NBA Draft 2012: 50 Bold Predictions for Draft Day in June

The 2012 NBA regular season is on to its final day, and with the playoffs starting up for all the teams looking to make a run at the NBA championship, all the other teams are going to start looking forward to the NBA draft, which is just over two months away.

This draft, once thought to be one of the best in recent memory (which it can still be), and probably the best since 2003 (which it probably will be), is going to be heralded for its depth and the ability to find a real impact player well past the top five spots.

However, there are a lot of landmines in this draft, that is, players who look like good, safe gambles, who could end up being flops straight from the beginning. But the only way to find out for sure is to draft them and see what they do for you.

So even with the draft two months away, I'm ready to start talking about it—just consider me Mel Kiper Jr., with better hair. Here are a few things (OK, more than a few) to expect on June 28th when David Stern comes out to boos in Madison Square Garden.

MKG Goes 2nd

Anthony Davis is the No. 1 pick. That's a given, and there shouldn't be any argument otherwise at this point, but No. 2 is up for grabs.

Michael Kidd-Gilchris, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond and Thomas Robinson all have good cases to go second in the draft, but look for the hard-working MKG to earn that second spot, especially since the great tournament run he had.

Sully Drops out of the Top 7

There was a lot of speculation that Jared Sullinger would enter the NBA draft at the end of last year. However, a lockout and a convincing father kept him in the NCAA, leading to him missing out on a top-three selection.

This year, we've seen very little improvement from Sully and his game has been torn apart by 90 percent of the country, who look at him as the guy with the most flop potential in this draft.

It looks like he's going to fall out of the top five for sure, and possibly farther as his name continues to be sullied (now that's a pun right there, folks).

Robinson Rockets into the Top 5

Thomas Robinson had one of the best tournament runs of any player in the NCAA. He showed off how hard he works on every play and was the best player on the runners-up of the NCAA tournament.

At the beginning of this season, Robinson looked like a first-round pick for sure, but even taking him in the lottery was questionable. However, this guy blossomed like no other throughout the season, taking a team that looked like it was going to be rebuilding and helping them into the NCAA championship game. 

If that doesn't earn him a top-five selection, then I don't know what would.

Over / Under on Number of Times "length" Is Said: 84.5

The most overused word for six years running at the NBA draft, "length" is a creepier way to say a prospect has long arms.

I'm setting the over/under at 84.5 times that this word is going to be used during the broadcast of the two rounds of the draft, and you know what, I think I'm taking the under. There's another term that is gaining speed that I think is going to be more important in this year's draft, but more on that later.

Biggest Reach: Tyler Zeller

NBA scouts put a lot of stock in a player being a "true" seven-footer, and with Tyler's more talented brother, Cody, staying in Indiana for another year, the number of "true" seven-footers likely to go in the first round is down to three.

Between Tyler Zeller, Fab Melo and Meyers Leonard, Zeller is likely to end up being the first seven-footer taken, and he'll probably be taken in the top 10. While he may have a solid career, it seems to me that there are going to be many players taken after him that will have better careers.

Biggest Steal: Arnett Moultrie

Mississippi State's Arnett Moultrie is getting a lot of love from draft aficionados and is subsequently rocketing up draft boards.

The big man was a double-double machine last year and even displayed the ability to score in the paint and from long range. The biggest knock on the fellow is that he's just over 220 pounds and is looking to play the 4 or 5 in the NBA.

Still, I think he's going to bulk up and be a very effective big in the NBA.

Someone Reaches for Perry Jones in the Top 7

One of the most compelling players in recent memory, Perry Jones has all of the tools that Kevin Durant had when he was in college, and for all intents and purposes, he passes the eye test better than Durant (that is, he's not skinny as a rail). However, the consensus on Jones is that there is no consensus on Jones.

Some will look at him and see great potential and give him a nod as a top-seven pick, while others will ignore the good and focus on the bad, leaving him out of the top 10. It seems to me that NBA scouts are going to be hard-pressed to overlook his combination of size and athleticism, so I'm seeing a top-10 selection for the big fellow.

Too Many Teams Pass on Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes and the North Carolina Tar Heels made it to the Elite Eight this year, yet they still had a bad tournament.

Barnes showed off his inability to create his own shot and take over a game, a skill that it once looked like he had when people were calling him a superstar before he played a single college game last season.

Now the blogosphere is down on Barnes and it seems NBA attitudes are following, but how low is too low with Barnes? There's no way a single tournament flop should be enough to take him out of the top five, but it looks like it's entirely possible.

Evan Fournier Is the Only International First-Rounder

After Enes Kanter, Jonas Valaciunas, Donatas Motiejunas, Bismack Biyombo, Jan Vesely and Nikola Mirotic were all taken in the first round last year, this year is going to be barren when it comes to international talent.

At this point, it looks like Evan Fourier, the Manu Ginobili-Tony Parker cross from France, is going to be the only international first-rounder.

Most Entertaining Draftee Name: Tornike Shengelia

While there won't be very many international players taken in the first round, there should be a nice wave of them taken in the second round as teams look for players to stash in Europe for a year or two.

However, the one that stands out to me for no reason other than his name is Tornike Shengelia, hailing from Georgia.

I don't know a damn thing about the guy, but I know he's got one helluva name.

Best Draft-Day Suit: Perry Jones

One of the highlights of draft day for years has been the suits that these young fellows wear to stand out and just show off to their boys that they're getting drafted.

The one player that sticks out to me who will be invited to the draft and who will peacock his way onto the stage is Perry Jones, if for no other reason than he played for Baylor and they showed off those ridiculously fancy new uniforms this season.

Guaranteed to Crash the Party: Dion Waiters

One of my favorite recent trends of guys not invited to sit on the floor at the draft but who still want to get the recognition they deserve is when they buy their own ticket and jump out of their seats when their name is called like it's The Price is Right.

The one person who I think will end up doing this more than any other is Dion Waiters.

Think about it—he's a high-impact player looking at going late in the first round and he plays for a school in New York, grew up in Philly and went to high school in New Jersey. It wouldn't exactly be a trek for him to make it to Madison Square Garden.

Most Likely to Inappropriately Touch David Stern: Thomas Robinson

Of all the players who get invited to the draft, there's usually at least one who is so excited to be there that they end up hugging, high-fiving or just plain doing something to David Stern that he is visibly disappointed with.

The guy from this class that looks most likely to do it this year is Thomas Robinson. There wasn't a player in the tournament this year who ran on high longer than Throb, and I guarantee he's going to turn it back on for the draft.

Late-Drafted Player Analysts Will Gush Most About: Draymond Green

Every year, there is one guy, usually a graduating senior, who gets drafted late in the first round or sometime in the second round who is lavished with love by the in-studio analysts. 

Last year, that honor was split between Nolan Smith and Kenneth Faried; this year, there's no doubt that guy is going to be Draymond Green. There's no doubt the words, "hustle, heart, desire, drive, motor and loyalty" are going to be used to describe him, some of them more than once.

Most Random Team to Have Multiple First-Rounders: Vanderbilt

Besides the mid-major school getting some love here and there in the first round, you usually expect the big-name schools to pump their players into the first round. However, it always seems like there's one school that you wouldn't expect that gets multiple picks in the first round.

This year, I'm looking at Vanderbilt to take that title home, as they boast Festus Ezeli, Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins as possible first-round selections.

Most Disappointing First-Rounder: Fab Melo

Every year, there is a player who makes a huge impact for a big-name school in college that ends up getting taken in the first round, only to largely disappear once in the NBA.

This year, I'm looking at Fab Melo to be that guy. He's big and he seems to have a lot of potential, but he's been slow developing in college and he never really reached the point everybody thought he would.

Biggest 2nd-Round Steal: Darius Johnson-Odom

Once we get into the second round, teams either tend to reach for international players to stash in Europe, go after impact players from mid-majors or take a swing at impact college players who just don't have the tools to be taken in the first round. Usually, there's at least one gem in the bunch.

This year, I think that gem could be Darius Johnson-Odom. I liked what I saw from him throughout the season, plus he has a name that sounds like it could be that of a pretty good rotation player in college.

International Players Taken: 8

This year, like I said earlier, is going to be a barren landscape when it comes to international players looking to go early in the draft. However, that doesn't mean we're going to see few taken throughout the entire draft.

I'm setting the over/under on international players taken at 7.5 and betting the over on that one, hoping that teams go after more overseas guys later in the second round.

Odds Knicks Fans Boo N.Y.'s Only Pick: 94 Percent

The Knicks fans had mixed feelings about the team drafting Iman Shumpert last season, and the boos still outweighed the cheers for what seems like the longest-running tradition in the NBA right now, as the fans at MSG inevitably boo whatever their hometown team does on draft day.

However, with the Knicks not owning a pick until late in the second round, will there still be enough people hanging around and caring to make a boo audible? My guess is still a resounding yes.

Most Likely to Trade Up: Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are in an interesting spot for this year's draft at this point. They have two first-round picks in their pocket, both of them coming in the final 10 picks. However, there's also a guy coming into the league who just so happens to be their coach's son and who could very easily be a big impact player in the NBA.

It seems like a slam dunk for the Celtics to trade up to a late lottery pick if Austin Rivers is still available at that point.

Higest Mid-Major Selected: Damian Lillard

Weber State standout Damian Lillard wowed scouts all year long with his ability to take over games and put his team on his back to win them, and he should be rewarded in the draft.

The junior averaged nearly 25 points a game last season, and he's playing a position that is incredibly shallow in this year's draft as a point guard, so a team looking for a ball-handler should be looking at him early on.

Least Surprising Pick: Anthony Davis Goes First

There are usually a plethora of surprises at the NBA draft, almost to the point where you're looking for something normal to happen.

Well, here's something you can hang your hat on, folks, Anthony Davis is going first in this draft, and if he doesn't, then Michael Jordan needs to sell his team.

Most Likely to Improve the Most: Cleveland Cavaliers

There's usually a team that just cleans up in the draft, and they do it through multiple picks and smart drafting.

I'm not insinuating here that the Cavs are going to be smart in this draft, but the depth in this draft accompanied by their volume picking approach this season (they have an early first-round pick, a late first-round pick and two early second-round picks) should give them plenty of opportunities to improve their squad.

Andre Drummond Goes Top 4

Andre Drummond is the biggest question mark in this draft, and that's saying something with Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones also in the ranks. 

However, with Drummond standing at nearly seven feet tall accompanied by the freakish athleticism that he's displayed at times with UConn, there's no way an NBA GM can pass on him with a top-four pick.

Bradley Beal Is a Steal Outside of the Top 5

Right now, I have a top five of Anthony Davis, MKG, Andre Drummond, Thomas Robinson and Harrison Barnes. That leaves Bradley Beal, a guy who has been compared to Ray Allen, as the prize outside of the top five.

Beal may not be Ray Allen, but he's got that long-range shot that will at least allow him to be a great shooter in the league, plus he knows how to handle himself with the ball. That's not a bad combo right there.

Austin Rivers Is a Top-10 Pick

While the Celtics fans may be hoping that he falls far enough for them to make a quick little trade up to grab their coach's kid, they may have to make a bigger reach if they want to grab Austin Rivers.

Rivers may have some holes in his game, but he displayed shooting skills all year long at Duke, and that plus his great potential make it seem like he should be a top-10 pick.

Kendall Marshall Is a Top-20 Pick

Meanwhile, a guy who played right down Tobacco Road from Austin Rivers who saw his draft stock rise drastically despite an injury, Kendall Marshall, should be looking to go in the top 20.

Without Marshall, North Carolina was on the brink of losing in the Sweet 16 to a feisty Ohio University team (and they probably should have), as they missed his decision-making with the ball.

Festus Ezeli Creeps into the First Round

A guy who showed off his mettle in the tournament despite playing in just two games, Festus Ezeli looks like he could be a creeper on the big board.

Festus is still refining his offensive game, and he's slowly getting there. He also needs to work on positioning to grab rebounds, but the big man has showed an explosiveness that should get scouts looking at him earlier than expected.

Kentucky Has 4 First-Rounders, 6 Draftees in All

With the entire starting lineup of Kentucky's national championship team entering the NBA draft, one has to expect to hear that school's name come out of David Stern's mouth quite a bit in June.

In fact, look to see Anthony Davis, MKG, Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague to come out in the first and then Doron Lamb and Darius Miller to come out in the second, giving them six draft picks in all this year.

Anthony Davis Acknowledges the Unobrow

One thing that I hope happens more than anything else is that Anthony Davis comes to this year's draft with two separate eyebrows.

However, I think we'll have to settle for something different. I'm looking at this year's draft at being the first time (as far as I can tell) that Anthony Davis actually acknowledges the eyebrow that the entire Internet has been blabbing about since he set foot on the court last year.

Most Depressed Team: Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are going to have three picks in this year's draft, but don't expect them to be happy for any of them.

You see, the Warriors traded their own first-round pick this season to Utah back in 2009 in exchange for the incomparable Marcus Williams. Now, sitting just outside of the pick's protection, the Warriors are set to lose a lottery pick and a chance at retooling as much as possible for next season.

Position Sure to Disappoint: Point Guard

While this is going to be remembered as an extremely deep draft, whether it be because it produces so many good players or because it produces so many great players, there are some holes in the draft.

This year, the position that looks like it's going to be a total letdown is the point guard spot. After producing three legitimate team-changing point guards last year, this year's draft peaks with Kendall Marshall and Damian Lillard, with a bunch of question marks coming after those two.

Position Sure to Be a Slam Dunk: Power Forward

However, if there's one position that I would be happy with grabbing any of the top six players from, it would be the power forward spot.

Among the guys listed as power forwards for their NBA role you have Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, Andre Drummond, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones Arnett Moultrie and John Henson.

Not too shabby.

Newest Overused Phrase: Motor

For years, the term "length" has outdistanced every other term to describe the raw capabilities of a draftee with "upside," "potential" and "upside-potential" giving it a run for its money in recent years.

However, one of the more used terms in the past that is going to become an overused term this year, perhaps on a bigger level than "length" even, has to be "motor."

We're going to be talking about how Thomas Robinson has a great motor and how Jared Sullinger has a terrible motor, and while we get caught up in that, we're going to have to start evaluating every motor in the draft.

Guy That Could Surprise Us All: Tyshawn Taylor

When I think of Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor, I usually think of a fine playmaker who can score, but not much else. He seems like a middling player on a decent team, somewhere around the eighth-best guy on a team.

However, when you look at the fact that he averaged 15 points and five assists on 47 percent shooting and you look at how easily he can get into the lane and score on big guys, you start to rethink the guy a bit.

Pick Most Likely to Be Cursed: New Orleans' 2nd Lottery Pick

Things are not going well in New Orleans these days.

They got the raw end of the Chris Paul deal when David Stern vetoed the trade to the Lakers, followed by the team having one of the most depressing seasons in recent memory. Then the Saints lose their coach for the season and then accusations come out that Micky Loomis was spying on opponents in the Superdome.

The team was finally sold to Saints owner Tom Benson, but he's got more problems to deal with than he knows how at this point.

To top it all off, that second lottery pick that they have used to be in the greasy hands of David Kahn. There's no more bad luck that that thing could hold at this point.

Guy Every Analyst Falls in Love With: Royce White

It seems like there's always a late first-rounder or an early second-rounder who is relatively unknown to the casual basketball fan that ends up being the bell of the ball in terms of getting attention from Jay Bilas and the guys.

This year, that guy is a big small forward who is quick enough and can handle the ball like a point guard to get to the rim by the name of Royce White. The Iowa State forward is going to get tons of love from the boys sitting around chatting at the broadcast table.

Guy Who Gets Screwed by His Size: Jae Crowder

In the same way that a player can get drafted just because of his height (or his length), a player can fall spot after spot because he's the wrong size for the position he's looking to play.

This year's candidate has to be Jae Crowder. The 6'6" senior from Marquette has one of the best motors in the draft, but he played power forward (or some variation of it) at Marquette, and you know how NBA scouts feel about shaking things up like preconceived notions about who is able to play what position.

If he were two inches taller, he'd be a first-rounder; now it's looking shaky that he even goes in the top 45.

Most Aggravating Lottery Pick: Andre Drummond

I'm not going to call Andre Drummond this year's Darko Milicic or Hasheem Thabeet, but he's going to frustrate people just like those two did.

I think Drummond is going to get the dedication from a team that those two never did, so he'll develop into a decent player at the least, but he is going to make the fans of whatever team that drafts him go insane wondering what the hell their team did drafting him.

Most Shown Family Member: Satch Sullinger

When the camera inevitably pans into the audience and shows all the players sitting around tables with their families, we're going to see one man's face more than any other who won't be playing basketball in the NBA next season.

Satch Sullinger, Jared Sullinger's father, was shown more at Ohio State games this year than Ray Allen's mom wearing a bedazzled jersey at Celtics playoff games. That, accompanied with the possibility of Sully being one of the last players invited to the draft to be drafted, could mean lots of screen time for Satch.

Mid-Round Pick That Will Transform a Team: Arnett Moultrie

I said earlier that Arnett Moultrie could be one of the biggest steals of the draft as a late first-round pick, well I'm taking it a step further here.

The big man out of Mississippi State has been looking so good to me over the past few weeks that I'm willing to say that he's going to be able to transform a team, much like Kenneth Faried did with the Nuggets when he broke into the starting lineup and brought enough energy to make you look at an atomic bomb and go, "pssshhh."

Best Lesser-Known Big-School Player: Terrence Ross

He's from a school in one of the six big conferences, but chances are most people don't know who Terrence Ross is.

Well, the sophomore shooting guard out of Washington does everything well and has nothing about his game to knock, yet he's still looking at being a late first-rounder at best.

It's OK, Terrence, everybody'll regret passing on you one day.

2nd-Round Pick Who Gets the Most Attention: Kyle O'Quinn

Kyle O'Quinn may have gotten himself drafted with his 26 points and 14 rebounds against Missouri in the first round of the tournament, and then some.

He's this year's leading candidate for the guy that the analysts talk about for the next two picks after he gets drafted in the second round, gushing about his...ahem...motor.

Hottest Debate: One-and-Done

There's a lot of time to fill in a two-round broadcast where nothing more happens than an old white guy coming out from behind a curtain to say a name every five minutes or so, and time needs to be filled. Inevitably, they turn the floor over to whoever is broadcasting for the day and allow them some time to talk about contemporary topics plaguing basketball.

This year, much like in years past, the one-and-done rule in the NCAA has gotten a lot of attention, so you better believe we'll be hearing plenty about it when draft day comes.

Most Awkward in His New Team's Hat: Anthony Davis

There are a lot of scenarios that are playing out in my mind when it comes to Anthony Davis getting drafted in two months.

However, when the day rolls around, the most likely scenario is that he ambles up on stage, puts on an ugly Bobcats hat and smiles goofily at the camera with a single finger raised. Eyebrow jokes ensue.

Guy Who'll Get Drafted Just to Shoot: John Jenkins

With Vanderbilt's two best players coming out in the draft as graduating seniors, there's no reason for John Jenkins to stick around for another year to drain threes with a team that could possibly miss the tournament.

That's why his entering the draft is so big. He is the best shooter on the collegiate level, and that alone will get him onto an NBA team.

Player That'll Fall out of the First Round: Draymond Green

Draymond Green had a terrific career at Michigan State. I've watched him play many times and he was a great leader for that team.

Unfortunately for Green, it's tangible qualities that get your draft stock moving upward, not the intangibles, which he has plenty of.

Green could become a good player in the NBA or he could be out of the league in a few years; he's basically a coin flip at this point.

2nd- Rounder Most Likely to Surprise Everyone: Whoever the Spurs Pick

I don't have a likely second-round pick that stands out more than another at this point, so I'll go with what I usually go with when there's a lot to be examined.

Whoever San Antonio ends up drafting is probably going to be a second-round steal. They've done it in the past and they're going to do it again in the future. It's like they've got a hen laying a golden egg down there.

Player Most Likely to Cry When Drafted: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

If you watched Kentucky's run to the championship last month, you'll remember how emotional Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was throughout the whole tournament, culminating with the victory against Kansas. I expected tears, but what I got was more of a sigh of relief mixed with unbridled joy.

I realized at that point, nobody really dreams of winning the NCAA championship as a kid—it's all about getting to the NBA. He accomplished one goal in an overarching set of goals that are there to get him into the NBA, something that's going to happen in two months' time, and I see the waterworks flowing at that point.

Player Most Likely to Have the Hottest Girlfriend: Terrence Jones

Last year, Jan Vesely took home the award for having the hottest girlfriend of any of the players invited to the draft. In fact, I think we need to name that bad boy the Jan Vesely Award after last year.

This year's leader out of the gate has to be Terrence Jones from Kentucky. Why is that you might ask? Have you seen the story about him taking flowers to the cheerleader from Louisville that he ran over? The dude is a charmer who's about to go into the NBA, you'd better believe he's going to have a nice young lady with him.

These are the important questions we need answered here, people.

If you are one of those twitterers, you can follow me @JDorsey33.