2012 NBA Lottery Results: Predicting How the Top 10 Will Shake Out

In a “surprise,” the league-owned New Orleans Hornets moved up three spots during the lottery to nab the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft draft.

If karma is paying attention, Anthony Davis’ NBA future will look as good as his facial hair.

Unfortunately for anyone who appreciates honesty and integrity in their professional sports leagues, that’s not likely to happen.

Here is how Anthony Davis and the rest of the projected top 10 picks in this year’s NBA draft will pan out in their careers.

1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets

There are too many positives in Anthony Davis’ game to see him busting.

At a graceful 6’10” with long arms, he is any slasher’s worst nightmare. Davis’ shot-blocking ability is where any discussion about his skills must start. That ability will make him a regular on the NBA’s All-Defensive team and the Defensive Player of the Year at some point in his career.

But it doesn’t end on defense.

Davis knows how to score and is fluid on offense. That’s because he was a point guard through high school until growing eight inches.

His background running an offense will prove an added bonus, much like a high school quarterback who turned into a wide receiver in college.

A more offensively advanced version of Marcus Camby is what to expect from Davis. He will be a dominant defensive player in the NBA.

2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats

The transition to the NBA will be a tough one for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The 6’7”, 232-pound small forward was able to bulldoze his way through college competition. He won’t be able to do that against bigger players in the NBA.

His passion for the game will help him overcome that obstacle.

Expect to see Kidd-Gilchrist struggle early in his rookie year as he adapts to playing better defenders.

Once he has a difficult time offensively, he will figure out new ways to be effective.

Kidd-Gilchrist is the kind of guy who will be at the practice facility well before the rest of the team and he’ll be the one some unlucky assistant coach is stuck banging with pads and rebounding for until midnight.

That bodes well for Kidd-Gilchrist’s future. He will become a go-to scorer and could evolve into a Paul Pierce-type player.

3. Thomas Robinson, Washington Wizards

At 6’10” and almost 240 pounds, Thomas Robinson has ideal size for a power forward.

He’s strong and he’s got a decent arsenal of moves on the block.

As a rookie, don’t be surprised if he’s averaging upwards of 15 points and 10 rebounds a game for the Wizards.

The downside is Robinson will average those same numbers when he hits his prime in a few years. He doesn’t have a very high ceiling—what you see now is what you’re going to get.

He may be able to up his scoring a bit if he is able to master a go-to move and counter to that move. That will take a few years of working with a skilled big man.

4. Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers

An athletically gifted, raw big man coming out of UConn gets picked high in the draft.

It seems this story has been told before.

Luckily for the Cavaliers, they can’t afford to send Andre Drummond to the D-League.

Instead, he’ll take his lumps in Cleveland. Then he’ll take more lumps. In between, he’ll show enough flashes of brilliance to keep Cavs fans hopeful those flashes will form a bright future.

They won’t.

Drummond will be the biggest bust of 2012.

5. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings

With Marcus Thornton, DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans already in Sacramento, Harrison Barnes adds a fourth young starter with star potential.

He also adds the need for more shot attempts.

Thornton, Cousins and Evans combined to put up just over 45 shots a game last year.

At North Carolina, Barnes needed more than 13 shots to score 17 points a game.

That's a lot of shots to pass around in a game.

Barnes could have a difficult time adapting to a lesser role as a scorer with the Kings.

If he is able to adjust to fewer shot attempts and focus on improving other areas of his game—namely rebounding and defense—the Kings have the makings of an incredibly talented young team.

A few years down the road, Sacramento could find itself looking like this year’s Oklahoma City Thunder.

If he isn't able to grasp a lesser role, Barnes will be relegated to the bench and a headful of what-ifs.

6. Jared Sullinger, Portland Trail Blazers

In need of a center, the Portland Trail Blazers will take a hefty power forward in hopes that the combination of Jared Sullinger’s girth and LaMarcus Aldridge’s length is enough to slow opposing centers.

It might be.

Sullinger is better suited to defend old-school power forwards. He’s slow but strong with quick hands. He can body up on bigs who try to post him up, but he won’t be able to stop them from shooting over him.

Offensively, Sullinger has a refined game. When he gets the ball on the block, it’s almost a guarantee he’ll score or get to the line.

Sullinger ends up being a middle-of-the-road pick for Portland, which isn’t what the Blazers want to get with the sixth overall pick.

7. Terrence Jones, Golden State Warriors

The knock on Terrence Jones entering the draft is that he’s a tweener. At 6’9”, 250 pounds, he’s too small to play power forward and too slow to play small forward.

He’ll find the perfect home with the Golden State Warriors, where tweeners go to thrive.

Guys like Steph Curry and Monta Ellis have dismissed similar labels in the Bay Area. Jones will be the next in that line.

He fits nicely in the starting lineup alongside Curry, three-point specialist Klay Thompson, scoring and rebounding machine David Lee, and what Warrior fans hope is a finally healthy Andrew Bogut.

Jones offers physicality on the front line. He also brings ferocious slashing ability.

In his rookie year, Jones—with Bogut’s help—will boost the Warriors into the playoffs.

8. Bradley Beal, Toronto Raptors

Bradley Beal will slip down the draft board farther than many expected.

He didn’t shoot the three-point ball well enough in his lone season at Florida to be considered a top-flight shooting guard. He will need to prove in pre-draft workouts that his .339 three-point percentage was an anomaly.

He will have a tough time doing so.

With the Raptors, however, Beal will have the green light to hoist up as many shots as he wants.

This is an ideal home for Beal. Toronto doesn’t possess a lot of offensive weapons. That means the ball will find its way into Beal’s hands frequently, allowing him to score in bunches right away.

At season’s end, Beal will be an All-Rookie selection and he’ll forget all about sliding down to the No. 8 pick—until next season when he plays those other seven teams.

9. Arnett Moultrie, Detroit Pistons

The Pistons will try to address their frontcourt concerns by adding Arnett Moultrie, a 6’11” beast.

Moultrie has a center’s size with the skills of a small forward.

At Mississippi State, he found plenty of success, scoring better than 16 points and grabbing more than 10 boards a game. He did so efficiently, shooting .549 percent.

His game won’t translate as nicely to the NBA as Detroit’s front office would like.

He will have a hard time defining his role.

If he is able to establish an identity, he has the makeup to become a poor man’s Kevin Garnett.

In order to do so, he will need to sacrifice his offensive development early on to become a defensive force.

10. Jeremy Lamb, New Orleans Hornets

Jeremy Lamb gives the New Orleans Hornets two freak athletes in one draft. While Lamb stands only 6’5”, his condor arms give him the wingspan of a seven-footer.

With Lamb and Anthony Davis, the Hornets will be as disruptive to other teams' passing lanes as Twitter is to the workforce.

Lamb’s long arms make him an above-average rebounder for a shooting guard with below-average height.

He also possesses a killer instinct on offense.

Lamb will blossom into a tremendous player in New Orleans. With Davis and Eric Gordon, the Hornets have a terrific trio to build around.