2012 NBA Draft: Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for All 30 Teams

With the NBA regular season drawing to a close, we're finally getting a more firm idea of how the lottery odds are going to play out. With that in mind, let's take a look at the best- and worst-case scenarios for all 30 teams in the 2012 NBA draft. 

For the most part, the best-case scenario for the lottery teams is going to be to defy the odds and land a certain unibrowed player. But what about for the rest of the teams in the NBA? 

Better yet, what if everything goes wrong? 

Read on to find out. 

Atlanta Hawks

Best Case

Moe Harkless falls to the Atlanta Hawks in the 20's and the freshman small forward's ridiculous athleticism and quick hands make him the next big thing at the position. 

Harkless is devastating in transition and he and Jeff Teague are both among the league leaders in steals. 

Worst Case

The Atlanta Hawks do what they normally do and manage to majorly screw up the draft, taking another Shelden Williams, Acie Law or Marvin Williams. Who that might be this year, I'm not quite sure. 

But leave it to Rick Sund to find him. 

Boston Celtics

Best Case

The Boston Celtics take two big risks with their first-round selections, gambling on some combination of Evan Fournier, Royce White and Arnett Moultrie. 

Playing for a competitive team with a long and storied history, White and/or Moultrie make good on their lottery-level potential and the mental red flags that have been set up are stored away in some hidden room at the Boston Garden. Fournier proves that he would have been a top-10 pick if he'd gone through the American education system. 

Worst Case

Boston still gambles on those players, but bad things happen.

Fournier never develops a jump shot and flames out in the NBA before flying back overseas and regaining his comfort in European leagues. Meanwhile, White's anxiety problems resurface and Moultrie's character issues and desire lead to constant conflicts with Doc Rivers and the C's brass. 

Charlotte Bobcats

Best Case

The Charlotte Bobcats win the lottery and draft Anthony Davis, much to the surprise of absolutely no one. 

Davis is a runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year award, generates a little bit of buzz for an All-Star spot thanks to his tremendous defense and underrated offense and actually helps this team make a push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Worst Case

The numbers don't play out as expected and the Bobcats fall to No. 4 in the first round.

With Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Thomas Robinson off the board and Michael Jordan still in the management, the Bobcats select Andre Drummond and watch as he becomes Kwame Brown 2.0. 

Chicago Bulls

Best Case

The Chicago Bulls patiently wait at or near the end of the first and keep their collective fingers crossed that a top-notch shooting guard falls to them. 

John Jenkins and Doron Lamb are both available and the top team in the Eastern Conference gets to choose between the Vanderbilt scorer's shooting prowess and the Kentucky sophomore's smooth scoring and defensive ability. 

With the final hole on the roster filled in, the Bulls repeat as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and have an even better chance to win a title. 

Worst Case

NBA general managers place a high priority on shooting guards this year and Bradley Beal, Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers, Tony Wroten, Dion Waiters, Evan Fournier, Doron Lamb and John Jenkins are all off the board by the time it's Chicago's turn to pick. 

As a result, they're forced to reach for either Kevin Murphy or Orlando Johnson, or draft a player who doesn't really fill a need. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Best Case

As a reward for letting LeBron James go to the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers are rewarded with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, giving them the top overall selection for the second straight year. 

After drafting Kyrie Irving, who has already become a top-30 player in the league, the Cavs get to add Anthony Davis to their roster, leaving no doubt that they'll make the playoffs in the 2012-2013 season. 

Worst Case

The Cavaliers don't win the lottery and miss out on Bradley Beal as well. Without a shooting guard to draft (it's too soon for Jeremy Lamb), the Cavs try to trade down and can't. 

Forced to draft a big man, Cleveland reaches for Jared Sullinger and quickly realizes that the red flags for his conditioning and struggles against length exist for a reason. 

Dallas Mavericks

Best Case

The Dallas Mavericks take a risk by drafting Marquis Teague and watch as he blossoms into a much more complete point guard than his older brother. 

With his elite defensive skills and insane athleticism, Teague has all the tools necessary to become a two-way player. He just needs to cut down on the bad shot selections and poor decisions. 

Worst Case

Sticking with Marquis Teague here, the Mavericks regret drafting the point guard after just one season at Kentucky. 

His youth and basketball immaturity come back to bite him and the Mavs are left with only Rodrigue Beaubois as an option at point guard. 

Denver Nuggets

Best Case

The one thing that the Denver Nuggets will be looking for above all else during the 2012 NBA draft is a guy who can develop into a go-to scorer. As balanced as the team is, they haven't filled that role yet. 

Austin Rivers could absolutely be that guy. 

The best-case scenario for Denver would be watching and hoping that the shooting guard falls into their hands and then pans out. 

Worst Case

Even worse than Austin Rivers going well before the Nuggets ever get a chance at him would be selecting the former Duke Blue Devil and then watching as he becomes a massive bust in the NBA. 

As much talent as Rivers has, he could easily develop into a shot-jacker who is way too prone to making bad decisions.  

Detroit Pistons

Best Case

Can you imagine if the Detroit Pistons won the lottery and got to pair the great defensive big man named Anthony Davis with the current offensive powerhouse they have in the frontcourt right now? 

Greg Monroe and the unibrow would be one hell of a duo.  

Worst Case

If the Detroit Pistons were to remain at pick No. 9, there's a solid chance that they could be left drafting someone with the last name "Jones."

Whether it's Perry Jones III or Terrence Jones, the pick would very much be high-risk, high-reward. Since we're dealing in worst-case scenarios here, I think you know what's coming....

Golden State Warriors

Best Case

The best-case scenario for the Golden State Warriors involves a shot at Quincy Miller, Moe Harkless, Terrence Ross or Jeffery Taylor, that would be incredible for Golden State.

Worst Case

With their first-round selection, the Warriors are left reaching for Darius Miller and soon realize just why he was always in the background and never in the spotlight at Kentucky. 

Houston Rockets

Best Case

The Houston Rockets keep their own pick, get a second first-round pick from the playoff-bound New York Knicks and watch as the Dallas Mavericks move down in the draft order just far enough to have to send a non-top-20 pick to the Rockets. 

With those three picks, the Rockets get to draft a small forward and center to fill their holes, then take the best player available with the pick from the Mavs. 

Worst Case

The Rockets only have two picks. 

They spend them on Meyers Leonard and Quincy Miller, but cover their faces with their hands when neither pans out. 

Indiana Pacers

Best Case

Because David West is going to be a free agent in 2013, the only true need for the Indiana Pacers is drafting a power forward of the future. 

They should be able to grab either Royce White or Arnett Moultrie and hope that whichever one they pick fulfills his immense talent.

Worst Case

As is always going to be the case with drafting either White or Moultrie, there is some serious risk associated with the pick. 

Los Angeles Clippers

Best Case

The Los Angeles Clippers won't be making a pick until well into the second round, and when they do, they'll most likely be drafting a high-upside shooting guard. 

Their best-case scenario is taking someone like William Buford or J'Covan Brown and praying that he works out. 

Worst Case

There really isn't a worst-case scenario when you're only picking in the second half of the second round. 

Los Angeles Lakers

Best Case

As is always the case with the No. 60 pick of the draft, there's not really a way for me to predict it. Therefore, I'm not even going to try to come up with a best-case scenario here. 

Worst Case

See above. 

Memphis Grizzlies

Best Case

The Memphis Grizzlies win a series or two in the playoffs and fall far enough in the order to justify taking John Jenkins. 

Then they sit back and admire their selection as he becomes the second coming of Ray Allen. 

Worst Case

Dion Waiters is the pick here, but he quickly proves to have neither the size necessary to play shooting guard, nor the skills necessary to play point guard. 

Miami Heat

Best Case

Fab Melo is still on the board for the Miami Heat. 

They snatch up the defense-oriented big man from Syracuse, throw him out at the 5 on a nightly basis and watch as they easily go undefeated during the 2012-2013 season (this is an exaggeration). 

Worst Case

Fab Melo, Festus Ezeli and Andrew Nicholson are all off the board when it's the Heat's turn to pick. 

Milwaukee Bucks

Best Case

The Milwaukee Bucks need either a small forward or a center and have their wishes granted when the ping pong balls somehow bounce their way and they are granted the top pick. 

Anthony Davis is the easy choice here and the Bucks suddenly become contenders with an offensively talented backcourt and a defensive frontcourt. 

Worst Case

Meyers Leonard and Tyler Zeller are both off the board when it's the Bucks' turn to pick, forcing them to reach for a raw player like Quincy Miller. 

Minnesota Timberwolves

Best Case

The Utah Jazz sneak into the playoffs, forcing the franchise to hand over its first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have already traded their own pick to the New Orleans Hornets. 

Minnesota picks Terrence Ross and the athletic small forward blossoms while playing alongside Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, even learning how to shoot a jump shot. 

Worst Case

Utah doesn't make the playoffs and gets to keep its pick. Meanwhile, the T'Wolves win the lottery and are forced to trade the No. 1 overall pick to the Hornets. 

New Jersey Nets

Best Case

Now that the Houston Rockets can't make the playoffs, the New Jersey Nets have no shot at getting an extra first-round pick. Seeing as they're also trading their first-rounder to the Portland Trail Blazers and second-rounder to the Golden State Warriors, there really isn't a best-case scenario here unless they can work their way into the top three and have the first pick protected.

In that case, they might as well play big and go for the unibrow. 

Worst Case

See above, but this time, the protection can't cover them. 

New Orleans Hornets

Best Case

The odds aren't great, but can you imagine if the New Orleans Hornets' ping pong ball was picked first and then the Minnesota Timberwolves' ball came up next and was subsequently traded to the Hornets? 

Then, the Hornets would be able to pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist AND Anthony Davis and quickly turn around the fate of this franchise. 

Worst Case

Neither of the aforementioned teams gets lucky during the lottery and the Hornets draft Andre Drummond and John Henson. 

Neither pans out. 

New York Knicks

Best Case

The New York Knicks will only have one pick in the middle of second round, so there's not much of a best-case scenario here. 

But they could draft an underrated player like Drew Gordon, who has the ability to drastically outperform his draft slot. 

Worst Case

There's no real downside to the No. 45 pick, or whichever one the Knicks actually wind up with. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

Best Case

Sam Presti has done a masterful job creating a balanced roster, which means that the Oklahoma City Thunder get to go for the "best player available" strategy. 

In this case, the ideal player would be Draymond Green. 

Worst Case

Do you really think that the Thunder could mess up enough to have a worst case?

Orlando Magic

Best Case

The only real position of need for the Orlando Magic is point guard, but it's unlikely that either Kendall Marshall or Damian Lillard drops out of the lottery. 

That means that the Magic will be looking to snatch up either Tony Wroten or Marquis Teague, but Teague has the upside necessary to make him the best-case scenario. 

Worst Case

As is always the case when the best-case scenario involves a high-risk player, the worst-case scenario involves him not panning out. 

Philadelphia 76ers

Best Case

With a lot of possible positional needs to be met and a pick that will lightly end up just outside the lottery, the Philadelphia 76ers are just going to be going for the best player available. 

Ideally, someone like Terrence Jones could drop outside of the top 14 picks and wind up on the Sixers. 

Worst Case

If the draft goes as expected, the 76ers could wind up taking Meyers Leonard. As good as the big man could be, he'd be drafted more for his size than his frame and there's always a chance he won't live up to his massive potential. 

Phoenix Suns

Best Case

Technically, there's a chance that the Phoenix Suns could wind up drafting first overall, but that's so unlikely that I'm just going to dismiss the possibility. 

Most likely, the Suns will end up drafting right around the end of the lottery and hoping that either Damian Lillard (preferably) or Kendall Marshall falls to them. 

Worst Case

If Kendall Marshall is still around and Lillard isn't, the Suns will draft him. That could be a problem if Marshall's lack of scoring abilities come back to bite whoever takes him. 

Portland Trail Blazers

Best Case

The Portland Trail Blazers win the lottery and the New Jersey Nets don't end up with a top-three pick, thereby ensuring that the Blazers have two of the first 14 picks. 

Anthony Davis would be the obvious choice in this scenario and Harrison Barnes has the potential to become the next great scorer in this league. 

Worst Case

A ping pong ball comes up for the Nets and they get to keep the pick, leaving the Blazers with only a selection near the end of the lottery. 

They draft Kendall Marshall but that proves to be a big mistake. 

Sacramento Kings

Best Case

Other than Greg Monroe, DeMarcus Cousins would be my first choice if I was picking a young big man to pair with Anthony Davis. 

There's a chance this could happen because the Sacramento Kings have a pretty decent shot at the No. 1 overall pick. 

Worst Case

The Sacramento Kings don't score the No. 1 pick and somehow decide that it's a good idea to draft Andre Drummond. 

I'm fairly sure I've made my feelings about him clear by now. 

San Antonio Spurs

Best Case

The San Antonio Spurs aren't drafting until well into the second round. Their best-case scenario is drafting another player like Manu Ginobili who drastically exceeds expectations. 

Worst Case

Once more, there isn't really a worst-case scenario for a pick this low. 

Toronto Raptors

Best Case

Although landing Anthony Davis would be incredible, that may not be the best situation for the Toronto Raptors, seeing as they already have a roster overflowing with big men. 

Rather, staying right around No. 6 or so would be ideal because they'd be able to draft Harrison Barnes and hope that he develops into a stud. 

Worst Case

Bryan Colangelo decides he can't live without drafting another foreign prospect and reaches for Evan Fournier about 20 picks too soon. 

Utah Jazz

Best Case

Now that the Jazz have clinched a playoff spot, they don't get to hang on to their own draft pick in the first round, seeing as it's only lottery protected this year. Ideally, they also receive one from the Golden State Warriors, so long as the Dubs don't move up into the top seven. 

With that picks, the frontcourt-stacked Jazz renovate their backcourt by drafting either Jeremy Lamb or Damian Lillard, adding one of the two scorers to make the offense more potent. 

Worst Case

The Warriors win the lottery and the Jazz are left without any picks.

Washington Wizards

Best Case

The Washington Wizards earn the No. 1 pick in the draft and select Anthony Davis. 

His defensive abilities and athleticism will help turn the franchise around. John Wall and the unibrow become the next big thing in the nation's capitol. 

Worst Case

The Wizards somehow fall to pick No. 5 and get to draft Bradley Beal, who becomes nothing more than a decent player.