2012 NBA Draft Lottery Results: Biggest Surprises and Disappointments

The New Orleans Hornets were the lucky winners of the 2012 NBA draft lottery Wednesday night, as the team with the fourth-worst record in the NBA last season secured the first pick in next month's draft.

The Charlotte Bobcats, however, continued their streak of historic losses this past season by falling to No. 2 overall. 

These were just a few of the many surprises and disappointments that dotted the 2012 NBA draft lottery. Below, we run down the five biggest surprises and disappointments from last night's draw:

Surprises

New Orleans Hornets strike gold

After trading away Chris Paul—the best player the Hornets have possessed while in New Orleans—and maneuvering through a shaky ownership situation, the Hornets were awarded a potentially franchise-changing moment when the bouncing balls fell their way Wednesday night. 

New Orleans defied their 13.7 percent odds by landing the draft's top pick.

New owner Tom Benson can now rebuild his franchise around Kentucky's Anthony Davis, who is almost guaranteed to be the Hornets' pick at No. 1 overall. Davis, one of the nation's best defenders a year ago, also fits perfectly into head coach Monty Williams' defensive-minded style.

Things are starting to look up for a franchise pushed to the brink over the last year.

Anthony Davis avoids Charlotte

The Charlotte Bobcats needed the No. 1 pick more than any franchise, but the man that was likely to be that pick avoided a not-so-perfect situation in Charlotte. 

While Davis' defensive skill set will translate no matter where he goes, the Bobcats need help right now on the offensive end. No team in the NBA was worse at scoring the basketball last season than Charlotte, who averaged under 90 points a game. Would Davis had helped significantly improve a team that won just seven games in 2011-12?

Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors hold lottery picks 

Both the Blazers and Warriors avoided losing lottery picks last night with lucky draws. 

Portland, who also holds the slotted No. 11 position, will pick at No. 6 overall thanks to a deal that sent Gerald Wallace to New Jersey. The pick was top-three protected, however, so the Blazers stood a decent chance at losing the selection to the Nets. 

Now, the Blazers hold two top-12 picks to help jump start a quick rebuild. 

The Warriors also lucked out on the draw, as Golden State was set to hand over their pick to the Utah Jazz if it landed outside the top-eight. Instead, the Warriors will pick No. 7—an ideal position given their odds (3.7 percent to land No. 1 pick) to help provide a piece around Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut. 

Disappointments

Charlotte Bobcats lose again

The Bobcats simply cannot avoid losing over the 2011-12 basketball year.

After dropping an NBA-high 59 games during the regular season, Charlotte watched its No. 1 pick go up in flames Wednesday. Despite a 25 percent chance of obtaining the top selection, the Bobcats landed the second slot. 

There will certainly be a good player at No. 2 for the Bobcats to take, but there is no one in this draft that could have impacted a franchise like Davis. Losing out on the talented rim protector leaves the Bobcats picking between Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson and Bradley Beal. 

Brooklyn Nets' empty night

The Nets lost in two different ways Wednesday night. 

Not only did they fail to land a top-three pick, which then sent their first-rounder to the Blazers, but Brooklyn is also looking at the potential loss of Deron Williams now that Anthony Davis will not be a trading piece to get Dwight Howard.

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowksi reported Wednesday that Williams would likely leave the Nets if the team was unable to obtain Howard via trade this offseason. Brooklyn's best shot at doing that deal was with a top pick involved, but that's no longer in the cards. 

With no pick on board this offseason and the loss of Williams on the horizon, the Nets may struggle to improve for 2012-13.