2012 NBA Lottery Order: Teams That Can't Afford to Get Shafted

The Sacramento Kings have gotten shafted the last few years when the NBA lottery order was unveiled, and they are among the teams who can't afford to get screwed in this year's lottery.

These franchises have an opportunity to land one of this year's top talents if they get lucky enough to overcome the odds and finish higher than the odds say they should. Conversely, if they end up selecting further back than the odds suggest, they will have a tougher time of building their rosters.

Here are the three teams that can't afford to fall down the draft board.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have had terrible luck in the lottery during the past three years.

They had the best possible chance to land the No. 1 spot in 2009, but ended up picking fourth. They had the third-best chance to pick first in 2010, but ended up picking fifth. Finally, they had the fifth-best chance to land the No. 1 pick in 2011, but ended up picking seventh and ultimately traded the pick to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Kings can't afford to get pushed down the draft board again this year. They need some good luck for once. Imagine DeMarcus Cousins playing next to Anthony Davis. That combination would be unstoppable given a couple of years playing together.

The Kings have the fourth-best chance to land the No. 1 pick this year with a 7.6 percent chance. While they don't necessarily need the top-overall pick, it sure wouldn't hurt to move up into the top three. If they are forced down out of the top five, it will significantly hurt their chances of drastically improving their record next year.

Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats ended the regular season with a whimper, finishing with a record of 7-59. They desperately need to have a solid draft, and if any franchise truly needs to land Davis this summer, it's the Bobcats.

Gerald Henderson proved to be a player who Charlotte can build its roster around, and his 2011-2012 campaign should give fans hope of a brighter future. That being said, they desperately need to improve every other position on the floor. 

There is a massive drop-off in talent from Davis to anyone else in the draft. He is considered to be the best prospect to come out of college since Kevin Durant, and the team would be devastated if it lost out on an opportunity to pair Davis with Henderson. 

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors need something good to happen to them. A slide down the draft board would be devastating to them this summer, as they have some major holes to fill—especially at the center position.

Andrew Bogut isn't the answer, and neither is Andris Biedrins or Micki Moore. They need to have an opportunity to land Andre Drummond or Cody Zeller, but if they manage to slide out of the top seven, their pick will go to the Utah Jazz.

The Warriors are currently the seventh-likeliest team to land the No. 1 spot with a 3.6 percent chance. If they slide down instead of moving up, their chances of landing a difference-maker in the draft will fall drastically.

Note: All lottery odds and facts were taken from NBA.com.

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