NBA Draft 2012: Lottery Teams That Can't Afford to Gamble on Risky Picks
This year's NBA draft class is pretty deep, with a lot of potential value in the middle and even end of the first round. There is talent to be had if you know where you're looking.
But there is also a lot of risk in this draft, players who seem to have a high ceiling but for one reason or another have put doubts in the minds of scouts and analysts.
Some teams have a solid core in place and can afford to take a risk on a player. But other teams can't afford to strike out at this draft, especially if they are sitting with a high lottery pick and a dire need for a stud player that will sell some tickets.
Let's take a look at those teams, and a few players they should be targeting.
New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul wanted out, Eric Gordon may not be far behind and the Hornets don't have too many selling points at this point.
They can't afford to miss in this draft.
The ideal situation for them is to land in the top three and nab either Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Thomas Robinson (in that order). All three should be excellent players at the next level who have high upsides but are also safe bets to be very good NBA players.
They need to avoid getting cute and chasing high-risk, high-reward players like Andre Drummond, Jeremy Lamb or Perry Jones III. They simply can't afford to mess this pick up, tantalizing as the talent might be.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Nail this pick, and the Cavs could be on the fast track to becoming a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, who used the draft to create a core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka.
Strike out on this pick, and that dream might go out the window.
The Cavs did good in landing Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson in the first round last year, giving them a solid start toward rebuilding a winning foundation after the departure of LeBron James.
If they land in the top four of the draft but can't land Anthony Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist or Bradley Beal are the logical choices. If they drop out of the top four, they could do worse than add a steady scorer like Harrison Barnes.
They have a star in Kyrie Irving. If they build around him smartly—or luck out, win the lottery and land Davis—this organization could become good in a very short period of time.
Charlotte Bobcats
If this team doesn't end up with the top overall pick and the chance to draft Anthony Davis, the draft is going to be a disappointment, plain and simple. They've never had a franchise player, and Davis is the only one in this draft.
If they can't land him, Robinson is the team's next best bet, as he'll contribute immediately next year, bring a tenacious, winning attitude with him and potentially grow into one of the top power forwards in basketball.
They can't afford to miss in this draft. Nobody wants to see a team finish as poorly as the 7-59 Bobcats did this year.
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