The obvious winner in this year's draft will be The New Orleans Hornets. Anthony Davis is the consensus. overall number one pick. However, there does seem to be some depth to this year's draft. It appears that NBA executives are satisfied with the level of talent that is going to be in this year's draft [1]. I will go through a few of the top picks and discuss options the team has, as well as who I think they should take with their respected pick in the draft.
1. New Orleans Hornets:
Anthony Davis is the obvious pick. This kid has skill and it is evident to anyone who has seen him play the game of basketball. He is listed at 6'11" and has a 7'6" wingspan [2]. One of the huge upsides to Davis is that he is a smart basketball player. This comes from the fact that Davis used to play guard because he had a late growth spurt [3]. Anthony Davis has the talent to become a dominant center in the NBA within in the next few years, but he needs to do one critical thing. He needs to get stronger. If he hits the weights and puts on some pounds, this will be one scary player for every other team in the league to fear.
2. Charlotte Bobcats:
I believe that Bradley Beal is the second best player in this year's draft. However, I do not see the Bobcats taking him with the second overall pick. The Bobcats have too many young guards to be drafting another one. That is why, if they do not trade this pick, I see them taking Thomas Robinson, the power forward from Kansas. Iamagm.com has reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers are offering their #4 and #24 pick for the Bobcats 2nd overall pick [4]. I see this trade happening because, if in fact the Cavs are making this offer, the Bobcats can probably get Thomas Robinson with the 4th pick. I expect the Cavs to try and get Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The only reason the Bobcats would not pull this trade is if they were planning on taking MKG.
3. Washington Wizards:
Bradley Beal seems to be a great fit in Washington. Him playing alongside John Wall could be a deadly combination. Beal is not as fast as Wall (Then again who is?) but he does have a high basketball I.Q. (Something that many, including myself, believe John Wall lacks.) Beal is a shooter, no doubt about it. Beal is within range as soon as he steps on the court. Listed at 6'5", some say he is too small to be a true shooting guard [5]. That being said, the possibility of Beal and Wall playing together is too much to pass up.
4. Cleveland:
Again, if it is true that they have offered their 4th and 24th pick for the second pick, and the trade goes through, then they have their option of Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. I could see them taking Beal at 2 to play alongside Kyrie Irving, but they did recently draft Manny Harris out of Michigan and another guard in last year's draft. Cleveland could go so many ways with this pick, all depending on trades. They could have the option of Beal, MKG, or even Harrison Barnes. In my opinion this pick will set the rest of the draft in motion.
Other Teams Worth Mentioning:
Portland Trailblazers:
Portland has both the 6th and 11th respected picks in this year's draft. I expect them to take Andre Drummond with the 6th pick. He had a disappointing freshman year at UCONN, but his upside is what will get him a high draft pick. It will be interesting to see if Drummond and Jeremy Lamb, stay teammates. If Lamb is still available at 11, I would not be surprised to see Portland draft him.
New Orleans Hornets (again):
The Hornets received the 10th pick from the L.A. Clippers in a trade that went on this year involving Chris Paul. (You probably didn't hear anything about it. It was under the radar and there was no controversy surrounding the trade at all.) If Austin Rivers is still available I think he would be a great fit for the Hornets. Having Rivers and Anthony Davis would be a team to build around and a team people would come to watch. Rivers is an explosive scorer with deep range. He is very confident, but sometimes has very iffy shot selection. I would love to see Rivers go to the Hornets.
This draft promises to be a good one. There is talent all throughout the first round, and many players drafted will have immediate impact on their team. The Hornets have two top ten picks and can use those to start rebuilding their team. We are still waiting to see if the Cavs and Bobcats make a trade, and that will undoubtedly affect the draft in a major way. You can see the draft live on Thursday, June 28th. For all the updates concerning the draft follow us on twitter .
[1] http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sam_amick/06/25/nba-draft-key-questions-picks-trades/index.html
[2]http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/results/players?id=19650&_slug_=anthony-davis&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnbadraft%2fresults%2fplayers%3fid%3d19650%26_slug_%3danthony-davis
[3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSTChBTqABE
[4]http://www.iamagm.com/news/2012/06/25/rumors.warriors.raptors.hot.pursuit.luol.deng.cavs.definitely.offering.4.and.24?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
[5] http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/results/players?id=19658&_slug_=bradley-beal&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnbadraft%2fresults%2fplayers%3fid%3d19658%26_slug_%3dbradley-beal
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