Expansion Draft (Hypothetical, OT)

babyjax13 · Post #1 » by **babyjax13** » Mon Jul 4, 2011 6:43 pm

This is pretty simple, and hopefully it will be a fun discussion during the lockout. If there were to be an expansion draft, what 8 players from your roster would you protect?

The rules:
1. Unrestricted free agents are not available to an expansion team to draft.
2. Unsigned draft picks are not available for the expansion team to draft.
3. Restricted free agents are available.
4. Each team must have at least one player unprotected, so if team x had 8 players under contract and 4 that were UFAs, it could only protect 7 players.
5. The expansion team can only draft one player from each roster and must have at least 14 players.

Post #2 » by **slick_watts** » Mon Jul 4, 2011 7:00 pm

Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka, Perkins, Collison, Maynor, Aldrich. Counting on an expansion team not taking Nazr. Don't care for Thabo much.

NashtyNas · Post #3 » by **NashtyNas** » Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:29 pm

slick_watts wrote:Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka, Perkins, Collison, Maynor, Aldrich. Counting on an expansion team not taking Nazr. Don't care for Thabo much.

HUH? With Perk signed longterm and Nazr a viable backup, your going to protect Aldrich over Thabo (an integral part of the defensive scheme for your team)? :crazy:

bbms · Post #4 » by **bbms** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 2:08 am

Thabo has no use to this team anymore since we got inside defense with Perkins and Ibaka, and Harden became a very good defensive player. We need O. I think Cole Aldrich also has a better trade value.

NashtyNas · Post #5 » by **NashtyNas** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:42 pm

bbms wrote:Thabo has no use to this team anymore since we got inside defense with Perkins and Ibaka, and Harden became a very good defensive player. We need O. I think Cole Aldrich also has a better trade value.

What makes you come to the conclusion that Harden all of a sudden became a superior defender? Yes, he's overall the better player, but Sef is a "stopper" on D, and not just based on reputation but there is merit to it. He is a fierce defender, he likes to give it his all on that end of the court, I can't imagine how that's changed in less than one season?

I think your VERY wrong about Aldrich's value if you think he's worth more than Thabo. If Aldrich was an FA right now, he would get no more than a minimum deal because he has yet to prove ANYTHING. He's just another big body with "potential" that has yet to put it together, no teams are calling OKC to offer up value for him. At best, you'll get a late first (if at all) while Thabo can net you a solid contributor elsewhere because he's got a niche in the NBA for a long time.

Orlando would LOVE to have someone like Thabo on the wing considering their perimeter defensive woes. I do agree that the interior defense helps, but that doesn't change the fact that you still need a go-to stopper on the wings, someone who can guard the other teams best perimeter player night in and night out, and Thabo is that guy. I'm not sure Harden is.

Post #6 » by **slick_watts** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:48 am

Thabo was very important to the team's success in 2009-10 when the team lacked much in the way of interior shot blocking or defense aside from Nick Collison. With the front court defensively aligned, I don't think he's all that valuable to the team's success anymore. You can throw him against some players and he'll do well; i.e. ball dominant scorers such as Kobe or Wade. But against the vast majority of SG's he doesn't offer that much improvement defensively over James Harden, since Thabo's strength is defense on the ball.

I think Aldrich could be worth more in the long run due to his rookie scale contract and Nick Collison's future decline.

Thabo's also had a lot of trouble with plantar fasciitis the last two seasons and hasn't been 100% since last year's All Star break.