NBA Draft 2012: How Will Lottery Results Impact the 1st Round?

The 2012 NBA draft is still over a month away, but the NBA draft lottery is going to be held tomorrow night, which is going to finally set in stone exactly what order we draft in, and finally mock drafts will be meaningful.

The Charlotte Bobcats have the best shot at winning the lottery with a 25-percent shot at winning the lottery, but if the past few seasons have told us anything, it's that the team with the best chance probably won't win the lottery.

Now, any team who won the lottery would be crazy to pass up on Anthony Davis, so for the sake of this particular article, we're going to assume that any lottery winner would take Davis with the top pick.

So, what I want to do here is take a look at what each lottery team would do with the No. 2 overall pick, what each team would do with their currently slotted pick and what each team would do with their worst case scenario pick, which would be three slots lower than their current slot.

Charlotte Bobcats

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Charlotte would be disappointed with the second pick, but they would probably play it safe with MKG here, rather than gamble with someone like Thomas Robinson or Andre Drummond.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Anthony Davis

They're on pace to get the top overall pick, and that would of course end with them grabbing Anthony Davis and walking home with smiles stretching from ear to ear.

Worst Case Scenario: Fourth pick; Thomas Robinson or Harrison Barnes.

If somehow the odds were defied and they ended up getting passed up by three teams, Charlotte would look to get the player with the most All-Star potential, which would mean either Thomas Robinson or Harrison Barnes, whichever one was still on the board at this point.

Washington Wizards

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Washington traded for Nene during the season, so they're set at center for a few years, which means a hard-working player in the middle of their line-up like MKG would make the most sense.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Once again, they're set to pick No. 2 overall, from which point they should take MKG to balance out their roster.

Worst Case Scenario: Fifth pick; Harrison Barnes or Bradley Beal

If Washington were to get passed up by three teams in the lottery, they would probably walk away frustrated, but they'd come back to the draft looking to get the best potential player with their pick.

That would mean either Barnes, whose value dropped a bit in the NCAA tournament or Beal, whom many see to be a player with great potential.

Cleveland Cavaliers

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Cleveland needs to fill a hole at nearly every position, but their biggest hole is at their shooting guard or small forward spot. With MKG being the smartest choice here, he's probably who they would take.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Andre Drummond

After Davis and MKG come off the board, Cleveland is stuck between reaching for Harrison Barnes or Bradley Beal and taking the agreed-upon safe gamble in Drummond. Drummond has so many tools to become a good player that they probably don't pass him up.

Worst Case Scenario: Sixth pick; Bradley Beal or Jeremy Lamb

Cleveland seems dead-set on getting an impact scorer with their highest pick in the draft, and the three forwards that look set to go around sixth in the draft probably aren't the biggest impact scorers out there.

If Beal somehow falls that far, they'll snatch him up. Otherwise a reach on Jeremy Lamb would probably be in order.

New Orleans Hornets

No. 2 Pick: Thomas Robinson

The New Orleans Hornets need a player who can make them as good as possible as soon as possible in order to make Eric Gordon happy. They'll probably end up re-signing him this summer for a few seasons, and they need to convince him to stay quickly. Adding Robinson to the team would be a good start.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Thomas Robinson

Robinson will likely be available at the fourth pick as well, so they should have a chance to grab him at their currently slotted pick.

Worst Case Scenario: Seventh pick; Perry Jones III or Jared Sullinger

Depending on whether they want a defensive or an offensive forward, the Hornets are going to go for one of the three middle-of-the-road forwards here, probably leaning toward immediate impact over future potential, in which case they would take Perry Jones III.

Sacramento Kings

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The Sacramento Kings need some wisdom and good attitudes on their roster, and who better to take with a swing of luck than MKG, the hardest working player from this year's tournament?

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Bradley Beal

Should Sacramento stick with their No. 5 pick, Beal would give them a backup to Tyreke Evans, and should he play well, it would give them even more of an incentive to trade Evans.

Worst Case Scenario: Eighth pick; Terrence Jones or John Henson

There's no way the Kings would go after Perry Jones here; that would be too unintentionally hilarious. Pairing a head-case forward to play alongside their head-case center would be too much for the Internet to stand.

Most likely, they'll go after a defense-first power forward who would compliment DeMarcus Cousins well.

Portland Trail Blazers/Brooklyn Nets

No. 2 Pick: Thomas Robinson goes to the Nets

The Brooklyn Nets only keep this pick if it ends up being a top-three pick, so if they would get to keep their pick, they would most likely look for a high-energy, high-impact big man to (hopefully) pair with Deron Williams and, at the very least, pair with Brook Lopez.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Harrison Barnes goes to the Blazers

Portland is still looking for that middle-of-the-lineup player to replace Brandon Roy, and who better than a guy with a lot of the same skills as Roy, save for that innate ability to finish off a game?

Worst Case Scenario: Ninth pick; Perry Jones III or Jeremy Lamb

Portland is a team that seems like they'd be willing to gamble on Perry Jones III at this point, and if were to work out, they could play him as a stretch-four with LaMarcus Aldridge.

Otherwise they would probably go after Lamb as a replacement to the horrible (this past season) Jamal Crawford.

Golden State Warriors/Utah Jazz

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Golden State needs someone on their roster with their pick this year who isn't going to turn into a chucker and who is smart enough to play defense. That's MKG all the way.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Terrence Jones

Terrence Jones at this point would give them a defensive power forward to light a fire under David Lee's belly and a pretty cool potential combination for a duo of lockdown big men in Jones and Andrew Bogut.

Worst Case Scenario: 10th pick; Jeremy Lamb or Austin Rivers

It seems that Golden State is set on keeping their pick, so let's assume they pull off a trade with Utah to retain their pick.

With the 10th pick, they'd likely have to decide whether to take a guy who would become their backup power forward or a guy who would compete with Klay Thompson for their top shooting guard spot, in which case Jeremy Lamb would be ideal.

Toronto Raptors

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Kidd-Gilchrist would give them a good basis to build a defensive mindset around, and with Jonas Valanciunas coming in this season to join the team, he would also give them a fourth (potential) starter who could make an impact.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Jared Sullinger

They would be taking a big man who is quite like Andrea Bargnani, only he can play center and he brings a lot more energy and defense to the floor when he really tries.

Worst Case Scenario: 11th pick; Damian Lillard or Kendall Marshall

The Toronto Raptors are looking at having a pretty decent team next season should everything fall nicely into place for them, only they need a point guard to take over for Jose Calderon, and nobody on their roster is a really good point guard.

So, either a gamble on Lillard, who could be a very good guard one day, or a safe choice with Marshall, who is a smart guard and will probably be the best rookie point guard next season.

Detroit Pistons

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Detroit needs the best possible player as quickly as possible, as they're looking for someone to hit the ground running with a team that isn't bad enough to bottom out, but isn't yet good enough to make the playoffs.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Perry Jones III

Perry Jones III is just the swing for the fences that Detroit has been waiting for. If they make contact, Jones could be one of the gems of this draft. If not, then they could end up bottoming out next season and finally getting a high lottery pick.

Worst Case Scenario: 12th pick; Austin Rivers or Terrence Ross

Detroit would likely look for a player who could have a big impact down the road if they were to fall the maximum three spots in the draft, which would likely mean grabbing Duke's Austin Rivers to compete for their shooting guard spot or Washington's Terrence Ross to compete for their small forward spot.

New Orleans Hornets

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

If we are to believe in conspiracy theories, New Orleans is going to walk away from the draft lottery with two of the top four picks, and if they were to end up with that second pick, MKG would once again be their wisest choice.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: John Henson

Picking 10th would be a great spot to grab John Henson, who plays smart and hard, which is just what the Hornets need in a big man right now.

Worst Case Scenario: 13th pick; Damian Lillard or Kendall Marshall

Quick question: Would you have faith in a Greivis Vasquez/Jerome Dyson/Jarret Jack three-headed monster at point guard? No? Well, then, Kendall Marshall is the pick for this point.

Portland Trail Blazers

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

MKG would give the Trail Blazers that new Brandon Roy-like character to insert into the middle of their lineup who would start working hard, playing defense and sinking big shots.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Jeremy Lamb

If they don't end up moving up in the lottery, a pick like Jeremy Lamb would give them a player who could compete with Wes Matthews and challenge him to get better.

Worst Case Scenario: 14th pick; Terrence Ross or Quincy Miller

Terrence Ross is the wise choice with the 14th pick, as he's more vetted and more mature by miles, but Quincy Miller looks like he could have the potential to be an explosive small forward in the NBA should he end up with the right team.

Milwaukee Bucks

No. 2 Pick: Andre Drummond

The Bucks are lacking quite a bit in size at this point, and a guy like Andre Drummond paired with the likes of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings could be perfect to lurk down low, put home alley-oops and gather loose shots off the glass

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Tyler Zeller

If they're forced to pick from their current slot, which would be 12th, Milwaukee would still look to go after a big man, which would be Zeller at this point. He would at least give them some depth at center.

Worst Case Scenario: 14th pick; Zeller or Terrence Ross

It's entirely likely that Zeller ends up falling all the way to the bottom of the lottery, in which case Milwaukee would be wise to pick him then. Otherwise a smart forward like Ross would make sense for them here.

Phoenix Suns

No. 2 Pick: Andre Drummond

Phoenix is going to have a terrible season next year with no Steve Nash, so why not swing for the fences? Drummond over MKG here gives them a player who could be a superstar in the league one day, rather than a player who looks like an All-Star at best.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Kendall Marshall

Kendall Marshall at 13th fills the biggest hole that the Suns are going to have to fill over the summer, which is of course their point guard spot.

Worst Case Scenario: 14th pick; Damian Lillard or Austin Rivers

Damian Lillard would be another choice to supplant Steve Nash at point guard (a sad thought, I know, Phoenix fans). Otherwise Rivers would have a chance at starting at some point for the Suns next season over the likes of Shannon Brown.

Houston Rockets

No. 2 Pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The guy who could come in and make the biggest impact right away for the Rockets would be MKG. There's no way Darryl Morey would go any other direction with this pick.

Their Currently Slotted Pick: Austin Rivers

Houston's guard depth is one of the things that kept them out of the playoffs this season, so adding a guard who can shoot the ball and finish at the rim would be a pretty good idea for them late in the lottery.

Worst Case Scenario: Austin Rivers

They're locked in with the 14th pick unless they somehow get lucky and nab a top-three pick, so Rivers still makes sense at this point.

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