NBA Lottery 2012: 5 Bold Predictions for Tonight's Lottery

Ah, it is finally time for the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery! This is the day that the fans of those teams that end up in the lottery mark on their calendar as soon as the regular season ends. Every team has hopes and dreams of landing the next big thing. Or in this year's case, the next big unibrow.

Yes, even the Charlotte Bobcats have hopes and dreams.

The teams that just missed out on the playoffs are looking for the player to help them take that next step.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Bobcats, Wizards and Hornets are just looking for a player, any player to reverse their fortunes. 

It will be as interesting as ever to see what the ping-pong balls have to say about the future of 14 franchises. 

Charlotte Bobcats Do Not Land the Top Pick

It almost seems impossible, the Bobcats have to land the top pick right? It's as if they should already be selling Anthony Davis jerseys. 

Nope, not so fast, the Charlotte Bobcats will not land the No.1 pick. I am agreeing with my colleague Ezra Skobeloff on this one. For fans of the team, I send my condolences, you should not have to endure the constant struggles that this team faces. 

Charlotte just put the finishing touches on a season that quite possibly was worse than one we will ever see again. I just don't see a team posting lower than a .106 winning percentage, unless, of course, the 2012-13 version of this team is even more inept.

Chances are, the Bobcats still end up with a top three pick. Bradley Beal or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist certainly are not bad consolation prizes, but Charlotte needs Anthony Davis. 

I just don't see it in the cards for tonight, I'll reveal who I think will get the top pick later on in this article. 

Steve Nash Represents the Suns for the Final Time

Suns fans are just starting to warm up to the idea that the face of the franchise for the better part of the last decade will not return next season. 

It is looking less and less likely by the day, with Nash coming out and saying that he wants to play for a contender, according to J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today. 

"Hopefully the opportunity falls upon me to play with a team that contends," Nash said. 

Nash developed into one of the top point guards in the league over the course of his career, while also being one of the most gifted passers ever to play the game. 

Thus is life though, the Suns are just entering into the re-building process and a 38-year old point guard will not do a whole lot for them at this point. 

With all that being said, I see Nash playing somewhere else next season, and he will make his final appearance as a member of the Phoenix Suns organization in the Big Apple tonight. 

Party Like It's 2010: Washington Wizards Win the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes

I know, I know, it's not too big of an upset, but I see the Wizards landing the top pick. After all, they do have the 2nd best odds, at 19.9 percent, but nonetheless, Anthony Davis will be playing ball in Washington next season. 

In 2010, the Wizards had just the 5th best chance at landing John Wall, but they managed to get him. Why not have luck strike twice in three years? The fans of the team certainly deserve it after the seemingly endless losing seasons they have suffered through. 

Adding a player with the caliber of Anthony Davis to join forces with Nene inside actually gives the Wizards a very potent combination.

Throw in the aforementioned Wall at the point and as crazy it sounds, Washington could make a run at the playoffs in 2012-13 if my prediction comes true. 

Milwaukee Bucks Land a Top 8 Pick

Each and every year something goes completely awry in the NBA Draft Lottery. Either a team with some of the best odds ends up toward the bottom or a team that just missed out on the playoffs gets extremely lucky. 

My prediction for this year is that the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves to be the lucky ones tonight. Despite owning just a 0.7 percent chance at getting the No.1 pick, good enough for 12th out of 14 teams, I see them landing a top eight pick. 

That would at least give them a fighting chance to land a player like Jared Sullinger or Perry Jones. There is a slight chance that Harrison Barnes could still be on the board, but that seems like a bit of a reach. 

Adding a quality post presence gives the Bucks a chance to reverse their fortunes next season. The team already has a very talented backcourt and you know never know what could happen in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference. 

Warriors, Trail Blazers and Rockets Will End Up Where They Are Slotted

The three aforementioned teams are the only ones that I am predicting will end up in their pre-draft lottery slot tonight. What all of this means is that the Warriors will keep the 7th overall pick, while the Trail Blazers and Rockets will stay in the No. 11 and 14 slots. 

Also, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Portland will also receive the 6th pick from the Brooklyn Nets if they do not end up in the top three. 

Each of the three teams projected here have slim chances at best to land the No. 1 overall selection. 

If you are a Warriors fan, you are sitting on pins and needles, hoping that this scenario plays out. With all due respect to the Golden State franchise, the team is not playoff ready. Adding a lottery talent to the roster can only help.

The last thing they want is to lose that pick to the Utah Jazz, which is all thanks to the Marcus Williams trade. Williams played a grand total of nine games for the Warriors in his career. 

The scenario that gives the pick to Utah will play out only if Golden State finishes 8th or lower in the draft lottery.