The Deep 2012 NBA Draft

First Step of the Off-season

Now with the NBA Finals being over and the Miami Heat emerging as the champions, the league is preparing to move forward to its next season. The first stepping stone in the offseason is the NBA Draft, which happens to begin today at 7pm. I believe it is safe to assume that the New Orleans Hornets will take PF Anthony Davis with the Number 1 overall pick, due to his phenomenal freshman season with the Kentucky Wildcats. However, the rest of the picks from 2 to 60 are completely up in the air as teams work to maneuver themselves into better positions to select a player they covet.

Possible Deals?

As I alluded to before, I believe there is going to be quite a bit of maneuvering in this draft and I think a blockbuster deal may be on the rise within the top-5 picks of the draft. After, Anthony Davis is gone off the board there is going to be a battle among other top-5 draft teams to acquire the services of other high touted players such as, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, and Thomas Robinson. Those other top-5 draft teams consist of the Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Sacramento Kings. It is apparent that all of these teams have glaring needs that must be filled, but this draft can significantly increase their chances of climbing out of the NBA cellar and help them move towards become an elite team.

All Eyes on Charlotte

I believe the most attention should be centered on the Charlotte Bobcats and their coveted No. 2 pick. The Charlotte Bobcats were nixed again by the NBA Draft Lottery as they were back in 2004 when they had a chance of drafting Dwight Howard, but instead ended up with Emeka Okafor. However, they have a chance at redemption this time around because with this draft projected to deeper than the past few drafts the Bobcats have an opportunity to turn their No. 2 pick into a positive by packaging it to the highest bidder in order to acquire more talent, which they desperately need across the board.

Possible Suitors

The suitors with best chance to acquire the Charlotte Bobcats No.2 pick I believe are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trailblazers. Although, I would throw the Houston Rockets into that possible list of suitors due to their recent wheeling and dealing, which have landed them the 12th, 16th, and 18th overall picks. In addition to that, they also have quality veterans with good trade value in PG Kyle Lowry and SG Kevin Martin; with that combination I see them as a sleeper in the race to move the draft board. However, I still would not rule out the Cavaliers or the Trailblazers as they have both stock piled 4 picks with one of them being at least a top-6 selection in this draft.