NBA Draft 2012: Contenders Who Must Find Help in This Year's Draft
A shrewd draft pick late in the first round of the NBA Draft could be the difference in turning a contender into a champion.
Several contending teams who find themselves trailing the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, in terms of quality of talent, must use the draft as a means to improve.
Although the free-agent pool this year is deep, drafting smartly will help set up a team for not only the following season, but the future.
Here are several teams that must look into the draft this summer if they want to get to the next level.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are often labeled as being an old team and the criticisms are warranted. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen aren't exactly guys who bring youthful exuberance to a team.
In fact, Garnett and Allen are both unrestricted free agents next season and with Dwight Howard re-upping with the Orlando Magic, the Celtics must use their two draft picks in the first round efficiently in order to remain competitive in the future.
The team has lost a considerable amount of size after trading Kendrick Perkins last season and they'll lose even more strength in the paint with Garnett leaves. Drafting a couple of bigs may be the way to go for the team, seeing that they're already competent in the backcourt with Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce.
Bigs like Andrew Nicholson, Arnett Moultrie and John Henson are centers and power forwards the Celtics should consider as their future bigs.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks must do whatever it takes to get a first-round pick in this year's draft. Their original pick belongs to the Houston Rockets right now.
The team is old and frail and their window of opportunity closed last year after their title win. They need to get younger, but not having a first-round pick is a problem.
They are probably going to target Deron Williams and Dwight Howard in the next few years to instantly become championship favorites, but there are no guarantees in attaining either of them.
This is why the draft is extremely important for Dallas. By trading up to get at least a late first-round pick and using that selection to draft a center, Mark Cuban and the Mavs will do themselves good.
Ever since the Mavs lost Tyson Chandler, they've been getting manhandled in the paint. A guy like Fab Melo or Festus Ezeli can give the Mavs the strength down low they lost this past summer when Chandler departed for New York.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers simply don't have the financial resources to compete with the big boys in the free-agent market. This is why they must continuously hit the jackpot in the draft in order to remain in the top tier of NBA teams.
They have an excellent young team that shows great promise for the future, but they have limitations and deficiencies that hinder them from being able to beat a team like the Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat in the East.
For instance, the Pacers are tied for last place in the league in team assists with 18.4 per game. Perhaps drafting a solid point guard like Marquis Teague or Tony Wroten will help alleviate those problems.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are another team that has financial limitations and can't shell out the dollars the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks will during free agency.
Their major weakness is depth in their backcourt, which is currently highlighted by Mike Conley and Tony Allen. Adding some depth, especially at the point guard position, can do wonders for Memphis.
They can also use a scoring guard. The team averages 95 points per game and that's good enough for just 20th best in the NBA.
Tony Wroten, Doron Lamb and Terrence Ross are just a few guys who will be able to provide an immediate impact for the Grizzlies.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs saw, a few years ago, that they were an aging team, so they looked into the draft and added guys like Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair and Kawhi Leonard. These guys don't headline the team, but they have provided depth for the team's aging big three.
San Antonio is doing it the right way.
The small-market team must continue to make valuable draft selections. The only problem this year is that they don't have a first-round draft pick. The team must trade up and try to get at least a low second-round pick.
Unlike their championship years, the Spurs have relied on their offense to win plenty of games this season. They are currently No. 3 in scoring, but they're a middle-of-the-pack team defensively. They haven't been able to replace Bruce Bowen ever since he retired.
If they do trade up in the draft, they must select an athletic forward like Draymond Green or Drew Gordon.
