2012 NBA Draft Order: Lottery Teams That Will Turn Their Franchise Around

The NBA lottery results are in and a few teams are in prime position to put the core of their roster in place.

Anthony Davis is the clear top pick in the draft and is expected to be a franchise cornerstone, but other players have the same potential. 

With a loaded draft class, the teams picking at the top may be in the playoffs in a couple years, if they make the right choices. 

Here are three teams that could put together a promising young squad with their lottery selections this year. 

New Orleans Hornets, Pick No. 1, Pick No. 10 

The Hornets were the big winners of this year’s lottery and will have Davis lining up at power forward for them next season.

Davis’ presence will immediately make it harder to score on New Orleans as he is the best defensive big man to come out of the draft since Dwight Howard. It will also go a long way towards convincing Eric Gordon to stay with the team.

The Hornets also have the No. 10 pick and can get another player to complement Davis and Gordon.

The team could use help at point guard, as Jarret Jack is good, but definitely not the future at the position. Damian Lillard out of Weber State and Kendall Marshall from North Carolina would both be smart picks. 

Portland Trail Blazers, Pick No. 6, Pick No. 11 

The Blazers are the other team with two lottery picks and can add some nice pieces around LaMarcus Aldridge. 

The team has had some awful luck with their high draft picks in recent years, as both Brandon Roy and Greg Oden had injury-riddled careers and are no longer with the team.

But this is the Blazers’ chance to turn their fortunes around, and the team needs a center and a perimeter scorer.

If Andre Drummond is available at No. 6, he would be an ideal fit for the team. This would allow Portland to use its second lottery pick on a shooter like Jeremy Lamb from Connecticut or Terrence Ross from Washington. 

Cleveland Cavaliers, Pick No. 4

The Cavaliers had the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in last year’s draft, and now have a high draft pick again.

Kyrie Irving proved to be a great pick, but the jury is still out on Tristan Thompson.

The team now has an excellent opportunity to grab a player that can be Irving’s sidekick. The team needs help on the wing, and Harrison Barnes out of North Carolina is a great option for them.

Thomas Robinson out of Kansas is the better overall prospect, but he does not fill a need for the team. Either way, the Cavs are set up to keep stockpiling young talent, and it will start to pay off in the next few years.