Golden State Warriors: Best Players to Gamble on in the 2012 NBA Draft

The Golden State Warriors will soon be bound for San Francisco. 

But before their scenery changes, their roster will. 

Barring any major lottery shakeups, the Warriors are slated to pick seventh in the 2012 NBA draft.  While injuries and allegations of tanking marred Mark Jackson's first season as head coach, Golden State is hoping choosing the right player in the draft and getting David Lee, Stephen Curry and newly-acquired center Andrew Bogut back healthy will rapidly boost the Warriors into playoff contention. 

Here are the five best bets for Golden State to nab at No. 7. 

Jeremy Lamb

Jeremy Lamb would bring a variety of assets to Golden State.  A very good scorer both off the dribble and pulling up, Lamb demonstrated clutch play and remarkable composure while under Jim Calhoun at UConn. 

Aside from his offensive proficiency, Lamb was a more than capable perimeter defender at UConn and at one point or another defended all three perimeter positions.  His unbelievable length (7'1" wingspan for a 6'5" player) will undoubtedly serve him well on the defensive end, something Golden State could use help with. 

Lamb's main weakness is his lack of bulk and strength.  Lamb very rarely visited the charity stripe and was known to shy away from contact.  But Golden State's fast-paced style of play is tailor-made to hide Lamb's deficiencies. 

Perry Jones

Though Golden State has Andrew Bogut and David Lee manning the frontcourt, the Warriors would be crazy if they didn't think long and hard about choosing Perry Jones at seven. 

Jones is arguably the most athletic and explosive player in the 2012 NBA draft and has enough potential to fill Oracle Arena, both figuratively and literally. 

Jones is a great ball-handler for a big man and moves very well without the ball.  His immense size makes him a good passing target in traffic, and Jones utilizes his athleticism and leaping ability very well to finish close to the rim. 

Jones' character and work ethic are two big question marks that have hung around Jones for some time and may have knocked him out of top-five consideration.  However, the positives Jones brings to the table may be too much for Golden State to pass up. 

Kendall Marshall

It is reasonable to assume that part of the reason Monta Ellis was shipped to Milwaukee in exchange for Andrew Bogut was to free up production opportunities for Stephen Curry, David Lee and others. 

Considering Kendall Marshall's scoring ability has been called "non-existent" but he is considered to have the best true point guard skills by far in the draft,  it would make Marshall a very wise choice for Golden State.

Marshall would be an absolute assist machine and immediate floor leader with Golden State, making everyone's job much easier.  Rather than the Warriors having to rely so much on players creating their own shots, Marshall would immediately improve the offensive efficiency of the team. 

This is all assuming the Warriors are prepared to move Stephen Curry to shooting guard, which is far from a certainty, despite Curry being far from a true point guard. 

Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers has the pedigree, the intensity and the offensive prowess that would fit in quite nicely with the Warriors.  His ability to play either guard spot opens up the possibility for a variety of different lineups that could exploit certain matchups. 

Though Rivers could stand to improve his shot selection and learn to be a little more unselfish, those types of problems are more easily eliminated by coaches than a lack of size or athleticism.

Rivers' knack for putting the ball in the hoop would go a long way in replacing production lost by the trading of Monta Ellis. 

Terrence Ross

Ross would be a reach at seven, and the selection of Ross that high would likely elicit a cacophony of boos from the Warriors fans in attendance on draft night. 

However, Ross's combination of great one-on-one and help defense, flashy face-up game and irrational confidence would make him a player who should remain firmly on Golden State's radar. 

While lacking a conscience and having an irrational level of confidence may not exactly be seen as positives by many, it seems that every successful playoff team needs an "irrational confidence guy." 

An "irrational confidence guy" is seemingly oblivious of the huge stakes of the game and has zero qualms with taking the do-or-die shot for his team.  Terrence Ross would fit the bill for irrational confidence guy perfectly and could even take him to new irrationally confident heights.