Elden Campbell.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Protected players
Speedy Claxton, Erick Dampier, Mike Dunleavy, Popeye Jones, Troy Murphy, Mickael Pietrus, Jason Richardson and Cliff Robinson.
Unprotected players
Evan Eschmeyer and Nick Van Exel.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Protected players
Steve Francis, Adrian Griffin, Jim Jackson, Yao Ming, Cuttino Mobley, Bostjan Nachbar, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks.
Unprotected players
Kelvin Cato, Maurice Taylor and Clarence Weatherspoon.
INDIANA PACERS
Protected players
Ron Artest, Jonathan Bender, Jeff Foster, Al Harrington, Fred Jones, Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley.
Unprotected players
Jamison Brewer, Primoz Brezec, Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, James Jones and Scot Pollard.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Protected players
Elton Brand, Keyon Dooling, Eddie House, Marko Jaric, Chris Kaman, Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson and Chris Wilcox.
Unprotected players
Matt Barnes, Peja Drobnjak, Melvin Ely, Josh Moore and Bobby Simmons.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Protected players
Kobe Bryant, Brian Cook, Devean George, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Kareem Rush and Luke Walton.
Unprotected players
Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and Jamal Sampson.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Protected players
Shane Battier, Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, James Posey, Stromile Swift, Earl Watson, Bonzi Wells and Jason Williams.
Unprotected players
Troy Bell, Ryan Humphrey, Dahntay Jones, Bo Outlaw, Theron Smith, Jake Tsakalidis and Lorenzen Wright.
MIAMI HEAT
Protected players
Malik Allen, Jerome Beasley, Caron Butler, Rasual Butler, Udonis Haslem, Lamar Odom, Dwyane Wade and Loren Woods.
Unprotected players
Brian Grant and Eddie Jones.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Protected players
T.J. Ford, Dan Gadzuric, Marcus Haislip, Desmond Mason, Michael Redd, Daniel Santiago, Brian Skinner and Joe Smith.
Unprotected players
Erick Strickland and Keith Van Horn.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Protected players
Sam Cassell, Ndudi Ebi, Kevin Garnett, Trenton Hassell, Troy Hudson, Mark Madsen, Michael Olowokandi and Wally Szczerbiak.
Unprotected players
Ervin Johnson and Latrell Sprewell.
NEW JERSEY NETS
Protected players
Jason Collins, Lucious Harris, Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Kenyon Martin, Zoran Planinic and Aaron Williams.
Unprotected players
Alonzo Mourning, Rodney Rogers, Brian Scalabrine and Tamar Slay.
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
Protected players
Courtney Alexander, Darrell Armstrong, P.J. Brown, Baron Davis, George Lynch, Jamaal Magloire, Jamal Mashburn and David West.
Unprotected players
David Wesley.
NEW YORK KNICKS
Protected players
Othella Harrington, Allan Houston, Stephon Marbury, Nazr Mohammed, Mike Sweetney, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas and Frank Williams.
Unprotected players
Shandon Anderson, Penny Hardaway, Dikembe Mutombo, Moochie Norris and Cezary Trybanski.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Protected players
Keith Bogans, Andrew DeClercq, Reece Gaines, Drew Gooden, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, Tracy McGrady and Zaza Pachulia.
Unprotected players
Pat Garrity and Grant Hill.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Protected players
Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, Allen Iverson, Kyle Korver, Glenn Robinson, John Salmons, Eric Snow and Kenny Thomas.
Unprotected players
Greg Buckner, Derrick Coleman, Marc Jackson, Todd MacCulloch and Aaron McKie.
PHOENIX SUNS
Protected players
Leandro Barbosa, Zarko Cabarkapa, Casey Jacobsen, Joe Johnson, Maciej Lampe, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Jake Voskuhl.
Unprotected players
Howard Eisley and Jahidi White.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Protected players
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Dale Davis, Darius Miles, Travis Outlaw, Zach Randolph, Theo Ratliff and Qyntel Woods.
Unprotected players
Derek Anderson, Omar Cook, Eddie Gill, Ruben Patterson, Vladimir Stepania and Damon Stoudamire.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Protected players
Mike Bibby, Bobby Jackson, Brad Miller, Anthony Peeler, Darius Songaila, Peja Stojakovic, Gerald Wallace and Chris Webber.
Unprotected players
Doug Christie.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Protected players
Bruce Bowen, Devin Brown, Tim Duncan, Alex Garcia, Manu Ginobili, Rasho Nesterovic, Tony Parker and Hedo Turkoglu.
Unprotected players
Robert Horry and Malik Rose.
SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Protected players
Ray Allen, Nick Collison, Antonio Daniels, Reggie Evans, Rashard Lewis, Ronald Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Ridnour.
Unprotected players
Calvin Booth, Richie Frahm, Jerome James and Vitaly Potapenko.
TORONTO RAPTORS
Protected players
Robert Archibald, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Donyell Marshall, Roger Mason Jr., Jerome Moiso, Milt Palacio and Morris Peterson.
Unprotected players
Lamond Murray, Jalen Rose and Alvin Williams.
UTAH JAZZ
Protected players
Carlos Arroyo, Curtis Borchardt, Gordan Giricek, Matt Harpring, Andrei Kirilenko, Raul Lopez, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Maurice Williams.
Unprotected players
Raja Bell and Jarron Collins.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Protected players
Gilbert Arenas, Steve Blake, Kwame Brown, Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes, Brendan Haywood, Jared Jeffries and Etan Thomas.
Unprotected players
Larry Hughes, Christian Laettner and Jerry Stackhouse.
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