For future Bobcats, look past big names

[MightyToine]

For future Bobcats, look past big names

Young candidates on list of available players

RICK BONNELL

Staff Writer


CHICAGO - Hey, Bobcats fans: Want Allan Houston? He's Charlotte's for the taking. So are Eddie Jones, Brian Grant, Kerry Kittles and Antoine Walker.

More likely, the Bobcats would be interested in Troy Bell, Keyon Dooling, Gerald Wallace, Tamar Slay and Jason Kapono.

Based on conversations out of the Chicago pre-draft camp, the Observer has confirmed which players eight NBA teams made available to the Bobcats, plus partial lists for several other teams. The Bobcats must select at least 14 veterans -- each off a different team -- when the draft is held June 22 or 23.

Predictably, teams are dangling huge salaries at the Bobcats, even if that means losing a high-profile player. For instance, the Miami Heat has left Jones and Grant -- both former All-Stars -- available. But Jones and Grant each will have salaries of $14 million-plus each of the next two seasons. So the only way the Bobcats would select one is to move him on via trade.

More likely, the Bobcats will select young, inexpensive players and hope they blossom with more playing time -- players such as Bell, a rookie point guard with Memphis, or Wallace, an athletic small forward who hasn't cracked the rotation with Sacramento. Kapono, a solid jump-shooter with Cleveland, also fits that description, as might Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent Dooling.

Some other recent first-round picks who haven't contributed much weren't made available. The Clippers' Melvin Ely and Milwaukee's Marcus Haislip both were protected.

Hornets guard David Wesley also was protected. After the team moved, Wesley, who kept his home in Charlotte, had speculated he might be available to the Bobcats. However, New Orleans retained Wesley and his $4.9 million salary and left restricted free agent Courtney Alexander unprotected instead.

Size is the hardest thing to acquire in the NBA, and some is availableMilwaukee's Brian Skinner, Seattle's Vitaly Potapenko and Memphis's Jake Tsakalidis could all play center. Potapenko would be expensive next season at $6.1 million, but several scouts said he'd provide the toughness an expansion team usually lacks inside.

Available Players

With position, height and age

L.A. CLIPPERS: Matt Barnes*, F, 6-7, 24; Keyon Dooling*, G, 6-3, 24; Predrag Drobnjak, C, 6-11, 28; Eddie House, G, 6-1, 26; Josh Moore*, C, 7-2, 23

MEMPHIS: Troy Bell, G, 6-1, 23; Ryan Humphrey, F, 6-8, 24; Dahntay Jones*, G-F, 6-6, 23; Bo Outlaw*, F, 6-8, 23; Theron Smith, F, 6-8, 23; Jake Tsakalidis, C, 7-2, 25; Lorenzen Wright, C, 6-11, 28

MIAMI: Brian Grant, C, 6-9, 32; Eddie Jones, G, 6-6, 32; Loren Woods*, C, 7-2, 25

MILWAUKEE: Brian Skinner, C-F, 6-9, 28; Erick Strickland, G, 6-3, 30

NEW YORK: Shandon Anderson, G-F, 6-6, 30; Penny Hardaway, G-F, 6-7, 32; Allan Houston, G, 6-6, 33; Moochie Norris, G, 6-2, 30; Cezary Trybanski, C, 7-2, 24

SACRAMENTO: Gerald Wallace, F, 6-7, 21

SEATTLE: Calvin Booth, C, 6-11, 28; Jerome James, C, 7-1, 28; Richie Frahm*, G, 6-5, 26; Vitaly Potapenko, C-F, 6-10, 29

UTAH: Curtis Borchardt, C, 7-0, 23; Aleksandar Pavlovic, F, 6-7, 20

* Restricted free agent. If the Bobcats draft a restricted free agent, he immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent and his contract does not count against the Bobcats' salary cap. The team that loses that player is not allowed to re-sign him.



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