217 x Pr0d1gY: 2012 NBA Mock Draft – First 15 Picks (5-21-12)

In this forum, I give you my predictions for the first 15 picks of the upcoming 2012 NBA Draft.  I will give you a very brief description of why I have each team selecting their respective player.  I am open to criticism and I am posting this before the draft lottery takes place and the official draft order is set.  Also, this was made before all of the workouts have taken place.  Update mocks are to follow in the near future.  But as for right now, here is my current top 15 picks for the 2012 NBA Draft.  Enjoy.  

 #1. Charlotte Bobcats – Anthony Davis (PF) – Kentucky: Anthony Davis is the obvious #1 selection in this year’s draft.  He has so much potential to be a Hall of Fame player coming out of Kentucky.  He has great size, length, and athleticism.  He is an excellent shot blocker.  He is still raw on the offensive side of the ball and will need to add weight so he can bang down low better with some big NBA bodies, but he certainly has all of the intangibles to be a superstar.  The Bobcats finally have a future star to build around.  

#2. Washington Wizards – Thomas Robinson (PF) – Kansas: This was a tricky situation with the Wizards.  The way I saw it, this pick could have been between a wide variety of prospects.  However, I deemed Thomas Robinson to be the best fit in this current situation.  Washington has gambled on prospects with a lot of potential and have failed in the past.  Thomas Robinson may not have the upside of a Andre Drummond or a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but one thing we do know is that Thomas Robinson has an NBA-ready body and can come in and play right away.  He can bang down low, and help right away with rebounding.  He is already an upgrade of someone like Andray Blatche.  He is also an athletic power forward, so he and Nene could make good running partners with John Wall on the break.  

#3. Cleveland Cavaliers – Harrison Barnes (SF) – North Carolina: This was also a tough pick to predict, but I personally believe that the Cavaliers are trying to rebuild as quickly as possible.  Dan Gilbert seems to still believe the Cavaliers will win a title before the Heat will.  Anyway, this was a close call and in the end I think the Cavs go with Harrison Barnes because of his ability to create his own shot.  He’s an effective scorer and plays solid defense.  Barnes has a high basketball I.Q. and loves to win.  He and Kyrie Irving would provide such a dynamic future for the Cavaliers.  

#4. New Orleans Hornets – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF) – Kentucky: Finally, Kidd-Gilchrist is taken with the #4 pick.  The Hornets get a very good pick with a guy who has tremendous upside.  Gilchrist is already a great defender and plays excellent defense.  He has good athleticism and shows the ability to get to the rock with ease.  The thing Gilchrist lacks is a consistant jump shot.  Once Gilchrist spends some time on his jump shot and starts knocking it down with more fluency, he will be a tremendous NBA player.  

#5. Sacramento Kings – Brad Beal (SG) – Florida: The Kings get unlucky and miss out on the two small forwards the were looking at in Barnes and Kidd-Gilchrist, and decide that it’s too early to take a gamble on Arnett Moultrie.  Andre Drummond is a potential selection, but he is projected to be a star-calibur center, the only thing the Kings already have in DeMarcus Cousins.  Brad Beal is the #2 ranked shooting guard on my Big Board, but he shows tremendous upside.  He and Jeremy Lamb can both score the ball, but Beal seems to have more passion for the game than Lamb.  Beal wants to win, and Lamb wants to score buckets.  The Kings are close to having enough young, promising talent and Beal could push them over the top.  They already two very good shooting guards in Marcus Thorton and Tyreke Evans, but the Kings seem to want to move Tyreke.  They may be able to trade him for a young, upincoming point guard or a high draft selection in this year’s draft so they can go and grab either Kendall Marshall or Damian Lillard.  With doing this, Beal could start at the 2-spot and Thorton could be their scorer off of the bench.

#6. Portland Trail Blazers – Andre Drummond (C) – Connecticut: The Trail Blazers need some desperate help.  They had so much potential to be a very good team this season, but everything fell through the roof.  They drafted Greg Oden, another athletic center similar to Andre Drummond in the past and things haven’t worked out.  However, Drummond has probably the most upside of any other prospect left in the draft.  Drummond is athletic, fast, and runs the floor extremely well for a big man.  He is an excellent defender and shows the ability to be a very good shot-blocker.  He is still raw on the offensive side of the floor, but he is so young and has the ability to add some post moves to his offensive arsenal.  He is a very good value pick for the Trail Blazers here. 

#7. Golden State Warriors – Arnett Moultrie (PF) – Mississippi State: This was an extremely difficult pick for me to predict.  It was too early for a Tyler Zeller or a Meyers Leonard selection, and there wasn’t really a small forward worth taking this high.  They have their future shooting guard in Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry is also their future point guard as long as he can stay healthy.  David Lee is a very good, underrated big man in the league, and I think he could do a very good job at mentoring a young guy like Moultrie.  Moultrie could come in and help on the glass right off the back as a rookie.  This was more of an insurance pick than anything else. 

#8. Toronto Raptors – Kendall Marshall (PG) – North Carolina: The Raptors are in desperate need of a young, potential point guard and the best one in this year’s draft slips to them.  Kendall Marshall is a very good player.  He is an excellent passer and creates a lot of offense for his teammates.  With Jonas Valanciunas more than likely heading over for next year’s season, he could really benefit from a guy like Kendall Marshall.  This could be a dynamic duo in the future of the NBA. 

#9. Detroit Pistons – Jared Sullinger (PF) – Ohio State: Jared Sullinger has really fallen off in his sophomore season.  He has improved as a player but his flaws have been exposed.  However, Sullinger is still a very nice player and a good player to have on your team.  He expanded his range out to the college 3-point arc last season, and has a very developed post game with very good go-to moves.  The problem is that he plays under the rim, leaving the ball open to get blocked by opposing big men.  However, Sullinger is still a nice big and should perform well in the NBA.  Having him alongside Greg Monroe, you will more than likely have your frontcourt of the future. 

#10. New Orleans Hornets – Jeremy Lamb (SG) – Connecticut: Jeremy Lamb slipping to the 10th pick is a blessing for the Hornets.  Lamb is an excellent offensive player with plenty of athleticism and explosiveness.  He also has a very nice touch on a sweet jumper which expands out to the NBA 3-point arc.  There are questions about his passion for the game, but with the 10th pick, you couldn’t possibly pass up on this top 5 talent.  Especially as the New Orleans Hornets. 

#11. Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard (PG) – Weber State: Lillard is a gifted scorer.  He really blossomed as a top NBA prospect this past season and would give the Trail Blazers instant offense, and an instant upgrade at the point over Raymond Felton.  

#12. Milwaukee Bucks – Tyler Zeller (C) – North Carolina: For some odd reason, I feel as though the Milwaukee Bucks were destined to take Tyler Zeller in this draft.  Now, I personally am not too big on Zeller, but he is a big body to put down low and he has a decent post game.  The Bucks desperately need to get a big to put down low to try to compete this upcoming season after trading away Andrew Bogut in the Monta Ellis trade.  

#13. Phoenix Suns – Austin Rivers (SG) – Duke: This is the perfect oppertunity for both the Phoenix Suns and Austin Rivers.  Rivers is one of those players who isn’t a top 5 pick but has a potential to be the best player in this draft class.  Rivers is a winner.  He has proven it in high school and at Duke during the regular season.  He isn’t shy and will take big shots when he is called upon.  The Suns are an up-tempo team who like to get out and run.  This is perfect for Austin, as he can drift to the corner for an open 3-point shot.  

#14. Houston Rockets – Terrence Ross (SG) – Washington: Kevin Martin seems to be on his way out of Houston, and while Courtney Lee is still a good player, Terrence Ross can come in and be developed behind Lee.  Courtney Lee is more of an insurance shooting guard while Terrence Ross can be the future of that position for the Houston Rockets.  

#15. Philadelphia 76ers – Perry Jones III (PF) – Baylor: Perry Jones is an excellent pick for this young Philadelphia 76ers team.  He is extremely athletic and is a safe pick for the future of that postion for the 76ers.  He still needs to develop a nice game down low and needs to add strength to his game.  However, he is still a very sought after prospect with all the potential to be a very solid NBA power forward.