NBA Draft 2012: Charlotte Bobcats and 4 Teams That Can't Afford to Miss on Picks

A few teams this year need to make up for a disappointing, if not downright horrendous season. Enter the NBA draft, where a slew of college kids will bring hope to some pretty awful franchises.

But who's to say the Charlotte Bobcats, for example, won't make the right choice in this year's draft? I mean, to get to the No. 2 pick in the draft, you had to have made some pretty awful decisions along the way.

It's still a mystery to me how there's such a disparity between the Michael Jordan we knew as a player and the Michael Jordan who now owns the Bobcats. The guy drafted Kwame Brown, let him go to the Lakers and then traded for him again to bring him back to Charlotte. I mean, c'mon, MJ!

Well, this NBA draft is the equivalent of the fourth quarter for the Bobcats. They're down 30, as usual, and many of the fans have already checked out, if not left the arena altogether. They need to make the right decision at this point and regain at least some of the respect from their fans, or fear another historically awful season.

Here are my five teams that can't afford to miss on draft day.

Charlotte Bobcats

No one wants to see Michael Jordan all glum. The universe seems a little off when MJ isn't anything but smiles. We're used to him dunking on competition like he's playing on a five-foot rim, tongue wagging and doing things like waving a "not in my house" finger made famous by Dikembe Mutumbo to, well, Dikembe Mutumbo.

But life has been hard for MJ ever since taking over the Bobcats. He just can't seem to make the right decision, leading his team to statistically become the worst in NBA history. And worst of all, they're going to probably miss out on a franchise player by one pick.

Ouch!

The Bobcats can't afford to make another mistake. They'll get anyone they want this draft, except for Anthony Davis, and while that's a reassuring thing, it's also daunting.

Since 2000, there have been four incredibly disappointing No. 2 picks: Darko Milicic, Jay Williams, Stromile Swift and Hasheem Thabeet. Throw Michael Beasley, Evan Turner and even Marvin Williams into the mix, and you can see why No. 2 is an unlucky number.

Sure, there have been superstars like Kevin Durant at No. 2 and even LaMarcus Aldridge, but in some ways, between the recent history of the No. 2 pick and the Bobcats' awful decision-making the past few seasons, the odds are against Charlotte to make the right choice.

Many think Kansas' Thomas Robinson, a power forward, should be the one to rescue the Bobcats because of their need for scoring. Their leading scorer last season was Gerald Henderson, who, at 15.1 points per game, was the worst leading scorer of any NBA team.

I guess you can't go wrong with that logic. At just around 80 points per game, the Bobcats were dead last in the league in scoring.

But I think you go with the biggest body available. And at No. 2, it's UConn's Andre Drummond. The Bobcats don't have a center. A big man is much more likely to take you farther with less than a point guard tasked with doing everything.

Build the defense first, and the offense will come. If the Bobcats can't score right now, at least try to limit the scoring of your opponents, too. Drummond will anchor the defense and, with his rebounding, will provide second-chance opportunities for the Bobcats on offense.

Be smart, MJ. Go for the biggest man available. Unlike your championship Bulls, most teams will falter without a big body down low.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are about as good as any team at the point guard and center/power forward position. With John Wall and Nene, they have a nice, promising duo.

One problem: Everyone else stinks, including Rashard Lewis, who, undeservedly, has been among the league's highest paid players the last few years.

The Wizards can't afford to miss in this draft. If they do, we'll likely begin hearing rumors of John Wall trades. He's too good to be on a mediocre team, and with Nene in the frontcourt, they're a piece or two away from playing competitive basketball.

They need to pair someone with Nene, and then they'll quickly become a defensive-minded team. Thomas Robinson could be that guy to take some of that pressure off Nene and change the lackadaisical attitude in Washington. He's even a DC native, which is usually a plus. They allowed almost 99 points per game last season, which is good for 20th in the league. They need a player to hold others accountable for being negligent on defense.

Draft Thomas Robinson, and let the defensive culture change in DC. The offense will come once John Wall hits his stride. That is, if he stays in Washington.

Sacramento Kings

There's a new rumor about the Kings leaving Sacramento nearly every week. For now, though, it seems they're staying put in Sac-town.

The Maloof brothers owe it to the fans to draft wisely with the No. 5 pick this year. If they're going to stay in Sacramento, they need to put together a formidable team that will play competitively every night, at least at home, and draw more fans to Arco Arena (now the Power Balance Arena).

The Kings should draft Harrison Barnes because he's the best player available to fill the teams void for scoring and rebounding.

The Kings give up nearly 109 points per game, which is good for 28th in the league. While DeMarcus Cousins is a good offensive rebounder, giving up that many points means they're also letting other teams get second-chance points, and so the Kings need to rebound on the defensive end as well.

Barnes will be a lanky small forward who can bring it on both ends. He'll also be a smart player who will pick his shots. Having played for Roy Williams at UNC, Barnes will (hopefully) bring a sense of maturity over the years to a team that's desperate for it. Cousins and Tyreke Evans are clearly talented, but Barnes could be the leader they've been lacking. 

Detroit Pistons

It's crazy to think that Tayshaun Prince is now the veteran leader of the Detroit Pistons. Seems like only yesterday his skin-and-bones were up on stage shaking hands with the commissioner.

But with Ben Wallace now gone, the team has officially begun its rebuilding stage...as if it was ever in doubt last year. They're a shell of the team they once were, which was, during their championship run, arguably the most well-rounded team of the last decade (sorry, Spurs fans).

The team can't afford to let its loyal fan base down. They're a classy franchise in a city that has felt the brunt of the bad economy. And they can't afford to mess up this draft because it's a pivotal point for the team.

They've got the building blocks in Rodney "50-cent" Stuckey, Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe. They've got proven winners and vets in Prince and Ben Gordon. And they've got a young coach in Lawrence Frank, who proved in New Jersey that he'll get the most from his players.

Drafting UConn's Jeremy Lamb would be a wise choice at the No. 9 spot in this year's draft. Lamb can do a little bit of everything, which is what the Pistons need.

They've got a bunch of good players who are good but not great. Sound familiar? That Pistons team of old, with the Wallace brothers, Prince, Rip, and Billups, was comprised of players that each knew their role and did it well.

The Pistons are on the verge of that again. It's sink or swim in this draft. If they take Lamb, he could be the missing piece to make this team play at a different level in a few years. If they miss, they could be relegated to mediocrity, and players will eventually walk.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns just cannot mess up this draft. Their franchise point guard, arguably the most important player in Suns history, could walk at the end of next season. They need to prove to him that despite his age, they're committed to adding a few more pieces to make the team competitive in the playoffs.

If they don't, they'll lose Nash (and eventually Grant Hill) and find themselves at the bottom of the league for years.

If they can get Jared Sullinger with the 13th pick, they should take him. The Suns are pretty bad at rebounding and give up 104 points per game. Head coach Alvin Gentry needs to focus the team more on the defensive end; we all know what a team is capable of doing with Nash running the offense.

Sullinger is a big, athletic body who will stay active all game on both ends of the floor. He's not afraid to throw his 270-pound body around and will learn to bang with the bigs down low as he gets acclimated.

He's also a solid defender and knows how to read defensive switches very well for such a young player. The fact that he can pretty much do it all on the defensive end and guard a small forward or a power forward (or even a shooting guard in some cases), and score from anywhere on the court, makes Sullinger a sure-fire pick for the Suns. Phoenix is in need of a big man who isn't afraid to get dirty.

Pairing him with Nash is obviously a blessing for the rookie, but he'll need to produce quickly if he hopes to continue playing with the Hall of Famer. Otherwise, we could see Nash walk away (possibly to Miami), and leave the Suns to figure out where they went wrong in the draft.