Reply With QuoteThe Trail Blazers won't say who they protected from Charlotte in the expansion draft later this month, but here's a good assumption: Zach Randolph is not available.
And here's a bad assumption: The Blazers protected their top eight players.
"That would not be a good conclusion," general manager John Nash said Thursday.
The expansion draft is scheduled for June 22, but would be pushed back a day if the NBA Finals go to a seventh game. Teams have to protect at least one player who is either under contract or a restricted free agent, and no more than eight.
Charlotte will select at least 14 players no more than one from a team. That means it's far from a given that Portland will lose anyone. If they lose one under contract, the Blazers would receive a trade exception equal to that player's salary for next season.
Nash said the Blazers never considered protecting fewer than eight players before finalizing the list on Thursday. Exactly which of their 15 players are on that list is unclear.
One strategy would have been to protect the top eight: Damon Stoudamire, Derek Anderson, Darius Miles, Zach Randolph, Theo Ratliff, Dale Davis, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Ruben Patterson. That would have left Omar Cook, Dan au, Desmond Ferguson, Eddie Gill, Travis Outlaw, Vladimir Stepania and Qyntel Woods available.
But Nash indicated the Blazers did not follow that strategy.
Another school of thought had the Blazers dangling Davis, who has one year and about $10 million remaining on his contract remaining.
But Davis' agent, Chubby Wells, said his client was protected.
"It would not have been a good idea if they did not protect Dale," Wells said.
Portland could have paid the Bobcats as much as $3 million to select Davis had they not protected him. Then, they could either saved money or used that exception.
Davis, 35, might be attractive to other teams looking for help in the post or salary-cap relief. He has made it clear that he doesn't want a repeat of what happened this season, when his role disappeared after the Blazers acquired Ratliff, Abdur-Rahim and au from Atlanta in the Rasheed Wallace trade.
But Davis has also said he is not demanding a trade.
"I think the only way we'd ask to be traded is if Portland makes it clear it's going to be the same situation next year," Wells said.
Abdur-Rahim's situation was similar to Davis'. He saw his role diminish after the trade, and has made it clear he does not want a repeat of this season. For that to happen, Abdur-Rahim almost certainly would have to be traded, since it's unlikely Randolph would be dealt.
Agent Aaron Goodwin, who represents Abdur-Rahim and Stoudamire, said he wasn't sure if his clients had been protected. But he was adamant about this: "We're serious in the fact that Shareef has no intention of coming back to Portland in the current situation," Goodwin said. "We're quietly sitting back and allowing them to do what they can do. We're hopeful (president Steve Patterson) and John can make something happen."
It's possible the Blazers left one of their higher-priced players such as Abdur-Rahim (one year, $14.6 million), Anderson (three years, $27.2 million), Stoudamire (one year, $15.75 million) or Patterson (three years, $19.1 million) unprotected, assuming the Bobcats wouldn't select him.
That would allow Portland to protect other players. But the risk is this: Charlotte, in a prearranged move, selecting and trading that player.
"What Charlotte's plan is had nothing to do with us," Nash said. "What we did is protect the players we thought would be most valuable to us."
Goodwin made it clear he does not want his client in Charlotte. In fact, he asked the Bobcats not to take Abdur-Rahim if he's left unprotected.
"He's played in Vancouver already," Goodwin said. "He played in Atlanta. Going to Charlotte would be taking another step backward. ... The last thing they need is for a negative situation with us trying to get him out of there." www.columbian.com/0611200...54797.html
