NBA Draft 2012: Every GM Should Beware of These 5 Red Flags on Draft Night

When NBA general managers are evaluating the top prospects for the 2012 NBA draft, they have to be careful not to avoid too many red flags. After all, those exist for a reason. 

Whether it's a question of talent, desire, bust-potential or something else entirely, a few prospects have bright red flags just waving in the metaphorical winds of the draft landscape. They can't be overlooked and the risk must be taken into account. 

So, which are the five biggest red flags that GMs need to be wary of on Thursday night?

Andre Drummond's Rawness

When you're an NBA general manager and you're told that there's a big man out there who could become the next Dwight Howard, you start salivating. When you're told that he could become even better than D12, you don't hold back and start drooling.

However, you also forget that there's an incredible potential for him to bust because that ceiling is so hard to reach. Such is the case with Andre Drummond. 

Drummond has all the physical talents you could ever desire in a center prospect, but he has yet to truly put them all together. He showed brief flashes at Connecticut but never appeared dominant for a prolonged period of time, instead showing periodic signs of disinterest.

As raw as they come, Drummond could just as easily become the next Kwame Brown or Darko Milicic if he doesn't put in the required work to be great.   

Jeremy Lamb's Desire

The question of desire is never more prevalent in the 2012 NBA draft than it is with Jeremy Lamb, who, just like Andre Drummond, also happens to be a former Connecticut player. 

Lamb is a talented wing player with great scoring skills across the board. He can nail shots from anywhere and his pull-up jumper is to die for. 

However, Lamb has yet to display any leadership skills and was a major part of the Huskies' collapse during the second half of the 2011-12 season. He failed to step up and get his teammates back on track, which is something he should have done as a sophomore who already contributed to a national championship. 

Lamb's disinterest has been the biggest thing holding him back so far and he's done absolutely nothing to dispel the notion that he cares enough to be the next great shooting guard in The Association. 

Just watch this interview and try not to cringe. You won't be able to. 

Kendall Marshall's Non-Passing Skills

We all know that Kendall Marshall's passing skills are virtually unmatched (completely unmatched if you aren't a fan of Scott Machado), but it's his other skills that leave some giant question marks and red flags. 

Marshall truly struggles to score for himself and that will allow NBA defenders to play well off him in an effort to help stop penetration from other players while disrupting the passing lanes. Until his jumper is consistent enough that it has to be respected, he's going to get the Rajon Rondo treatment in that regard. 

Moreover, Marshall is a terrible defensive player. He struggled to stop opposing players from driving while at North Carolina and will have even more difficult with the bigger, quicker and stronger players that the professional level has to offer. 

I've often compared Marshall to a matador, a floor general who just likes ushering other players into the paint as he waves his cape at them. If that was true at the collegiate level, I have no idea what the comparison will be now. Maybe he's a nonexistent matador?

Jared Sullinger's Back

It's a shame that an old-school big man with a great work ethic has to have such a major red flag, but such is the case for Jared Sullinger. If he wasn't regretting his decision to drop out of the 2011 NBA draft, in which he might have been a top-five pick, he certainly is now. 

Sullinger's health was already a small concern, seeing as he missed multiple games during his sophomore season for the Ohio State Buckeyes with back spasms. Now it may cause him to fall well out of the lottery and possibly into the second round. 

I don't think teams in the 20s will pass up on Sully, but NBA doctors have warned teams against using a first-round pick on him and claim that his back may end up shortening his professional career. 

Jared and his father Satch have both vehemently denied that his back will be problematic, but it's still a red flag that general managers must keep in the back of their mind as they evaluate the risk and the reward of drafting the two-time All-Big Ten player. 

Dion Waiters' Hype

Dion Waiters began his sophomore season with Syracuse as a draft afterthought. He steadily rose up the boards as teams began to realize just how dominant he was in transition and how skilled he was at slashing to the basket. 

After the Orange's season ended, Waiters will thought of us a fringe first-round pick. Then, his popularity exploded and he's now being talked about as a single-digit pick. 

It's an unorthodox red flag, but the excessive hype is a red flag in itself. Teams must not get caught up in the talk about Waiters and must instead evaluate the game film and the prospect himself. 

Everyone discusses the Dwyane Wade comparisons now and neglects to mention that this is a combo guard who only averaged 12.6 points per game last year. It's not like he's a safe bet to be a superstar. 

Waiters isn't a great facilitator and he's not overly quick or athletic, which hurts his ability to be effective in half-court sets. He could still turn into a great player, but don't get caught up in groupthink with Waiters. 

Like I said, it's an unorthodox red flag. It should still make GMs stop and think first.