NBA Draft 2012: Bold Predictions for Draft with Final Order Set

The NBA draft lottery is nothing but a source of controversy for the league, yet they keep doing it for reasons known only to the people in charge. 

Despite some of the theories out there about how this year's lottery is riddled with conspiracies, we can finally start to focus on what to expect from the draft (what a novel concept, right?).

Here are our bold predictions for what you can expect to see on draft night.

Charlotte Will Take Bradley Beal With The No. 2 Pick

The consensus seems to be that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the No. 2 player available in this draft, yet they are underestimating just how great—not good—Beal will be. 

Beal is an outstanding shooter, with the speed and power to drive the lane, and he uses his strength to bang low for rebounds. 

Looking at the Bobcats' roster, they need a lot of help at every position, so nothing should be off limits. They desperately need to find a shooting guard who can create his own opportunities, so Beal has to be the choice. 

Perry Jones III Will Fall To Philadelphia at No. 15

Just looking at his raw skills, Jones should be a lottery pick. He has size, speed, power and a nice touch with the ball in his hands. Yet when you get him in game action, something is lost in translation. 

NBA teams should draft for upside, which Jones has plenty of, but there are going to be a lot of scouts and GMs who look at the tape of him in a lot of big games realizing that bad things happen to him on the stage. 

The 76ers will capitalize on Jones' stock dropping and snatch him with their first-round pick. They need more athletic big men, and Jones has the skills to be a star in Doug Collins' system. 

Orlando Will Draft Dwight Howard's Replacement

The Magic have plenty of holes to fill in this draft, but their biggest one is going to be in the middle due to their disgruntled superstar Dwight Howard. 

Howard's constant waffling on where he wants to play will finally come to a head later on this summer, as the Magic will be forced to trade him to the highest bidder. 

The new regime will try to fill Howard's very big shoes with a new center—presumably Fab Melo or Meyers Leonard. Neither player will make anyone forget Howard, but it will be easier for this franchise to move forward knowing they have a capable center in the fold. 

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