NBA Mock Draft 2012: An Idiot's Guide to the 2012 Draft for Every NBA GM

If you're curious about who your favorite team should draft in the 2012 NBA draft, you've come to the right place. After all, this is the "Idiot's Guide to the 2012 Draft for Every NBA GM."

Don't worry about looking up who will be leaving your team as unrestricted free agents. Don't worry about the restricted free agents, player options or team options, either. 

You can forget about wondering which positions your team is weak at. 

Hell, you can even stop worrying about keeping track of which picks your team is owed and which ones they owe to other teams. 

I've got you covered. 

Read on for the complete guide.

Draft order based on current NBA standings and is subject to change.

Atlanta Hawks, Rick Sund

Unrestricted Free Agents: Jason Collins, Erick Dampier, Willie Green, Kirk Hinrich, Tracy McGrady, Jannero Pargo, Vladimir Radmanovic, Jerry Stackhouse

Restricted Free Agents: Ivan Johnson

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard, shooting guard

Expected Draft Picks: No. 21, No. 43 (from Phoenix Suns)

Breakdown of the No. 21 Pick

The Atlanta Hawks are supposedly interested in Tony Wroten Jr., a young combo guard from the Washington Huskies. I haven't heard anything official in that vein coming out of the Atlanta camp, so I suspect that the rumor may have surfaced from Chad Ford's mock draft a while back.

Because of his versatility and upside, Wroten would be the perfect pick for Rick Sund and the Hawks brass. But then again, when have the Hawks ever made the logical pick? 

If Wroten is off the board, Moe Harkless might be another intriguing option. The freshman swingman for St. John's isn't a great shooter, but he's brimming over with athleticism and rebounding ability. 

Breakdown of the No. 43 Pick

My apologies, but you're going to have to get used to seeing breakdowns like this.

It's hard to draft for need once you're this late into the second round of the NBA draft. At this point, you're looking for backups, drafting the best player available on your big board and praying that the guy turns out to be a diamond in the rough.

As a result, if a team is picking in the second round and it's not their only pick of the draft, I'm going to attempt to identify the guy that I would have them picking in a mock draft.

For the Atlanta Hawks, that player is Augusto Cesar Lima, a 6'9" power forward from Clinicas Rincon Axarquia.  

Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge

Unrestricted Free Agents: Ray Allen, Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling, Kevin Garnett, Jeff Green, Ryan Hollins, Jermaine O'Neal, Sasha Pavlovic, Mickael Pietrus

Restricted Free Agents: Greg Stiemsma

Player Options: Brandon Bass

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, power forward, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 22, No. 23 (from Los Angeles Clippers), No. 40 (from Milwaukee Bucks), No. 52

Breakdown of the No. 22 Pick

The Boston Celtics are losing almost their entire roster this offseason, with the notable exceptions of Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. They'll be looking to the draft to add an NBA-ready player and maintain their status as fringe-contenders. 

Replacing Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen is going to be the biggest priority, so Danny Ainge needs to be looking shooting guard and power forward here. Just for the hell of it, let's roll with the bigger guy first.

This draft is extremely top-heavy when it comes to players who can line up at the 4. Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, John Henson, Perry Jones, Tyler Zeller and Terrence Jones should all be lottery picks and then there is clear-cut drop-off.

In my opinion, the next two power forwards off the board should be Mississippi State's Arnett Moultrie and Iowa State's Royce White. Both are top-10 talents for different reasons, but they have one thing in common: Their heads are keeping them down in the bottom of the first round on most big boards.

Moultrie is a physical presence in the paint but he sometimes lacks motivation and plays too passively. As for White, versatility is the name of the game, but his anxiety problems make him a true wild card in the NBA draft.

I'd roll with White here because of his ability to do anything and everything on a basketball court, then cross my fingers for the next few years. 

Breakdown of the No. 23 Pick

Because the Celtics own back-to-back picks (according to the current standings), this breakdown could easily be swapped with the one right above it. But since I have the C's going with a power forward at No. 22, that leaves a shooting guard at No. 23. 

Austin Rivers is an obvious name to bring up here, but I'd stay away from Doc Rivers' son if I were Danny Ainge. As talented as Austin is, he's also a very raw player and might not pan out in the NBA. Plus, if you have father and son within the organization, where one flows, the other must too. 

What if you want to trade Austin? What if you want to fire Doc? Would one be bitter about the move if he stayed? 

It's better to stay away from that potential pitfall and hope that Syracuse's Dion Waiters falls into your hands. Waiters doesn't exactly play like Allen, but his ability to get to the rim is going to be valuable on any NBA roster.

Breakdown of the No. 40 Pick

Marcus Denmon is the pick here. Even though Waiters is a shooting guard, he's more of a combo guard and drafting a solid true shooting guard might be a nice insurance policy for the Celtics. 

Denmon has always been a mid-level pro prospect, but he's an absolutely terrific scorer who could help speed up Boston's second unit.

Breakdown of the No. 52 Pick

Sticking with the theme of drafting insurance policies, I've got Boston rolling with Drew Gordon, a talented big man from New Mexico. 

Gordon is a sensational rebounder who plays with boundless energy and passion. That doesn't mean he's a poor option on offense, though.  

Charlotte Bobcats, Rich Cho

Unrestricted Free Agents: Eduardo Najera

Restricted Free Agents: D.J. Augustin, Cory Higgins, D.J. White, Derrick Brown

Player Options: Matt Carroll (early termination option), DeSagana Diop

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, small forward, power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 1, No. 31

Previous Breakdown of the Charlotte Bobcats' No. 1 Pick

"

The Charlotte Bobcats need help at almost every position (you could make an argument that Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo are the future at point guard and center), so they'll be sorely disappointed if they aren't lining up with at least one unibrowed player next season. 

Charlotte is clearly the worst team in the league, and not drawing the No. 1 pick in the lottery would be terrible for the franchise. 

Anthony Davis is clearly the best player in this draft class and has the ability to immediately help this lackluster squad. 

 

"

Breakdown of the No. 31 Pick

There wasn't much to talk about with Anthony Davis because he's so obviously going to be the first overall pick. What the Bobcats do with the first pick of the second round is much more interesting. 

After they fill their need in the frontcourt, it would be best to address the need in the backcourt. Letting D.J. Augustin walk in free agency might be the best option as the team would be able to officially hand the reins over to Kemba Walker. 

Once they do that, it's time to find a shooting guard to be his running mate.

Enter Doron Lamb. 

Unless his stock shoots up after scoring a game-high 22 points in the national championship game, the Kentucky Wildcats shooting guard should be available after the conclusion of the first round. 

Lamb is a terrific scorer who plays a smooth offensive game that effortlessly blends into the flow of the offense. 

Chicago Bulls, Gar Forman

Unrestricted Free Agents: John Lucas III, Brian Scalabrine

Restricted Free Agents: Omer Asik

Player Options: None

Team Options: C.J. Watson

Weak Positions: Shooting guard

Expected Draft Picks: No. 30

Breakdown of the No. 30 Pick

The Chicago Bulls aren't exactly losing much during the 2012 offseason. Re-signing Omer Asik should be a priority because the backup big man still has potential and is at the very least a capable big body. 

John Lucas III isn't a big loss since he's the third point guard in the rotation and he is still most famous for LeBron James jumping over him. Brian Scalabrine might be a cult hero, but he's not the world's greatest basketball player or anything. 

That means that shooting guard is still priority No. 1 for the team with the NBA's best record. Fortunately, there are some pretty intriguing options that could be available at No. 30. 

If he's still available, John Jenkins needs to be the pick. The Vanderbilt sharpshooter would make Derrick Rose's job a lot easier by helping with the scoring load. 

Jenkins is going to drastically outperform his eventual draft slot because of his ability to work the off-ball screens and create open shots for himself without the ball in his hands. If there's any player in this draft class who can become the next Ray Allen, it's Jenkins. 

Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Grant

Unrestricted Free Agents: Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker

Restricted Free Agents: Alonzo Gee, Luke Harangody, Semih Erden

Player Options: None

Team Options: Daniel Gibson

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, small forward, power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 5, No. 26 (from Los Angeles Lakers), No. 33 (from New Orleans Hornets), No. 35  

Previous Breakdown of the No. 5 Pick

"

Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the 2011 NBA draft, I said over and over again that Tristan Thompson was going to be a massive bust if he was picked in the top 10. Then the Cleveland Cavaliers picked him way sooner than expected. 

Thompson has done nothing to prove me wrong so far, but it's way too soon for the Cavs to give up on him. With him and a healthy Anderson Varejao in the frontcourt, there's no way that Cleveland can justify taking a big man in the top five picks of the 2012 NBA draft, which is likely where they'll be selecting. 

The best guard in the draft class is pretty clearly Bradley Beal, the freshman from Florida who made a rather nice name for himself during the SEC Conference Tournament and then the ensuing NCAA Tournament. 

Kyrie Irving is good enough as it is and he could insert his name among the truly elite point guards if he was given an upgraded option to join him in the backcourt. 

Beal has been compared to Ray Allen by quite a few people, but honestly that comparison is a lazy one. He's his own player, lacking the knock-down three-point shot that Allen possessed but more athletic and physical that the all-time leading shooter from downtown ever was.  

"

Breakdown of the No. 26 Pick

With a new shooting guard already on the roster, it's time to look a bit bigger and roll with a small forward. The problem is that unless Moe Harkless (who's more of a swingman) falls further than expected, there aren't any small forwards worth reaching for at No. 26. 

This might be the best landing spot for Mason Plumlee, the athletic big man from Duke. Plumlee is still a work in progress, but so are the Cavs, after all. 

Breakdown of the No. 33 Pick

This is where the Cavaliers should pick up the small forward. 

Draymond Green needs to be the first priority, but there's a good chance he won't last past the Oklahoma City Thunder—and for good reason. 

If that's the case, the Cavs should pick up Darius Miller and add a member of the reigning college basketball champions to their squad. 

Breakdown of the No. 35 Pick

Two picks later, Darius Johnson-Odom would be a nice player to take. 

The Cavaliers—according to me at least—have already taken one shooting guard in Bradley Beal, but taking one more talented scorer with the intent of bringing him off the bench wouldn't be a bad idea. 

Dallas Mavericks, Donnie Nelson

Unrestricted Free Agents: Brian Cardinal, Jason Kidd, Ian Mahinmi, Jason Terry, Delonte West, Yi Jianlian

Restricted Free Agents: None

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard, shooting guard, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 56 (from Los Angeles Lakers)

Breakdown of the No. 56 Pick

Predicting the 56th pick of the NBA draft is almost impossible, especially since there's so much volatility within the 55 prior picks. 

The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of work to do this offseason with the inevitable departures of Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Ian Mahinmi, among others. They'll be looking to make a splash in free agency, ideally adding Deron Williams to run the show. 

Like I said, this is a crapshoot at best. 

Just in case the guard situation doesn't resolve itself in free agency, I've got Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson rolling with Maalik Wayns, a high-scoring junior point guard from Villanova.

Denver Nuggets, Masai Ujiri

Unrestricted Free Agents: Andre Miller

Restricted Free Agents: Rudy Fernandez, JaVale McGee

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: None

Expected Draft Picks: No. 17, No. 39 (from Golden State Warriors), No. 47

Breakdown of the No. 17 Pick

Can you really say that the Denver Nuggets have any weak positions right now? With a projected starting lineup of Ty Lawson, Aaron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee, they're solid across the board.

The one thing that the Nuggets really lack right now is a go-to scorer. That's why I'd recommend for Masai Ujiri to take Austin Rivers with the 17th pick of the draft.

He'd not only get a call from Danny Ainge thanking him for diverting the Rivers dilemma, but he'd also add a talented scorer at his team's weakest position.  

Breakdown of the No. 39 Pick

The Nuggets are clearly in a great position to go with the "best player available" strategy with their second pick of the draft. 

Assuming he's still available, I'd love to see Denver take a chance on West Virginia's Kevin Jones. Although he can shoot jumpers well for his size, Jones isn't quite a stretch-4. 

He's more of a versatile big man who overcomes his lack of quickness and athleticism with tremendous energy on both sides of the ball and especially on the glass. He and Faried would form an absolutely incredible undersized rebounding duo.

Breakdown of the No. 47 Pick

With their final pick of the 2012 NBA draft, let's have the Denver Nuggets take Tu Holloway, the Xavier combo-guard who can light up the scoreboard on any given night.  

Before the brawl with Cincinnati and the unfortunate "gangsta" comments in the aftermath, Holloway was projected as a borderline first-round pick. Now he's fallen Tu far down the boards for my liking. 

There's a solid chance that Holloway becomes the latest scoring guard to exceed the expectations associated with his draft slot, no matter where he goes. 

Detroit Pistons, Joe Dumars

Unrestricted Free Agents: Ben Wallace, Damien Wilkins

Restricted Free Agents: Vernon Macklin, Walker Russell

Player Options: Jason Maxiell

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward, power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 8, No. 38, No. 46 (from Houston Rockets)

Previous Breakdown of the No. 8 Pick

"

The Detroit Pistons have taken a step forward this season, but in order to take that next step and compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they're going to have to add at least one more piece. 

Greg Monroe has blossomed into a stud at center this season, and I still maintain that he was snubbed for the All-Star Game and was much more deserving of a reserve spot than Roy Hibbert. But he'll be even better if the Pistons add a good young player at power forward and take some of the defensive attention in the post away from him. 

To go along with Monroe's great offensive abilities, John Henson would be the ideal fit here. He's a great shot-blocker and low-post defender with developing skills on offense. 

The Pistons should be picking towards the back end of the top 10, so it's kind of a toss up whether or not the former North Carolina Tar Heel will still be available. If he's not, they should look to Henson's old frontcourt mate Tyler Zeller. 

"

Breakdown of the No. 38 Pick

It's time to take another forward with the No. 38 pick—this time one who can play both small forward and power forward. 

Going into the 2012 NCAA tournament, Jae Crowder was one of the most underrated players in all of college basketball. Leaving the tournament, he had made a name for himself. 

An unconventional forward, Crowder uses his strength and intelligence to do his thing on the court. With his versatility, Brandon Knight's speed and Greg Monroe's passing ability, the Pistons could actually be especially dangerous in transition. 

Breakdown of the No. 46 Pick

Joe Dumars still has one more pick to make in the 2012 NBA draft, thanks to the Houston Rockets. 

With the forward positions taken care of, he should select William Buford, a shooting guard who plummeted down draft boards during the second half of the season.

Buford has always had a reputation for failing to show up during big games, but fortunately for him, he won't have to deal with that on the Pistons. The shooting guard was once a possible lottery pick who was all but certain to go in the first round of the draft.

If he can regain his old form, he'll be quite the steal.  

Golden State Warriors, Larry Riley

Unrestricted Free Agents: Dominic McGuire, Nate Robinson

Restricted Free Agents: Brandon Rush, Chris Wright, Mickell Gladness

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 27 (from San Antonio Spurs), No. 37 (from New Jersey Nets), No. 51 (from Atlanta Hawks)

Breakdown of the No. 27 Pick

Somehow, the Golden State Warriors managed to end up with three picks in the 2012 NBA draft and none of them originally belonged to the franchise. 

After trading for Andrew Bogut to join David Lee in the frontcourt, the Warriors are left with only one hole: small forward. 

Stephen Curry is clearly the future at point guard if he can stay healthy and Klay Thompson has been lighting it up during the former Davidson Wildcat's extended absence. So small forward it is. 

Although it's not exactly the sexiest pick, Larry Riley should suck it up and go international with this pick. Evan Fournier can play both shooting guard and small forward with his 6'7" frame, and he's a fantastic scorer. 

At 19 years old, he's already ready to come over to the States. 

Breakdown of the No. 37 Pick

With the addition of Evan Fournier filling their positional needs, it's time for the Dubs to go with the "best available player" route, as many teams do in the second round. 

Here, that's going to be C.J. Leslie, an athletic member of the N.C. State Wolfpack who can play both small forward and power forward. He's long and quick but still raw on the offensive end of the court. 

Fortunately for him, he won't be expected to be an immediate contributor on this squad, which is overflowing with offensive talent. 

Breakdown of the No. 51 Pick

Riley should go with one last forward in the 2012 NBA draft: Ricardo Ratliffe, a power forward from Missouri who can also dabble at the center position. 

With his knack for finishing at the rim and solid post moves, Ratliffe is an incredibly efficient player on offense. That said, he's a bit undersized and can't play outside of the paint. 

We're not yet sure how good he'll be on defense at the professional level because the Mizzou team runs too much to ever put much of an emphasis on that end of the court. 

Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey

Unrestricted Free Agents: Marcus Camby, Goran Dragic

Restricted Free Agents: Courtney Lee

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 15 (from New York Knicks)

Breakdown of the No. 15 Pick

With Marcus Camby leaving after this season and Samuel Dalembert clearly on the downhill part of his career, it's time for Daryl Morey to add a new center to the cause. 

There's a 7'0" true center that should be available when the Houston Rockets pick right after the lottery: Meyers Leonard. 

The Illinois big man has a ton of potential and he's already more than serviceable on both ends of the court, despite his rawness with the ball in his hands. 

But as the saying goes, you can't teach size. 

Indiana Pacers, David Morway

Unrestricted Free Agents: Louis Amundson, Leandro Barbosa, Kyrylo Fesenko, Dahntay Jones

Restricted Free Agents: Roy Hibbert, George Hill, A.J. Price

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: None

Expected Draft Picks: No. 24

Breakdown of the No. 24 Pick

David Morway has done a great job of building a well-balanced squad with solid (or better) players at every starting position. This is assuming, of course, that the Indiana Pacers match the inevitable offer sheet for Roy Hibbert and retain the services of the first-time All-Star. 

If they don't keep the big man, a center is the first and only priority in the draft and Fab Melo or Festus Ezeli will be the pick. I'm going to assume that the Pacers' brass hasn't lost its collective mind and matches any offer for Hibbert. 

As a result, the Pacers can pick a power forward and groom an eventual successor for David West, who will be an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2013. 

The pick here needs to be Arnett Moultrie. Not only is the Mississippi State big man a very talented two-way player, but he also has the ideal mentality for this squad. Moultrie is a tough, gritty player who enjoys banging around in the low post. He'll fit in perfectly with the scrappy Pacers. 

Los Angeles Clippers, Neil Olshey

Unrestricted Free Agents: Chauncey Billups, Reggie Evans, Randy Foye, Kenyon Martin, Bobby Simmons, Nick Young

Restricted Free Agents: None

Player Options: Mo Williams 

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard

Expected Draft Picks: No. 53

Breakdown of the No. 53 Pick

With Nick Young and Chauncey Billups set to depart in free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers will be left with only Randy Foye and Travis Leslie at the shooting guard position for the 2012-2013 season unless they remedy that with a free-agent signing or a draft selection. 

It's going to be tough to find a viable starter with the No. 53 pick in the draft, but Neil Olshey might want to think about taking Kevin Murphy. He might very well be the least-known non-international prospect in this draft class. 

Playing for Tennessee Tech, Murphy averaged 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a senior. Although he struggled during his tougher games this year, Murphy still has all the tools necessary to be successful.

A solid athlete with great range on his excellent shot, Murphy could be a viable option of the bench when the Clippers need some instant offense. 

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak

Unrestricted Free Agents: Matt Barnes, Jordan Hill, Troy Murphy

Restricted Free Agents: Devin Ebanks, Darius Morris

Player Options: Ramon Sessions 

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 60 (from Chicago Bulls)

Breakdown of the No. 60 Pick

I'm sorry, Los Angeles Lakers fans, but I can't really break down Mr. Irrelevant for you because literally anything can happen.

I'll go out on a limb and go with Georgetown's Hollis Thompson. I can also predict that he won't be as good as Isaiah Thomas, the reigning Mr. Irrelevant. 

Memphis Grizzlies, Chris Wallace

Unrestricted Free Agents: Gilbert Arenas, Hamed Haddadi

Restricted Free Agents: Darrell Arthur, O.J. Mayo, Marreese Speights

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard, shooting guard

Expected Draft Picks: No. 19

Breakdown of the No. 19 Pick

With Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol locked in their slots in the Memphis Grizzlies frontcourt, the pick here has to be a guard. 

O.J. Mayo may have run out of leeway with the Grizz, so I wouldn't be too surprised if Memphis lets him walk as a restricted free agent. That leaves Tony Allen as the lone shooting guard on the roster and Mike Conley as the only starting-level point guard. 

A guard it is. 

If Austin Rivers somehow falls to No. 19 on draft day, Chris Wallace should yell out his name in the draft room without even hesitating. If he doesn't, he may want to look at a guard from the Kentucky Wildcats. 

It's too early to take Doron Lamb or Darius Miller, but it's just about the right spot for Marquis Teague. The talented younger brother of current Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, Marquis is a gifted playmaker and defender who sometimes struggles with decision-making and turnovers. 

Teague began his freshman season as a projected top-10 pick but slipped as he struggled to make a huge impact during his first season in Lexington. Many viewed him as the weak link in the championship puzzle.

Now that he played out of his mind at the end of the season, he's moving back up the boards. 

Miami Heat, Pat Riley

Unrestricted Free Agents: Eddy Curry, Juwan Howard

Restricted Free Agents: Terrel Harris

Player Options: Ronny Turiaf

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 28

Breakdown of the No. 28 Pick

WIth Eddy Curry and Juwan Howard set to leave as unrestricted free agents, the Miami Heat will only have Joel Anthony, Dexter Pittman and Ronny Turiaf (if he chooses to remain with Miami, as many veterans would) lining up at center. 

As much as I'd love for the Heat to upgrade at point guard, Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole are solid options. The only possible solution there is going to be a potential addition of Steve Nash. 

The only centers worth taking at this point in the draft who have any shot at being available would be Fab Melo, Andrew Nicholson and Festus Ezeli. Out of those three options, Melo is by far the best fit. 

Miami doesn't exactly need any help scoring, so taking a defense-oriented center wouldn't be a problem at all. 

Milwaukee Bucks, John Hammond

Unrestricted Free Agents: Kwame Brown, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova

Restricted Free Agents: None

Player Options: Beno Udrih

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 10

Previous Breakdown of the No. 10 Pick

"

If you think that the Milwaukee Bucks are drafting a guard in the lottery with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis already on the roster, then you're absolutely out of your mind. 

Their best option is to go with small forward around pick No. 10 and let Drew Gooden, Ersan Ilyasova and Ekpe Udoh comprise the big-man rotation for the 2012-2013 season. 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes are the top two options at small forward, and there's absolutely no chance that MKG falls to No. 10 or so. There's a slight chance that Barnes' stock drops and drops until he's available to the Bucks, but that's unlikely as well. 

If Barnes does plummet on draft day, the Bucks shouldn't even hesitate before snatching him up. But if he doesn't, Terrence Jones might be their next-best option. He was more of a power forward for the Kentucky Wildcats, but with his size and skill set, he's going to wind up playing small forward at the NBA level. 

"

Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn

Unrestricted Free Agents: Anthony Tolliver

Restricted Free Agents: Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, small forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 59 (from Oklahoma City Thunder)

Breakdown of the No. 59 Pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have Martell Webster listed as the No. 1 shooting guard on their depth chart. That's a problem. 

Webster is shooting 42.2 percent from the field and his field-goal percentage is actually going down. His 10.14 PER clearly indicates that the 25-year-old is not the answer for the Wolves. 

Kim English won't solve the problem for Minnesota, but he'll at least hold down the fort as a backup until more help arrives. 

The senior guard for the Missouri Tigers is a great offensive player who would absolutely love playing alongside Ricky Rubio. 

New Jersey Nets, Billy King

Unrestricted Free Agents: Gerald Green, Kris Humphries, Damion James, DeShawn Stevenson

Restricted Free Agents: Sundiata Gaines, Brook Lopez

Player Options: Jordan Farmar, Gerald Wallace, Deron Williams

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard, small forward, power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 16 (from Houston Rockets), No. 58 (from Miami Heat)

Breakdown of the No. 16 Pick

There's a slight chance that the New Jersey Nets, soon to become the Brooklyn Nets, won't have a single player on their roster at some point this offseason. That's obviously an exaggeration, but only barely. 

I think Deron Williams will choose not to return to the team, kick-starting the mass exodus from Mikhail Prokhorov's team. Without Gerald Wallace or Williams, this team will have Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and a bunch of scrubs. The Nets will need help at point guard, small forward and especially power forward.

Power forward needs to be the first priority here so that the team doesn't have to trot out Shelden Williams as a starter. The problem is there are no power forwards who should go around this spot in the draft.

There is a small forward, though. Almost due to attrition, Terrence Ross should be Billy King's pick here.

Ross can line up at both small forward and shooting guard with his off-the-charts athleticism, jump-shooting ability and intangibles.  

Breakdown of the No. 58 Pick

Now it's time to address the power forward problem. 

Although he's likely to go undrafted, Herb Pope could be a great option for the New Jersey Nets with the antepenultimate pick of the 2012 NBA draft.

The 6'8" big man for Seton Hall averaged a double-double during his senior season and coupled that with great shot-blocking skills.  

New Orleans Hornets, Dell Demps

Unrestricted Free Agents: Marco Belinelli, Chris Kaman, Carl Landry

Restricted Free Agents: Eric Gordon, Chris Johnson

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 3, No. 11 (from Minnesota Timberwolves)

Previous Breakdown of No. 3 and No. 11 Picks

"

Thanks to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New Orleans Hornets will be making two selections in the lottery of this year's above-average draft. 

While the first pick could be as high as first overall, the second one looks to be towards the later section of the lottery. 

Chris Kaman will be an unrestricted free agent, and Eric Gordon is a restricted free agent with no guarantee to return to the Hornets. As a result, the Hornets could use some help at every single position and will be looking to employ the "best player available" strategy. 

Obviously they'd like to land Anthony Davis with the first pick of the draft, but coming in at No. 3 is a more likely scenario. Therefore, I'm making Michael Kidd-Gilchrist their ideal target with the first pick. 

With the second, which will most likely come in around No. 11, they'll be targeting a big man to shore up their frontcourt. The New Orleans brass should be crossing their fingers and hoping that Perry Jones III manages to slip down that far. 

"

New York Knicks, Glen Grunwald

Unrestricted Free Agents: Mike Bibby, Baron Davis, Jared Jeffries, Steve Novak, Bill Walker

Restricted Free Agents: Landry Fields, Jeremy Lin

Player Options: J.R. Smith

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard

Expected Draft Picks: No. 45

Breakdown of No. 45 Pick

With Landry Fields, Steve Novak, Bill Walker and J.R. Smith all potentially leaving the New York Knicks, they'll need to add a backup shooting guard to their squad with the No. 45 pick of the 2012 NBA draft. 

Jared Cunningham, a junior 2-guard from Oregon State, could be an intriguing option for Glen Grunwald to consider. 

It would be nice if he could grow a little more so he didn't stand just 6'4", and he needs to add some strength to his frame. Still, he's a good defender with stealing instincts and a solid slasher on offense. 

Cunningham may never be a good enough jump shooter to start in the NBA, but he has the ability to develop into a solid rotation player. 

Oklahoma City Thunder, Sam Presti

Unrestricted Free Agents: Derek Fisher, Royal Ivey, Nazr Mohammed

Restricted Free Agents: None

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: None

Expected Draft Picks: No. 29

Breakdown of No. 29 Pick

Sam Presti has done an absolutely masterful job constructing this Oklahoma City Thunder roster. All of his good players are locked in for the future and he only loses the corpse of Derek Fisher, Royal Ivey and Nazr Mohammed in free agency. 

With Russell Westbrook and a healthy Eric Maynor at point guard, Thabo Sefolosha and James Harden at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Serge Ibaka at power forward and Kendrick Perkins at center, the Thunder are set across the board. 

As a result, Presti can use the No. 29 pick to take the best player on the board. 

Draymond Green seems like he'd be the perfect fit with this team. He displayed his versatility during March Madness when he became only the third player in NCAA history to record two triple-doubles during the NCAA tournament in his career; he joins Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson in that exclusive club. 

Green would settle in as KD's backup and his enthusiastic, hard-working playing style would mesh perfectly with the rest of this young squad. 

Orlando Magic, Otis Smith

Unrestricted Free Agents: Daniel Orton

Restricted Free Agents: Ryan Anderson, DeAndre Liggins

Player Options: Earl Clark, Jameer Nelson

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard

Expected Draft Picks: No. 25, No. 55

Breakdown of No. 25 Pick

I would give the exact same recommendation to Otis Smith even if Jameer Nelson decided to return to the Orlando Magic for one more season. That's a big "if" given the dysfunction that this organization has experienced throughout the 2011-2012 season. 

The Magic's biggest weakness right now is at point guard, and drafting Tyshawn Taylor might not just remedy the problem, but maybe even fix it completely. 

A senior floor general for the Kansas Jayhawks, Taylor was often vilified thanks to his penchant for turning the ball over at inopportune times.

But he made big plays almost as often, if not more often, and he should have found a soft spot in Kansas fans' hearts thanks to his performance at the end of this season. 

Taylor is a good defender, but his talent lies in using his quickness to get past opposing defenders and attack the rim. His aggressiveness is both his biggest strength and biggest weakness. 

Breakdown of No. 55 Pick

The Magic don't have any big needs once the Taylor pick is in the books. Whoever they select at No. 55 might not have the best chance at making the roster for the 2012-2013 campaign. 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Smith decides to go with a foreign player and stashes him across the pond to develop for a season or two.

The best-case scenario would be if Furkan Aldemir slips to No. 55, but he'll most likely be taken about 10 slots earlier. Instead, the Magic will have to pick from Leon Radosevic, Ognjen Kuzmic, Dusan Cantekin and Nemanja Nedovic.

Philadelphia 76ers, Rod Thorn

Unrestricted Free Agents: Tony Battie, Spencer Hawes

Restricted Free Agents: Lavoy Allen, Jodie Meeks, Sam Young

Player Options: Elton Brand (early termination option), Lou Williams (early termination option)

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, power forward, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 18, No. 48, No. 49 (from Memphis Grizzlies)

Breakdown of No. 18 Pick

The Philadelphia 76ers may seem to be a fairly well-balanced team right now, but they won't be next year. It may be too early to give up on Evan Turner, but he's struggled all year again, so shooting guard may be a place that Rod Thorn looks to improve. 

Losing Spencer Hawes as an unrestricted free agent would leave Nikola Vucevic alone at the center position, and the seven-footer isn't quite ready to go up against the best the NBA has to offer for 30 minutes a game. 

Finally, Elton Brand will be yet another year older and removed from his prime. 

If Austin Rivers falls this far, he could be the right selection. He most likely won't make it past the Denver Nuggets one pick earlier, so rolling with Tony Wroten might be the best backup plan. 

Wroten is capable of playing either point guard or shooting guard, but he'd have to settle in at the 2-guard spot to make the biggest impact possible as a rookie. 

Breakdown of No. 48 Pick

With the shooting guard deficiency addressed, it's time to go big with the next two picks. And remember that since they're back-to-back selections, this section could easily be reversed with the section below; the order is irrelevant. 

Rolling the dice on Yancy Gates is going to be the best way to fill the void at power forward. Gates was having a great season for Cincinnati before he punched Kenny Frease and helped launch the Cincinnati-Xavier brawl.

After his suspension, he continued to play well and nearly averaged a double-double during his senior season, but the aftermath from his suspension tanked his draft spot. 

Gates was a mainstay in my big boards at the start of the season, but he quickly dropped off. He now has a chance to go undrafted if someone doesn't take a chance on him in the final half of the second round.

At this point in the proceedings, it's tough to get much reward without a little risk. It'll be interesting to see if Rod Thorn is willing to play this hand the right way.  

Breakdown of No. 49 Pick

Here's where the 76ers have a lot of options. There are a ton of international prospects available that could make an impact in the future; it's just a matter of picking the right one. 

Tornike Shengelia is the best option here. A 6'9" Georgian, Shengelia is a gritty, "get dirty and get it done" kind of player who thrives when he's allowed to be tough and aggressive. 

At 20 years old, he's still developing his offensive game and would need to spend a year or two playing in the Euroleague before he makes the difficult transition to the NBA. 

Phoenix Suns, Lance Blanks

Unrestricted Free Agents: Shannon Brown, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Ronnie Price, Michael Redd

Restricted Free Agents: Aaron Brooks, Robin Lopez

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard, shooting guard, small forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 13

Previous Breakdown of No. 13 Pick

"

With Steve Nash potentially testing the waters of unrestricted free agency, Ronnie Price joining him, Aaron Brooks going with the restricted free agency option and Sebastian Telfair remaining Sebastian Telfair, it's time for the Phoenix Suns to find their new franchise point guard. 

Drafting towards the end of the lottery, they'll have the perfect opportunity to do so and may get to choose between Kendall Marshall and Damian Lillard. 

After letting Nash run the show for so long, it seems as though the Phoenix management would have to lean towards the pass-first point guard in this situation. 

"

Portland Trail Blazers, None

Unrestricted Free Agents: Jonny Flynn, Raymond Felton, Joel Przybilla, Hasheem Thabeet

Restricted Free Agents: Nicolas Batum, J.J. Hickson

Player Options: Jamal Crawford, Shawne Williams

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Point guard, center

Expected Draft Picks: No. 7 (from New Jersey Nets), No. 12, No. 41 (from Minnesota Timberwolves), No. 42

Previous Breakdown of No. 7 and No. 12 Picks

"

The Portland Trail Blazers are owed the New Jersey Nets' first-round pick this year, so they'll end up having a pick around No. 7 from that and then their own, which will likely land around No. 12. 

With Raymond Felton, Jamal Crawford (if he declines the player option) and Jonny Flynn all unrestricted free agents, the Blazers need to add a point guard during the draft. Because of the relative weakness of the floor generals in this class, they'll do that with the second of their two picks. 

The two best options in this position are Kendall Marshall and Damian Lillard and the two players couldn't be any more different from each other. Marshall is the best facilitator in the country, but struggles to create his own shot. Conversely, Lillard is a score-first guard with a great all-around game. 

Without a ton of elite offensive options, Lillard seems like he would be the better fit to play alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and company. 

Now as for the earlier pick, that one brings a lot more freedom with it. Going with John Henson and converting either him or Aldridge to center, much like the Atlanta Hawks have done with Al Horford, would seem to be the best fit here. 

"

Breakdown of the No. 41 and No. 42 Picks

With a solid all-around roster and all needs addressed, it's time to go draft-and-stash with both of these picks.  

Sacramento Kings, Geoff Petrie

Unrestricted Free Agents: None

Restricted Free Agents: Donte Greene, Jason Thompson, Terrence Williams

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward, power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 6, No. 36

Previous Breakdown of the No. 6 Pick

"

With Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Terrence Williams, Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette already on the roster, the Sacramento Kings wouldn't be able to justify drafting a guard with their first pick of the 2012 NBA draft. 

Fortunately, the only guard projected to go around their inevitable selection at No. 5, No. 6 or so is Bradley Beal, so they aren't losing out on too many players. 

You're going to have to get used to seeing this on the next few slides, but Thomas Robinson is the ideal match for this squad. 

Pairing T-Rob with DeMarcus Cousins in the frontcourt would make opposing big men quiver in fear the night before they're scheduled to line up against the Kings. 

"

Breakdown of the No. 36 Pick

Drafting Thomas Robinson would absolutely fill the hole at power forward, as would drafting Jared Sullinger at No. 6. That seems to be a logical backup plan if the Kansas Jayhawk is off the board. 

That leaves a small forward for the 36th pick of the draft. 

My favorite player for Geoff Petrie to take in this situation would be Will Barton. The 6'6" sophomore is capable of playing either shooting guard or small forward, though he'd absolutely have to settle into the role that matches him up with bigger players on this team. 

Barton needs to add a bit of strength and he tends to turn into a shot-chucker when his shot isn't falling. Fortunately, though, that means he fits in perfectly with the Kings, whose motto seems to be "If it ain't falling, don't worry about it and keep shooting!" 

All jokes aside, Barton is a fantastic scorer who can knock down shots from anywhere when his stroke is working. With his aggression, athleticism and instincts, this ability will absolutely carry over to the next level with him. 

San Antonio Spurs, R.C. Buford

Unrestricted Free Agents: Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan

Restricted Free Agents: Daniel Green

Player Options: Patrick Mills

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 57

Breakdown of the No. 57 Pick

If neither Boris Diaw nor Tim Duncan decide to sign with the San Antonio Spurs during free agency, then R.C. Buford will have to look for a new starting power forward. 

Pause for a minute.

How weird is that? Tim Duncan lining up at power forward for the Spurs has become one of the most constant images in recent NBA history. It's almost impossible to imagine anyone else in that spot, especially if Duncan isn't sitting on the bench in street clothes with a "DNP-Old" next to his name on the scoresheet. 

Unpause.

Because San Antonio's only pick in the draft happens to be No. 57, it's most likely going to have to look to the free-agent market to sign a new player at power forward. As Buford has done so often in the past, he should lean towards a draft-and-stash with a foreign player. We've been over who those are before in this article, so I'm not going to waste your time by listing them here again. 

Just for the hell of it, let's have the Spurs go with Ognjen Kuzmic, a 7'1" center from Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Who knows though—maybe this 57th pick will turn out to be a huge steal. James Gist hasn't worked out too well since he was drafted in that spot by the Spurs in 2008. Neither has Sergei Karaulov, who San Antonio selected at No. 57 in 2004. The 57th pick in 2001, Bryan Bracey, hasn't played in the NBA either, making it a trifecta of failures in the last decade in this slot. 

But in 1999, some guy named Manu Ginobili was drafted by the Spurs at No. 57. Just sayin'. 

Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo

Unrestricted Free Agents: Jerryd Bayless, Aaron Gray, Jamaal Magloire

Restricted Free Agents: Solomon Alabi

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Small forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 4, No. 34, No. 54 (from Indiana Pacers)

Breakdown of the No. 4 Pick

With Andrea Bargnani (don't apply the general statement in this sentence to him), Ed Davis, Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, none of whom are good players at the moment, set to make up the Toronto Raptors frontcourt during the 2012-2013 season, the team is too clogged up there to justify taking a big man with the No. 4 pick.

That's a shame, since power forward is clearly the strength of the top of this draft class.

The biggest need in Toronto is at small forward, so they'll be the team that jumps out and takes Harrison Barnes. If you've read most of my articles, you'll know that I'm not a fan of either this pick or Barnes' pro prospects in general.

I wouldn't blame Bryan Colangelo if he just said, "Screw it, I'm going big" before selecting Thomas Robinson or Andre Drummond with the fourth pick. I'd actually prefer it.

But due to the clamor of Raptors fans, I'm going to focus on Barnes here.

I was all aboard the Barnes bandwagon before the start of his sophomore season, going so far that I included him on my list of players in the NBA and NCAA who were eventually bound for the Hall of Fame. The description I wrote back on Oct. 25, 2011 read as follows:

"

It's been quite some time since I've been more impressed by a college prospect than I am by Harrison Barnes. 

Barnes undoubtedly has the size, potential, intangibles and all-around game to excel at the next level. 

"

My opinion changed after I was granted one more season to pick apart his game and expose his flaws, along with everyone in the media. Barnes is a terrific shooter but he lacks the ability to create his own shots and clearly struggled when Stilman White was feeding him the ball instead of Kendall Marshall. 

I don't question Barnes' ability to become a good, maybe even great, NBA player. I do question his ability to ever live up to a top-five selection. 

Breakdown of the No. 34 Pick

With small forward taken care of by my begrudging selection of Barnes for Mr. Colangelo, it's time to shore up the guard positions by taking backups here. I'm going to run through two conditionals before revealing my actual pick at No. 34. 

First of all, if Doron Lamb or John Jenkins (preferably Jenkins, who was also on that Hall of Fame list just FYI) manage to slip out of the first round and fall into the lap of the Raptors, they shouldn't hesitate before running out to the podium and announcing the pick themselves. That probably won't happen. 

Secondly, if Trey Burke leaves Michigan early, they also need to pounce. I loved the moxie that the diminutive freshman guard showed during March Madness. He didn't let the big stage get to him at all and showed off every tool he possessed, even though his Wolverines lost to Ohio and he made just five of his 15 shots from the field. 

But if Lamb and Jenkins are both gone and Burke is still in school, the pick here is Orlando Johnson. 

Because he played for UC Santa Barbara, the senior flew under the radar throughout his entire collegiate career—even when he averaged 18.0 points per game as a sophomore, 21.1 as a junior and 19.7 this past season as a senior. 

A good shooter and rebounder with an NBA body, the 6'5" guard can absolutely play at the next level. It wouldn't surprise me if he overtook DeMar DeRozan as the starter by the end of his rookie season, assuming, of course, that he winds up north of the border.

Breakdown of the No. 54 Pick

I've already spent way too much time discussing the Toronto Raptors' options during the 2012 NBA draft, so I'll cut to the chase here: J'Covan Brown. 

Utah Jazz, Kevin O'Connor

Unrestricted Free Agents: Josh Howard, C.J. Miles

Restricted Free Agents: Jeremy Evans

Player Options: None

Team Options: Jamaal Tinsley

Weak Positions: Point guard, shooting guard 

Expected Draft Picks: No. 9 (from Golden State Warriors), No. 14

Previous Breakdown of the No. 9 and No. 14 Picks

"

The Utah Jazz are getting one pick from the Golden State Warriors and they'll have another in the lottery unless they somehow manage to sneak into the playoffs, which is possible since they're only a game and a half behind the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference. 

As it stands, they'll pick in the final moments of the lottery and right around No. 10.

The Jazz are completely loaded at power forward (Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors) and center (Al Jefferson and Enes Kanter), so it would be illogical for them to draft what is, unfortunately for them, this class' best positions. They'll be sticking to the backcourt unless Harrison Barnes or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist somehow manages to fall into their hands.

If they can manage to land Jeremy Lamb and Kendall Marshall, they'll be completely set and ready to make noise out West. I know that the Jazz like Alec Burks, but they like Gordon Hayward and their frontcourt more. At some point, they have to make a tough decision, and this is it.

Lamb is a great scorer and will fit in well with a team that draws a lot of defensive attention on the inside. And surrounded by four NBA-level scorers at all times, Marshall could very well average near double-digits in assists as a rookie if he's handed the reins from the get-go.  

"

Washington Wizards, Ernie Grunfeld

Unrestricted Free Agents: Brian Cook, Maurice Evans, Roger Mason

Restricted Free Agents: None

Player Options: None

Team Options: None

Weak Positions: Shooting guard, power forward

Expected Draft Picks: No. 2, No. 32

Previous Breakdown of the No. 2 Pick

"

The Washington Wizards are in a bit of a pickle here because they'll be the favorites to land the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 NBA draft, but they'd be better off picking at No. 3 and paying a slightly decreased salary. 

Andre Drummond and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are the favorites to go behind Anthony Davis in the draft, but neither fulfills a true need for the Wizards. After all, they just traded for Nene Hilario to shore up the center position and drafted two small forwards last year—Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton. 

The position they need the most help at is power forward, and Thomas Robinson is clearly the second-best player at that position in this year's draft class. 

"

Breakdown of the No. 32 Pick

With power forward taken care of, it's time for Ernie Grunfeld to address the weakness at shooting guard. He can't keep running out Jordan Crawford and letting him jack up 20 shots per game with no regard for whether he's making them.

Just like you saw on the Toronto Raptors squad, the Jenkins/Lamb thing applies here as well. But assuming they aren't available, the Wizards should look at Darius Miller and attempt to convert him into a monstrously big NBA shooting guard.