NBA Draft 2012: How Deep Draft Class Will Reshape NBA's Balance of Power

Parity is back.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to separate championship contenders from pretenders before the NBA season even begins. For crying out loud, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have won nine out of the last 13 NBA championships—a power shift is rare. But with the 2012 draft class being the deepest since 2003, brace yourself for a new-look league—one of competitive balance.

Just look at what that 2003 class accomplished. LeBron James took a Cleveland Cavaliers team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 1991 to the NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade did the same thing with the Miami Heat, who had previously gotten out of the first round just twice in franchise history, except he won.

The Denver Nuggets hadn’t made it to the playoffs since 1995 before Carmelo Anthony, and who knows how many times they would’ve come out of the Western Conference if it weren’t for the Lakers. Chris Bosh led the Toronto Raptors to their first division title in franchise history. Even Kendrick Perkins anchored the defense of a Boston Celtics squad which had advanced past the first round of the playoffs only twice in the previous decade.

Now, outside of players like Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal, few prospects remain that scouts believe possess superstar potential. That doesn’t mean this year’s class can’t have an equal impact to 2003 though. The key word is depth.

Charlotte not only has a shot to land Davis, they could also draft John Jenkins, arguably the best pure shooter in the class at that top of the second round. The ability to add that type of talent to your roster after the first round is unheard of.

Teams like the Bobcats, Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings will reap the benefits of being able to select two players that will instantly break into their rotation. For other franchises, the opportunity to enhance their roster is even greater. The Cavs and Portland Trail Blazers own four draft picks, two in each round, while the Blazers and New Orleans Hornets each have two lottery picks.

Depth will begin to have a much greater impact and the transition is already occurring. San Antonio is the best team in the league this season, not because they have overwhelming stars, but because they have the deepest roster.

Pay close attention to the 2012 NBA Draft. Remember the names of the franchises that leave it considered winners because those will be the teams contending for a title over the next half dozen years.

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

Follow @TheRealDDaniels