Final 2012 Mock Draft

NBA Draft 2012: Final Mock Draft

Like every year, news is coming in right down to the wire. A trade between Houston and Milwaukee may presage a big shift in the first round. New medical information about Perry Jones III's knee turned up this morning, and (spoiler alert!) it's not great. I avoided making a hundred changes in the 12-20 range despite this info, merely exchanging a few picks. Enjoy the draft everyone!

1. The New Orleans Hornets select Anthony Davis

Duh. Moving on...

2. The Charlotte Bobcats select Bradley Beal

I think this pick is more of an "asset collection" than anything else. Beal is the second most coveted player in this draft right now, and GM Rich Cho is smart enough to know that. They might not deal him right away, but value is value.

3. The Washington Wizards select Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The idea that somehow the recent acquisition of Trevor Ariza would prevent Washinton from taking MKG is bizarre to me. Ariza is on the books for two more years, and isn't very good. Drafting MKG gives them six plus years of a better player with a better contract. You can argue up and down that they need a shooter more than a defender, but Kidd-Gilchrist is a significantly better prospect than Harrison Barnes, the top available shooter in this mock.

4. The Cleveland Cavaliers select Harrison Barnes

After battling back and forth over Beal, Barnes, and MKG, the Cavs end up with The Black Falcon landing in their laps. They've liked him since last year, this seems like an easy pick. 

5. The Sacramento Kings select Thomas Robinson

What an enviable position the Kings GM has this year. Five top prospects, fifth overall pick. All they have to do is take whoever remains. And in this mock, they find a great complement to Boogie Cousins, someone who will bang and compete and hopefully bring out the best in the capricious young center. 

6. The Portland Trailblazers select Damian Lillard

There will be temptation to go with Andre Drummond here, but I think the Blazers take a shot on a super athletic lead guard from the mid-major Weber State. Apparently he has been crushing the workout and combine scene, impressing with his leaping ability and smarts. Portland desperately wants to shake the images of last season's disaster of a backcourt, and D-Lil might be the answer. 

7. The Golden State Warriors select Andre Drummond

At some point, the risk outweighs the reward for the big fellah. In this scenario he'd be able to learn the ropes of the center position from Andrew Bogut, who has always played with superlative intellect but who's body has betrayed him.

8. The Toronto Raptors select Dion Waiters

And they breathe a sigh of relief. On paper, he plugs some key holes in Toronto's offense. With a potential rookie of the year candidate in Jonas Valanciunas and the greatly improved former #1 overall Andrea Bargnani up front (did you watch him last year? He drew fouls! He drove to the basket! He defended!), this team needs a dynamic offensive weapon on the wings who can get in the paint and create. 

9. The Detroit Pistons select Terrence Jones

I'm not sure why there is talk of moving Greg Monroe away from the center position. He happens to be a top five center in the league... It does make sense to put a rebounding, defense-first, shot-blocking athlete next to him. John Henson has about a 5% longer standing reach, but as a basketball player Terrence Jones has produced at both ends at a higher level. He took a backseat to Anthony Davis this year and played his role excellently on a championship team. 

10. The New Orleans Hornets select Austin Rivers

Assuming Eric Gordon comes back, he and Rivers could form an intriguing backcourt. While neither is a classic point guard, both can do damage with and without the ball.

11. The Portland Trailblazers select Meyers Leonard

After picking up a guard with the sixth pick, the Blazers go traditional and pick an strong, quick, and physical center. He's got the muscle to complement LaMarcus Aldridge, similar to Joel Przybilla before the injuries.

12. The Milwaukee Bucks The Houston Rockets select John Henson

The trade between the Bucks and Rockets makes little sense to me. The better pick AND the best player with the best contract, Jon Leuer, went to Houston. Do the Bucks think that highly of Sam Dalembert? I'm confused... I think if Henson is on the board here he gets picked, though this spot is likely to change hands again.

13. The Phoenix Suns select Terrence Ross

With the team in flux, specific needs won't come into play here. Ross, with a prototypical shooting guard build, should be able to the basket and finish in the NBA. He can shoot 3's and he can guard on the wings.

14. The Houston Rockets The Milwaukee Bucks select Tyler Zeller Jeremy Lamb

This pick was traded the day before the draft (see #12). I'll swap in Lamb for Zeller at 14/16 to keep things sane. The Bucks would have taken him at 12 I believe, so if they believe they got the better veteran player out of the deal they'll feel pretty smug.

15. The Philadelphia 76ers select Perry Jones III

Why not? No one doubts the physical tools or talent of Jones, but he never shined as brightly as expected at Baylor. By fighting off a pretty good Bulls squad (even without Rose that's a top-notch defense) and competing with the Celtics, the Sixers showed promise this season. They can afford to gamble here. New reports of knee trouble may scare them off. 

16. The Houston Rockets select Jeremy Lamb Tyler Zeller

Zeller can be a role player as a back-up center. Hey, you can't teach seven foot...

17. The Dallas Mavericks select Jared Sullinger

The fearsome red flag has been waved for poor Sully, who's stock was already plummeting due to perceived lack of NBA-caliber ups (and sideways's). Similar to the Spurs nabbing the ACL-less Dejuan Blair a few drafts back, the Mavs are in win now mode and can chance a balky back against the opportunity to get a real banger next to Dirk. He may not have a long career, but Marc Cuban might not care.

18. The Houston Rockets select Royce White

Again with the assumption that Houston will bundle their picks as part of a larger trade, I think the team picking here will likely have given up a high pick or a star player already. If true, this hypothetical team could target the marvelously talented power point from Iowa State. 

19. The Orlando Magic select Quincy Miller

ACL injuries are scary, and teams in the lottery will rightly avoid Muller due to his unfortunate genicular history. But at 19? With their team wracked by trade rumors and a disgruntled star? Why not give him a shot.

20. The Denver Nuggets select Kendall Marshall

With no obvious best player available, the Nuggets fill a glaring need at backup point guard with the pass-happy UNC product. Everyone likes to compare him to Andre Miller (who is a much better scorer but nevermind) who likely will leave as a free agent this summer.

21. The Boston Celtics select Draymond Green

Probably hoping White or Miller fall to them, the Celtics grab a highly productive collegiate player who can steal minutes at either wing position for Doc Rivers. He doesn't have quite as much star potential as they'd like, but Green is dynamic and has the personality to fit in with the though minded Garnett-era Celtics.

22. The Boston Celtics select Arnett Moultrie

It's a mortal lock that one of these two Boston picks will net them a big man to take the heat off of KG inside. Moultrie has the physique and young legs to fill that role nicely.

23. The Atlanta Hawks select Tony Wroten Jr.

This pick might come down to Wroten and Marquis Teague, and given that the later is the older brother of starting point guard Jeff Teague, it's probably wise to go with Wroten here. Despite an immaturity to his game, his statistics project well as a pro and brand new GM Danny Ferry will have to rely on advanced metrics to make this pick because he hasn't been on the job long enough to scout things out himself.

24. The Cleveland Cavaliers select Moe Harkless

The Cavs have a dramatic need for wing players. Even after selecting Harrison Barnes near the top of the first round, Harkless makes sense for them here. If he can defend either wing position and manage to not turn the ball over, he'll be a big asset for them

25. The Memphis Grizzlies select Marquis Teague

When best available meets best fit. The Grizz need a backup for Mike Conley Jr. after they traded Greivus Vasquez last season. Teague is a speedster who attacks the rim well. 

26.  The Indiana Pacers select Fab Melo

The Pacers are quite thin up front after Roy Hibbert. The Brazilian Melo certainly has size, and should be mobile and skilled enough to come off the bench for this up and coming team. 

27. The NBA Champion Miami Heat select Andrew Nicholson

The St. Bonnies forward is a do-it-all type big man. The Heat would rather not rely on Bosh and LeBron as their only real bigs, and some new blood could really help. 

28. The Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder select Evan Fournier

The first international player picked in this year's draft will likely be this 19-year-old guard. The Thunder need to keep payroll down and are plenty young, so an overseas player is a logical choice.

29. The Chicago Bulls select Tyshawn Taylor

With Derrick Rose out for about a season and backup CJ Watson a free agent, point guard is a surprising, sudden need for the Bulls. Taylor possesses explosive talent attacking the paint and has the trappings of an excellent defender which should please Coach Thibs.

30. The Golden State Warriors select Doron Lamb

The final of five University of Kentucky starters to be selected in the round, surely a first, Doron Lamb is a smooth scorer who can provide depth to the Warrior backcourt.