we'd have to see if the protection disappears entirely the next year, or like with the pick we gave the suns (which went to utah) for marbury, will it lose some protection for more than a year (like maybe it's top 3 protected the next year). i haven't read anything saying that there is protection after 2012, so it might be for only one year.

What this means is if we bomb next year and win the lotto, aka #1 overall, we keep the pick. And there will be a future pick swap, the next of which would be 2013, of which there is no protection and the following conditions would apply.

What this also means is if Houston records a better record than us, and our pick is not #1 overall they will swap 2011 1st round picks with us. If we're 15th and they are 18th they get our #15 2011 pick, we get their #18 2011 pick. (Or, if the 2011 is #1 overall, and protected, these conditions would occur in 2013 without protection)

If we have a better record than Houston there is no swap of the 2011 pick.

In the end, we still have a 2011 first round pick to use. The only question is - will it be ours (if we win the lotto), will it be ours (if we have a better record than Houston), or will it be theirs.

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The 2012 pick is an outright trade to Houston. It is now theirs. If we flat out bomb and the pick is anywhere from #1 to #5 overall we keep the pick and they get our 2013 pick outright without protection - or the next available tradeable pick without protection.

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PresIke wrote:which 2011 protected pick? our 2011 pick has no protection from what i am aware of, and goes to utah even if we get the top pick, unless i am way off base.

i think panos' question isn't about what it means to protect the pick, but does it decrease gradually, like the pick utah is getting, or go away immediately the next year.

The 2010 pick is Utah's via Phoenix via New York from the Marbury trade and is unprotected.