NBA Draft 2012: Teams That Must Gamble on High-Risk Prospects

The upcoming NBA Draft in June has a ton of talent throughout, but even though there are a few guys who can be considered franchise changers, for the most part there are many more reaches then there are sure things.

Guys like Andre Drummond, Arnett Moultrie, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III and Fab Melo represent gambles that could pay off in a big way. But the thing with any gamble is that sometimes you win, but more often than not you lose.

Yet certain NBA teams must take the risk and hope that their gamble pays off in the end. If they do, a big piece of each team’s future will be in place for years to come.

Here’s a look at a few NBA teams that must take a gamble on a high-risk prospect and hope that it pans out.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings can score and rebound, but they can’t play a lick of defense as a team, allowing an NBA-worst 104.1 PPG.

They’re a team that must gamble on a big body to pair with DeMarcus Cousins and shore up the interior defense. Unfortunately for them, these big guys are no sure thing, but a guy like Drummond (2.7 blocks per game as a freshman) is certainly worth taking a shot on.

Sacramento has some talent as a team, but the Kings won’t start winning until they get better defensively.

Portland Trail Blazers

One of these days, the Blazers will cash in on a draft day gamble as they are more than due for some luck to go their way, especially after the Greg Oden experiment fizzled out.

But they need a big body with the lottery pick they obtained from the Nets in the Gerald Wallace trade.

Portland can’t rebound (40.9 RPG, 25th in NBA) and struggle defensively (96.7 PPG allowed, 18th). Adding an athletic big who can block shots and rebound is a must, even if they have to reach a bit for a guy like Moultrie or North Carolina’s John Henson (10.1 RPG, 2.9 BPG) with their second pick.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs need to get more athletic and have two first-round picks to do so—even if that means reaching for a guy like Jones or Moultrie if a safer pick like Bradley Beal isn’t on the board for them.

They need a guy who can help them score, as the Cavs only average 93.8 PPG (22nd), and they also a guy who can contribute at the defensive end as opponents have feasted on the Cleveland defense, scoring an average of 99.8 PPG (25th)

Adding an exceptional athlete or two to play with Kyrie Irving is a must for Cleveland in this draft.

New Orleans Hornets

The rebuilding Hornets will likely have two of the top-10 picks when June rolls around, and they need to come away with two guys who could potentially impact their franchise for years.

New Orleans will likely have a chance at the same names mentioned before, including Drummond and Jones as one or two big men who can score and rebound to immediately help fix two of the Hornets’ biggest weaknesses, as the Hornets are next to last in the NBA in scoring at 89.7 PPG and don’t rebound well (41.0 RPG, 24th).

Detroit Pistons

Similar to the Hornets, the Pistons have troubles scoring (90.1 PPG, 28th) and rebounding (39.9 RPG, 27th).

It’s a must that they get bigger and more athletic with a quality big man to slide in next to Greg Monroe. Reaching for guys like Moultrie, Henson or someone else of their liking makes a lot of sense.