NBA Draft Lottery 2012: Teams Other Than the Bobcats Who Need a Lottery Win
The Charlotte Bobcats are the expected front-runner for the NBA's draft lottery considering their 7-59 record last season.
That said, it is going to take a lot more than just a No. 1 overall draft pick to fix the Bobcats. As for other lottery teams, the Washington Wizards for example, need to win it because competing with the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks in the division each year reduces their postseason chances.
With almost half the association in the lottery, it is going to be interesting to see how everything unfolds. Therefore, let's see who else needs win the lottery along with the Wizards.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers displayed hope for the future during the 2011-12 NBA season. Rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are clearly the building blocks for the new foundation and another No. 1 pick would speed up the process.
Obviously getting that top spot would land the Cavs Anthony Davis from Kentucky. With Antawn Jamison turning 36 next month, Cleveland needs a young and stud power forward early in the draft anyway. Davis would be a perfect complement to Thompson down low and take a lot of pressure off Irving in the backcourt.
Interestingly enough also, Cleveland may have finished 21-45 but were 16-23 almost halfway through March. The Cavs also are in arguably the toughest Eastern Conference division because despite sending just two teams to the postseason, Chicago and Indiana were the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.
Regardless of where the Cavaliers select in Round 1 though, expect a big man to help win the physical battles under the bucket, as defense was a big weakness last season.
Golden State Warriors
Whether it is the 2012-13 season or shortly thereafter, a window of opportunity is opening for the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers are heading downward and Phoenix's two best players are closing in on age 40.
As for the Warriors, they just need to improve defensively. Golden State's offense ranked No. 12 last season and the squad averaged just over 22 assists per game (ranked No. 9). So moving the ball around between Stephen Curry, David Lee, Klay Thompson and Nate Robinson was impressive.
Defending better against transition, rebounding on both ends and challenging more shots has to occur. The Warriors ranked No. 28 in points allowed and rebounds per game, so the No. 1 selection would land them Anthony David, Andre Drummond or Thomas Robinson.
Any of the three would help with depth and rotational defense in the frontcourt and provide the luxury of a bigger set against stronger offensive teams.
Washington Wizards
The Heat and Hawks are the obvious leaders in the Southeast Division, but the Washington Wizards have the potential to surpass the Orlando Magic next season.
Point guard John Wall is the focal point and he has potential reliability in Jordan Crawford and Chris Singleton (both have a lot of room to develop). Still, Washington needs a well-rounded player in the draft and Drummond or Davis suits well at No. 1.
The Wizards ranked No. 20 in rebounds and points allowed per game and that comes down to winning in the paint. Talented depth will help with rotation at power forward and center and give Washington a more favorable matchup against Miami.
Provided that Wall improved at dishing the ball around and the defense locks it down, the Wizards can be sneaky next season. Failing to address this however, will open up the playoff race to teams like Detroit, Toronto and Cleveland instead of the Wizards.
John Rozum on Twitter.
