<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I've been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma, Tampa, Panama, Mattua, LaPaloma, Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo, Tocapillo, Pocatello, Amperdillo ... I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere, man. -- Johnny Cash OK, so maybe Charlotte Bobcats GM/coach Bernie Bickerstaff hasn't traveled as much as the guy in that old country tune, now heard endlessly in TV ads. But Bickerstaff and his team of scouts have been getting around as they prepare to join the NBA as the league's 30th team for the 2004-05 season. "Peoria, Connecticut, Atlanta," Bickerstaff said, listing just a few of the places he's recently scouted players. "I've got the Big East tournament on Thursday, the ACC on Friday, the SEC on Saturday. Then we've got the NCAA tournament. We've had guys out for the past six months. We've seen all the consensus top high school guys. We've been to Europe. We've ranked all the NBA players from all 29 teams. We've got guys everywhere." Bickerstaff's crew is working hard to prepare for two key dates in June that will go a long way toward shaping Bobcats history. The first is the NBA expansion draft, June 22 or 23 (the latter if the Finals go seven games). The other is the NBA draft, June 24. In the expansion draft, the Bobcats must select 14 players off NBA rosters. Each team can protect up to eight players, but no team can lose more than one. In the NBA draft, the Bobcats will have the No. 4 overall pick. Already speculation is swirling about some of the big names that might be available in the expansion draft. Brian Grant (Heat), Glenn Robinson (Sixers), Grant Hill (Magic), Penny Hardaway (Knicks), Damon Stoudamire (Blazers), Austin Croshere (Pacers), Shawn Bradley (Mavs) and Raef LaFrentz (Celtics) are among those likely to be left unprotected by their clubs. Whether Charlotte would agree to take any of those players -- and their big contracts -- is a different story.......</div> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writ...ider/index.html I never realized the talent that Charlotte can pick up in the expansion draft. They may not have such a bad team after all is said and done.
That's a big if though, in terms of whether all those players mentioned at the end will be left. I had a feeling about Lafrentz, and still do, but I highly doubt that someone of Glenn Robinson's caliber would be left unprotected. He might have a hefty contract like those other guys, but he's also an instant 20 points, perhaps more like 23-24, perhaps more, on an expansion team like Charlotte. I'd say that Hill, Hardaway, and Croshere are the only likelies out of that group come draft time. However, thinking wishfully, who wouldn't mind a starting lineup of Stoudemire, Hardaway, Robinson, Grant and Lafrentz?
