2012 NBA Mock Draft: Which First-Round Picks Are Destined To Fail?

Big front-office personnel don’t cry.

The 2012 NBA draft will cause coaches, GMs and scouts to lose their jobs. Selecting a prospect is like mining for gold. Staffs that treat the process like a science will get rich, while those that lazily follow their gut will find themselves face to face with a bona fide bust.

Here is a first-round mock highlighting the players that’ll get people fired.

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis (PF, Kentucky)

Davis’ unibrow is like Sampson’s hair. As long as he doesn’t cut it, he won’t bust.

But in all seriousness, Davis is a guaranteed defensive stud at the very least.

2. Washington Wizards: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF, Kentucky)

Bradley Beal is an option here, but I bet Ted Leonsis is thinking he has a shot at John Calipari with two All-World Wildcats on his roster. MKD running alongside John Wall on the break would be scary.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Bradley Beal (SG, Florida)

Beal does it all—literally. His only weakness is that he’s a bit undersized at 6’5”, 195 pounds, but that’s nothing a weight room can’t fix.

4. New Orleans Hornets: Thomas Robinson (SF, Kansas)

Like Beal, Robinson has no glaring holes in his game. His greatest weakness is his height. Luckily for him, his vertical is sky high.

5. Sacramento Kings: Andre Drummond (C, UConn)

Drummond is raw. And when I mean raw, I mean put some Vaseline on that thing.

His upside is through the roof. But while he’s as physically gifted as they come, let’s just say no one is going to mistake him for Kevin Garnett.

Drummond is simply a passive player and is going to need an avalanche of attention to reach his ceiling. Will he get that from a Sacramento Kings’ coaching staff that already has their hands full with DeMarcus Cousins? I think not.

6. Portland Trail Blazers: Harrison Barnes (SF, UNC)

Like Drummond, no one is voting Barnes to the All-Intense team. Despite the fact that he’s an elite scorer, he doesn’t have a Kobe Bryant-like shooter’s mentality.

Barnes is one-dimensional as well. He averaged 1.1 assists per game last year at North Carolina. Even Danny Granger is capable of recording two assists a contest.

Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, the only way Barnes develops properly is if he’s mentored by a scorer turned star...like Brandon Roy.

7. Golden State Warriors: Perry Jones (PF, Baylor)

Jones will be that guy in the Warriors’ team previews every single offseason whose description reads: this is finally the year he blows up.

If you pet his cubs, this Bear wouldn’t attack you. Jones continues the trend of passive prospects that’ll pay for it in the pros. With his physical ability and skill set, he should be in the discussion to be selected fourth overall, but he’s plagued with mind-numbing inconsistency.

Despite being a 6’11” freak athlete that's capable of scoring from anywhere, he only averaged 13.5 points a game at Baylor. Tell me how that happens.

8. Toronto Raptors: Dion Waiters (SG, Syracuse)

Jose Calderon would love having a wing compared to Kobe Bryant (DeMar Derozan) on his right and a wing compared to Dwyane Wade (Waiters) on his left. Toronto would have to change their name to the Pterodactyls, though, because they’d be high flyers.

9. Detroit Pistons: Jared Sullinger (PF, Ohio St.)

Greg Monroe needs a partner in crime down low. Sullinger is as pro-ready as they come.

10. New Orleans Hornets: Jeremy Lamb (SG, UConn)

Lamb’s last name describes his intensity to a T. Like the future busts before him, he often disappears from games. He’ll need one wise shepherd of a coach to keep him from straying on a game-to-game basis.

Lamb has three-point range, a seven-foot wingspan, is fast and flies, but he’s also frail and will struggle to harness his full potential.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Terrence Jones (PF, Kentucky)

Despite being listed as a power forward, according to John Hollinger of ESPN, Aldridge is more effective at center. Just in case the Trail Blazers fail to find a solid starting point guard yet again this offseason, Terrence Jones is a point forward that’s drawn comparisons to Lamar Odom.

12. Milwaukee Bucks: Tyler Zeller (C, UNC)

Milwaukee has no center, unless you think the 235-pound Larry Sanders is strong enough to play the position. Because pairing an undersized shooting guard in Monta Ellis with an undersized center is the best way to build a basketball team.

13. Phoenix Suns: Damian Lillard (PG, Weber St.)

Unless the Suns blackmail Steve Nash, he’s played his last game in purple and orange. Lillard isn’t the playmaker Nash is, but because he’s an explosive scorer, he won’t care that he has no one to pass.

14. Houston Rockets: Terrence Ross (SG, Washington)

When Yao Ming retired, he took Kevin Martin’s scoring ability with him. Martin is nothing but a temporary solution at the two, but Ross would be a long-term fix.

15. Philadelphia 76ers: John Henson (PF, UNC)

Philadelphia likes to run and play defense. That’s all Henson can do, so he’ll fit right in.

16. Houston Rockets: Arnett Moultrie (PF, Mississippi St.)

Like last year, Houston desperately needs length going into the draft. At 6’11”, Moultrie fits the bill.

17. Dallas Mavericks: Austin Rivers (SG, Duke)

Rivers has Jason Terry—who’s a free agent—written all over him. He’s cocky, undersized and has range for days.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Quincy Miller (SF, Baylor)

With no shooting guards worthy of being selected 18^th overall, small forward isn’t a poor Plan B with Michael Beasley likely history. Like half the forwards David Kahn has collected over the years, Miller is capable of playing the 3 and 4, but unlike Derrick Williams, he’s better suited on the perimeter with a 210-pound frame.

19. Orlando Magic: Kendall Marshall (PG, UNC)

After a few no-look, behind-the-back alley-oop passes from Marshall, Dwight Howard may actually want to sign an extension. Jameer Nelson has a player option and should be replaced regardless.

20. Denver Nuggets: Tony Wroten Jr. (PG, Washington)

Denver will lose a sizeable chunk of their offense with Andre Miller hitting free agency. The talented, but erratic Wroten is being compared to Gary Payton.

21. Boston Celtics: Meyers Leonard (C, Illinois)

Kevin Garnett can’t play forever. The physically gifted Leonard would be a quality replacement.

22. Boston Celtics: Moe Harkless (SF, St. John’s)

Paul Pierce can’t play forever, either. Harkless would be a solid replacement for the 34-year-old forward.

23. Atlanta Hawks: Andrew Nicholson (PF, St. Bonaventure)

Josh Smith was nearly dealt at the trade deadline last season. If he survives another year in Atlanta, he’s a free agent next offseason anyway.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers: Fab Melo (C, Syracuse)

Cleveland doesn’t have a true center on their roster. This is the perfect landing spot for Melo who can learn English from Anderson Varejao.

25. Memphis Grizzlies: Marquis Teague (PG, Kentucky)

Memphis has nothing behind Mike Conley. Unless you’re content with O.J. Mayo and his 1.36 assist-to-turnover ratio running the point, of course.

 26. Indiana Pacers: Doron Lamb (SG, Kentucky)

Indiana will need more offensive production out of the 2-guard with Leandro Barbosa headed to free agency. Lamb is arguably the best pure shooter in the draft and shot an incredible 46.6 percent beyond the arc his sophomore campaign.

27. Miami Heat: Will Barton (SG, Memphis)

Mike Miller is a bum. Barton would be a perfect upgrade, as he’d provide instant offense off the bench.

28. Oklahoma City Thunder: Royce White (SF, Iowa St.)

White is the only first-round prospect that’s a sure bust for reasons other than passiveness. In fact, his downfalls are quite unique.

First off, White has a fear of flying. No, that doesn’t mean he can’t jump—flying like airplanes flying. On top of that, he suffers from anxiety disorder.

But the cherry on the top for White is that he has character concerns. According to ESPN, he plead guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and theft which got him suspended for the entire 2009-2010 college basketball season.

White just has way too many red flags.

29. Chicago Bulls: John Jenkins (SG, Vanderbilt)

Jenkins also deserves to be in the discussion for best pure shooter in the draft. With Rip Hamilton being a declining 34-year-old, Chicago's future at the two needs brightened.

30. Golden State Warriors: Jeffery Taylor (SF, Vanderbilt)

Taylor is a phenomenal athlete. And with Andrew Bogut and David Lee in the same starting lineup, Golden State’s frontcourt badly needs an injection of athleticism.

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

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