NBA Draft 2012: 5 Biggest Gambles in the Prospect Pool

There's no doubt that Anthony Davis is NBA-ready, as his coach John Calipari is known for making his players just so.  In just one year of college, Davis and his legendary unibrow have opened scouts' eyes as he has averaged 14.3 points, 10 rebounds and an incredible 4.6 blocks.  He has also made 63 percent of his field goals.

Davis is also blessed with good height at 6'10", but he's still way too skinny at 220 pounds.  To become a top player in the NBA, he's going to need to spend some time in the weight room.

There's no doubt that he'll be drafted, but teams expecting instant gratification are going to be disappointed.

No. 5: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

There's no doubt that Davis is NBA ready, as his coach John Calipari is known for making his players just so.  In just one year of college, Davis and his legendary unibrow have opened scouts' eyes as he has averaged 14.3 points, 10 rebounds and an incredible 4.6 blocks.  He has also made 63 percent of his field goals.

Davis is also blessed with good height at 6'10", but he's still way too skinny at 220 pounds.  To become a top player in the NBA, he's going to need to spend some time in the weight room.

There's no doubt that he'll be drafted, but teams expecting instant gratification are going to be disappointed.

No. 4: Perry Jones III, Baylor

Jones took a bit of a step back his sophomore year, but still had a decent season as he averaged 14 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.  Yet, those numbers are a bit low for him considering he is 6'11", 235 pounds.

Don't get me wrong.  Jones is a talented player who has potential, but his lazy efforts on defense will surely become a problem if he turns pro now.  Sure, he hasn't formally declared for the draft just yet, but any team that takes him with a lottery pick will have a player whose odds of becoming a full on bust are pretty high.

Be it some defensive boot camp or another year at Baylor, Jones' game needs a little something.  Turning it pro now causes NBA teams looking for a power forward/center to take an unnecessary risk.

No. 3: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

Barnes' sophomore season was a general improvement over his freshman campaign, as he increased his scoring total to 17.4 points per game.  Yet, despite the numbers he put up on paper, this season can also be called something of a step back.

You see, while the 6'8" Barnes has a bright NBA future ahead of him, he carries a huge risk with him.  Though talented, he's kind of soft on defense and in general.  Right now, he's little more than a scorer who can't play defense.

Like Jones, he hasn't formally entered the draft.  Yet, with his soft approach, teams hoping to get a dynamic forward could find themselves disappointed once the new NBA season begins.

No. 2: Austin Rivers, Duke

Austin Rivers already has a huge advantage entering the draft, as his father Doc coaches the Boston Celtics and could surely pull some strings so that teams give his son a look.  Still, there's just one problem.

Rivers has just one year of college ball on his resume and unlike fellow Duke guard and current Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, he just doesn't have the same skill-set.  Though he averaged 15.4 points and shot 36 percent from three-point range, therein lies his problem.  Besides shooting and scoring, there's not much else he can do.

Look at it this way.  Rivers is 6'4" and weighs 200 pounds.  Given how he averaged just 2.1 assists per game and plays next to no defense, he's little more than an undersized shooting guard as he enters the draft this year.

Unless he develops some new skills overnight, he's going to be a huge gamble whenever he is drafted.

No. 1: Andre Drummond, Connecticut

Some experts have labeled Drummond as the potential No. 1 pick in this year's draft and to be honest, I think they're insane.  Sure, he has NBA size at 6'10", 270 pounds, but his game is horribly underdeveloped.

In his freshman season, Drummond averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on a Connecticut team that vastly underachieved and could very well be facing some heavy sanctions in the near future.  Still, he's slow on his feet and his game outside of the paint is nonexistent.  Thus, if I were an NBA GM, I'd hold my breath if I were to draft him.

Oh, and let's not forget other UConn centers like Hasheem Thabeet and Hilton Armstrong, both of whom have failed to pan out in the NBA.