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Who Do The Blazers Protect In An Expansion Draft?

The time-honored August tradition of hypothetical think pieces that have no impact on the coming season are well and truly upon us.

In recent years, one such exercise has been speculation on NBA expansion and, in the case of Blazer's Edge, discussing who the Portland Trail Blazers would protect in an expansion draft. The Blazers are in an interesting position coming out of a rebuild with a collection of players on rookie-scale deals and second contracts garnished with three guys in their 30s.

Rules of expansion drafts

The last expansion draft took place in 2004 with the introduction of the Charlotte Bobcats. Back then, each team protected up to eight players. If a franchise had fewer than eight players on its roster, it was still required to leave at least one player unprotected.

The Bobcats were required to select a minimum of 14 players and could select only one player from any one NBA team.

We're using similar rules today with one pretty big caveat. Past expansion drafts have taken place before the NBA Draft and free agency. As a result, the Blazers would hypothetically have to make tougher decisions with more contracted players, relative to what there would have been in June.

The below lists are ordered from highest to lowest priority.

Protected

Deni Avdija

No surprises here. The Israeli is currently the best player on the roster, competitive on both sides of the ball, and able to create for himself and others. Right now, he's also the Blazer closest to an All-Star appearance — though closest doesn't necessarily mean close.

Toumani Camara

The Belgian, along with Avdija, is as untouchable as they come. His place in last season's NBA All-Defense Second Team solidified his bona fides on that end while serving as the Blazers' best rotation three-point shooter. Camara isn't far away from his ceiling as an elite 3-and-D wing.

Shaedon Sharpe

Sharpe could still own this franchise's biggest upside, but there are a lot more maybes in that discussion than there were two years ago. The Canadian's ability to score around the rim is as near-elite as it'll get, so the benchmark for Sharpe's greatness hinges on his three-point shot, defense, and engagement. With his restricted free agency hitting next summer, the Blazers still need to see more before they even begin thinking about letting him go.

Donovan Clingan

Last year's number seven pick is already an elite defensive big man. Despite obvious offensive and fitness concerns, Clingan on a rookie-scale deal is worth a heck of a lot to the Blazers. Whether he's the center of the future remains to be seen, but right now he's in line for as many minutes at the five as he can handle.

Yang Hansen

The enigmatic rookie with potential to burn will be based at the Tualatin practice facility for the foreseeable future. Whether he is Chinese Jokic/Sengun or out of the league by the end of his rookie-scale deal, the Blazers used their most recent first round pick on him and will give him every opportunity to succeed.

Scoot Henderson

This is Henderson's year to shine. There's no way the Blazers are letting him go before he has a chance to show how good he can be and before Damian Lillard is ready to play. Even if Henderson isn't a Blazer forever, he still has potential and youth on his side to serve as a key trade piece if he doesn't work out.

Damian Lillard

Lillard stays and not solely for basketball reasons. If the franchise left Lillard unprotected, the relationship between the team and its arguable greatest player would be forever harmed, particularly following the recent reunion and the apparent good will.

Jrue Holiday

Holiday was somehow my hardest keep here because of his age the money he's owed. If the Blazers did leave him exposed and he was picked up, they would clear real cap space for the summer of 2026. But I'm keeping him for the single fact that the 35-year-old appears to be in demand and of interest to other franchises. If Portland sees Holiday as being surplus to their needs, they should still be able to move him for a positive return.

Exposed

Matisse Thybulle

This was the hardest omission. Thybulle is on an extremely team-friendly expiring deal who, when healthy, is still one of the league's best defenders. It might be irresponsible leaving the 27-year-old exposed but losing him would be a little more acceptable then parting with the above eight names.

Jerami Grant

Grant lost a lot of fans after his down season last year. While I still believe in the veteran forward, I think the franchise is at a point where it wouldn't be too unhappy if another franchise took him and his $30-plus million a year deal off their hands. I still have hope the 31-year-old returns to form, giving the Blazers more leverage in trade negotiations but I also understand the fact that he doesn't deserve to be in the above group.

Kris Murray

The former first-round pick showed real progress last season, but when push comes to shove his contribution can pretty easily be found elsewhere, particularly if his three-point shot never comes around.

Rayan Rupert

The 21-year-old Frenchman still has time to be something, but we're yet to see it in regular rotation minutes. If he finds a role in the NBA, I'd be pleased for the former New Zealand Breaker. For now, he's not impactful enough to protect.

Robert Williams III

Williams' Portland career has been nothing short of a disappointment. The former All-Defensive talent is a wanted player in theory, but his body is unfortunately yet to cooperate.

Duop Reath

The Australian national representative is an interesting offensive foil. Unfortunately, his body type makes the 29-year-old a liability on the defensive side at both the four and the five.

Blake Wesley

Wesley was brought in as guard insurance and, if all goes well is unlikely to see the floor too much this season.

Conclusion

Jrue Holiday vs Matisse Thybulle was far and away the hardest decision. I went with Holiday based on his skillset, experience, and ability. But if the Blazers opted for Thybulle, it would be completely understandable.

Lillard also made the cut even though he won't play this season. The nine-time All Star's return to Oregon was more than just for basketball reasons. If the Blazers left him exposed, it'd be pretty poor form after the point guard spent his prime in Portland without the requisite support to win a title.

The rest of the keepers are Deni Avdija and a bunch of a rookie-scale contracted players who will hopefully see the franchise through its next competitive era.

So, Will The Bobcats Become The Hornets Now? - CBSSports.com

The first thing that most people did after deciding whether they hated the name Pelicans and their subsequent logo and colors was wonder if the Hornets dropping their name means that it will return to its rightful owner.

Would the Charlotte Bobcats, named after their first owner, Bob Johnson (seriously), reclaim the city's original NBA nickname and become the Charlotte Hornets?

(If you're unaware: The Pelicans were actually the first Hornets, not in New Orleans, but Charlotte. From 1988 to 2002, the Hornets played in Charlotte before relocating to New Orleans.)

Changing a name in the NBA is a pretty complicated process, one that takes roughly two years to complete -- sometimes quicker if the league wants to expedite things. So it's not like the Bobcats can just start going by Hornets tomorrow. It takes time. And, on top of that, the Bobcats have to actually decide if they want to change.

Michael Jordan has said in the past that he's interested in being re-branded the Hornets. And while MJ almost always gets his way, there are obstacles.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the Bobcats have hired a firm (Harris Interactive) to poll season-ticket holders and fans about their desire to change names. It costs roughly $3 million to switch the nickname, but it's something the Bobcats could expect to recoup because there will certainly be a rush of merchandise sales. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and most everyone remembers the good old days with Zo, LJ and Muggsy playing for the Hornets.

Will the team be changing, though? The Observer reports team president Fred Whitfield won't say. Another question: Who owns the Hornets name right now? The NBA does, technically, and has a prepared statement in regard to what it's doing with it:

"[The league is] continuing to work with the Charlotte Bobcats on exploring whether a name change is in the long-term interest of their team.''

So it's no slam dunk. I'd say it's likely, because with the lack of success the Bobcats have had under their current name, especially in connecting to the community, changing the name could be a welcome fresh start for the organization. Especially since it's under new ownership now with a new direction.

But it's not about nostalgia and branding for the Bobcats. It's about fan interest, which is why they're trying to listen. What they care about is selling tickets and merchandise, not just pleasing people who think Hornets is a cooler name than Bobcats. They want to know if the team being called Hornets and them wearing teal and yellow would make you more likely to attend games.

And if they find the answer to that question is yes, then this will get done and probably done soon.

Read more here: http://www.Charlotteobserver.Com/2013/01/24/3811106/hornets-name-change-leaves-bobcats.Html#storylink=cpy

Bobcats Face Long Road Back To NBA Relevance - FOX Sports

Michael Jordan's Bobcats have nowhere to go but up.

That's the glass-half-full approach the Bobcats will take this season after finishing with the worst winning percentage in NBA history last year.

The Bobcats were a woeful 7-59 (.106) and it's hard to imagine them being any worse.

Charlotte lost 20 games by 20 or more points under former head coach Paul Silas and finished the season with 23 straight losses, ironically the same number that once defined greatness and championships for Jordan the player.

The Bobcats were so non-competitive down the stretch last season that opposing teams regularly left their star players at home to rest when coming to Charlotte, knowing they wouldn't need their services to win. In fact, the Boston Celtics left their entire ''Big Three'' back in Beantown and still won.

Although Charlotte had by far the worst record in the league last year, they didn't land the No. 1 overall pick, losing out on the Anthony Davis sweepstakes to the New Orleans Hornets. But they're hoping small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the No. 2 pick, can develop into a franchise player.

The Bobcats have tried to wipe the slate clean.

They've added a new coach in Mike Dunlap, five new players to the roster and even changed their color scheme and shortened the name on the front of their news jerseys to read: Cats.

The team changed its motto, too - Tougher. Faster. Stronger.

Dunlap, a longshot hire who served as an assistant coach at St. John's last season, believes this team has the youth, energy and conditioning to give some NBA teams fits. What the Bobcats don't have in experience or talent he plans to make up for athleticism, conditioning and hustle.

Defensively, Dunlap said he wants to ''pressure the heck out of the ball.''

And on offense the goal is to push the ball up the court on fast breaks, and go to the rim and shoot 3-pointers in half court sets.

''I'm not a big on mid-range jump shots,'' Dunlap said.

Said point guard Kemba Walker: ''It'll be fast-paced with high energy and high intensity.''

Kidd-Gilchrist will work alongside a core of other young players that include guards Walker and Gerald Henderson, forward Bismack Biyombo and center Byron Mullens.

The team supplemented by adding guards Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon and center Brendan Haywood in hopes of changing the losing culture in Charlotte.

''It's a new season for us,'' said Henderson, who led the Bobcats in scoring last year. ''That last year was a tough thing. It's something that you try to forget about. It'll always be there, but it's a new start.''

Walker is expected to split time at point guard with Sessions, while Henderson and Gordon will both see action at the No. 2 spot.

The vertically challenged Bobcats added the 7-foot Haywood in the middle and he'll split time with Mullens, a solid 3-point shooter with the smooth stroke who tends to struggle on defense. Biyombo, who has a ton of athleticism and talent but is still working on his offensive game, will share time with veteran Tyrus Thomas at power forward.

Kidd-Gilchrist is expected to start right away at small forward and judging by the preseason could have an immediate impact.

Dunlap doesn't believe last year's debacle will affect his team's confidence.

In fact, the Bobcats don't even talk about it anymore with the focus being completely on this season, which begins Nov. 2 at home against the Indiana Pacers.

''We have five new players,'' Dunlap said. ''That's over a third of your team that's new, so they don't have that memory. And second, we had some guys that were injured a lot last year so I don't think that memory is a scarred memory.''

As for the season, Dunlap said his expectations don't so much surround victories but rather developing a solid chemistry and learning the right way to play.

''Coming off a bad season as we did, you never know what may happen as a team,'' Dunlap said. ''But if we're no good this year, it ain't gonna be because we're not working hard.''

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