2012 NBA Draft Order: 10 Bold Predictions for June's NBA Draft

The New Orleans Hornets stole the show during the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery by jumping up from the fourth spot to secure the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Michael Jordan and everyone in the Charlotte Bobcats organization has to be feeling sick to their stomach after losing out on the top spot in this year’s draft and the franchise-changing talent, Anthony Davis.

Despite the unlucky break for the Bobcats, the draft order has been finalized, barring any trades moving forward.

There are still a lot of questions to answer as to where this year’s prospects will fall come June, so it’s time to make some predictions.

Here are 10 bold calls for the 2012 NBA Draft.

1. Charlotte Bobcats Will Roll the Dice

After finishing last season with a 7-59 overall record, bad enough for the worst winning percentage ever by an NBA franchise, the Bobcats needed more than few big breaks.

They missed out on a big one Wednesday night and will have to set their sights on a player other than Anthony Davis.

Bobcat fans (if there are any left at this point, and for those of you hanging in there, I commend you) have to be nervous that Jordan won’t have a shot at Davis this year. "The Unibrow" is widely seen as the can’t-miss, surefire first-overall selection.

Jordan has a checkered past when it comes to drafting solid players.

The man regarded as the greatest basketball player ever made the decision to draft notorious bust Kwame Brown with the first overall pick while with the Washington Wizards. With the Bobcats organization, Jordan drafted Gonzaga standout Adam Morrison with the third overall pick.

Currently, those two players compete for the title of “Biggest Jordan Bust.”

In my opinion, the safe pick here would be Thomas Robinson from Kansas, who averaged 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season.

However, I predict that Jordan and the Bobcats will go with Andre Drummond out of UCONN. Drummond has a tremendously high ceiling in terms of potential, but his lack of basketball IQ and question marks about his work ethic make him a bust risk.

The Bobcats aren’t going to be able to turn things around right away, so they have time to groom Drummond into a better player as he realizes his potential.

Could Jordan really miss catastrophically three times as a GM? It’s possible if he targets Drummond.

2. Meyers Leonard Will Go in Top 10

Although some view Meyers Leonard as an overrated prospect in this year’s draft, NBA teams are always desperate for size.

At 7’1”, 245 pounds, Leonard certainly brings size to the table. Even though drafting a vertically gifted center hasn’t panned out in recent years (see: Greg Oden, Hasheem Thabeet), I don’t believe that Leonard has much bust potential.

Despite standing at over seven feet tall, Leonard has a soft touch around the basket, which led to shooting an impressive 58.4 percent from the field.

Additionally, Leonard doesn’t have the typical struggles of a big man at the charity stripe. His 73.2 percent from the free-throw line wasn’t great, but compared with other players his size he looks like Ray Allen.

It’s certainly a bold prediction to say that Leonard will go in the top 10 considering the fact that he still needs to improve his game and doesn’t have the sheer athletic ability that makes him scary for opponents to face.

Nevertheless, I think that Leonard could be an extremely solid center in the NBA for a long time to come. If a team in the top 10 looks to add size instead of drafting for a specific "need," Leonard could be off the board quicker than you think.

3. John Henson's Stock Will Slide

John Henson is a solid NBA prospect at this point, but a few factors could cause his stock to slide on draft day.

At 6’11”, 220 pounds, Henson is built like a string bean. His lanky frame is very slender and that could hinder his ability to develop a steady game on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

Offensively, Henson may not have the strength to post-up bigger, stronger NBA centers and power forwards (I could see Zach Randolph having a field day against this kid).

The defensive end is likely where Henson is most comfortable. During his sophomore season, Henson recorded 3.2 blocks per game. Interestingly, that number dropped last season to 2.9 blocks per game. That number is still impressive, but Henson was garnering more minutes and had less blocks, which is a setback.

Despite his eye-popping shot blocking numbers, there’s more to playing defense at the NBA level than rejecting shot attempts.

Will Henson be able to hold his own physically against stronger NBA athletes when they post him up down low? That remains to be seen.

4. The Phoenix Suns Won't Draft a Point Guard

The Phoenix Suns are in a very difficult position on draft day. Chances seem pretty low at this point that the Suns’ floor general and face of the franchise, Steve Nash, will be back for another season.

If Nash chooses to pursue a championship moving forward by signing with a contender, the Suns should target a point guard to replace him in the draft, right?

Well, that option may not be so easy in June.

At No. 13, the Suns are in a tight spot because the two best point guards in this year’s draft, Damian Lillard and Kendall Marshall, are likely to be off the board.

If that’s the case, the Suns would be reaching by selecting the incompetent shooting, tweener-guard Tony Wroten or Kentucky’s Marquis Teague.

The Suns could move forward by finding a replacement for Grant Hill, who will be 40 years old next season, by targeting Kentucky’s Terrence Jones, assuming he’s still available.

If Nash leaves via free agency, expect the Suns to be much higher than No. 13 in next year’s draft.

5. Two Lambs in Top 25

Jeremy Lamb out of UCONN and Doron Lamb out of Kentucky are two slick shooting guards with the ability to score in crafty ways.

Although Jeremy is all but certain to be drafted before Doron, maybe in the top 10, both players will likely be off the board after one round.

With that said, I think that both of these players will be gone after the top 25 selections.

There are plenty of teams in the NBA right now looking for help at shooting guard including the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following the career paths of both of these players will be an interesting story line moving forward.

6. Kendall Marshall Will Be a Portland Trail Blazer

After a disappointing season from Raymond Felton, the Portland Trail Blazers will be in the market for a new point guard.

I think that Portland will target a dynamic scorer with the sixth overall pick they gained from the Brooklyn Nets via the Gerald Wallace trade, so that leaves their other first round pick at No. 11.

This is where I believe Marshall will land come draft day.

Damian Lillard, a score-first point guard out of Weber State, could be in the running for Portland at No. 6, but I think the Trail Blazers would be wise to target a scoring shooting guard or small forward and hope that the distributing Marshall falls to them at No. 11 instead.

7. Royce White Will Go Higher Than Expected

Royce White out of Iowa State is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft.

White averaged five assists per game last season, earning him the rare label of “point-forward”. In other words, he’s a 6’6”, 270-pound forward who has the instincts of a point guard.

His 13.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game were also impressive.

I’d label White as a more athletic version of Boris Diaw when he played with the Phoenix Suns. He’s a big guy who can score and rebound while opening up the offense with his passing ability.

White also proved he doesn’t shy away from big moments. In a game against the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats a season ago, White notched 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The only knocks on White are his poor range (33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and he doesn’t attempt many) and his putrid free-throw shooting (49.8 percent for the season).

Nevertheless, it’s much easier as a basketball player to improve your free-throw shooting than it is to improve your point guard instincts.

If a coach becomes enamored with the skills White can provide, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go in the top 20 or even top 15 selections.

8. Miami Heat Will Add Size over Skill

No disrespect to Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, and Ronny Turiaf, but the Miami Heat simply have to add size moving forward.

For parts of the series against the Indiana Pacers, Shane Battier was forced to guard David West. Although Battier did an admirable job and helped the Heat dispose of the Pacers this postseason, that isn’t an ideal matchup.

The Heat have been (to some extent) exposed by the loss of Chris Bosh. The Heat keep winning because LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are really, really good. However, their frontcourt depth has been an area of concern for a while.

With that said, I expect the Heat to target a big body, not necessarily a pure basketball talent, with their late round selection.

Two names that come to mind are Fab Melo and Festus Ezeli.

9. Portland Will Make Draft Day Trade(s)

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a great position for this year’s draft.

With two choices in the top 11 picks as well as two picks in the second round, I would not be at all surprised to see the Trail Blazers make some deals to improve their team.

Portland is a team that appears to be in rebuilding mode at this point and I expect them to maintain a vice grip on their two first-round selections.

However, with two picks in the second round, the Trail Blazers could look to make some trades.

It’s highly unlikely that Portland plans to draft, and bring in, four rookies for next season. That’s simply too many bodies that need to develop their game with court time and minutes.

If the Trail Blazers decide not to trade their picks in the second round, look for them to draft European players who won’t come to the NBA right away. That would at least be a smart investment by Portland at this stage.

10. New York Knicks May Trade Up

J.R. Smith, Steve Novak, Jared Jeffries, Baron Davis, Mike Bibby, Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin are all free agents this offseason and the New York Knicks only hold the 48th pick in the draft, late in the second round.

The Knicks have a lot of bodies to replace this summer and they have to be frustrated that they can’t bring a first-round draft pick to the team to address some of those holes.

New York could conceivably trade a future first rounder to add a first-round player in 2012. Although it would be shocking, the Knicks may even swing a trade of Amar'e Stoudemire to jump into the top-5 picks.

Baron Davis’s knee injury could be career-ending and Mike Bibby may opt to retire. With all of the question marks surrounding the Knicks roster next season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Knicks try and add a player that will have more of an impact than whoever they pick at No. 48.

If not, they'll be staring at a surprisingly weak free-agent class later this summer.