NBA Draft 2012: Teams That Are Praying Hardest to Win Anthony Davis Lottery

Grass is green and Anthony Davis will be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

The latter statement is just as obvious as the former. The lucky franchise that lands the first overall selection in the lottery won’t hesitate to draft the Kentucky defensive fiend. Here are Davis’ potential landing spots that desperately long to make their opposition bow to the brow.

4. Portland Trail Blazers

With Marcus Camby and Greg Oden gone, Portland needs a big man to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge. In reality, Aldridge is better fit at center, so adding Davis to play power forward wouldn’t be an issue.

Portland fell victim to being that up-and-coming team that reached its ceiling too soon. If the Trail Blazers land Davis, that ceiling will vanish. They would instantly become a threat on the rise…again.

3. New Orleans Hornets

David Stern really screwed over the Hornets when he vetoed the Chris Paul trade. They went from being a playoff contender to one of the worst teams in the league, and now they’re in danger of becoming even worse. Eric Gordon is a free agent, and if they fail to extend his contract they’ll basically be forced to start from scratch.

They need a face of the franchise, and Davis is definitely capable of being that guy. Throw in the fact that Carl Landry is also a free agent and the Hornets’ frontcourt will be extremely lacking.

2. Charlotte Bobcats

Charlotte needs a massive shake-up at every position except point guard. They are the worst team in the NBA by far, so adding the most talented player in the 2012 draft class would be ideal. Davis would pair with Bismack Biyombo to form one of the league’s most athletic and defensively dominant big man duos for years to come.

Failing to land the first overall pick would be downright disastrous.

1. Sacramento Kings

Sacramento doesn’t need Davis as much as the Hornets or Bobcats do. Still, no team in the league would benefit more from selecting him than the Kings.

Sac-Town possesses a promising young core in DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette. They already boast one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA—they just happen to have the worst defense. Adding Davis would instantly upgrade their pathetic stop unit.

If the Kings win the lottery, they’ll be one of the most dangerous teams in the league for the next half dozen years.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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