NBA Draft 2012 Rumors: Trade with Cavaliers Would Be Shrewd Move for Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats just suffered through one of the worst seasons in the history of the NBA. As the team begins the long climb back to respectability, a potential deal with another club that has also had their fair share of struggles of late may accelerate that climb.
According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, the Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly very interested in acquiring University of Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal, so much so that they may approach the Bobcats about moving up to the second overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft to get him.
"The Cavs have four picks (Nos. 4, 24, 33, 34), and those could be enticing to the Bobcats as assets should they decide to pursue both quality and quantity in this draft. It would make some sense, considering they're coming off such a horrific season (league-record-low winning percentage of .106) and need so much roster help.
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Assuming for a moment that this rumor has some legs, it's a deal that would make sense for the Bobcats for a number of reasons.
First, while Beal is steadily rising up draft boards and is an electrifying young player, the fact is if there's one position that the Bobcats would be least likely to address with their first pick it's shooting guard, as 2011 leading scorer (15.1 PPG) Gerald Henderson plays that position.
Also, should the Cavaliers move up and take Beal and the Washington Wizards select Kentucky small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the third overall pick (as is widely expected) then the Bobcats could not only pick up an additional pick (or two) but also still get the player they wanted all along.
If the draft were to play out in that fashion then Charlotte would have a couple of directions they could go in. They could opt to select Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson, a polished youngster capable of contributing right away who I recommended that Charlotte draft second overall last week.
Or, the team could decide to pick North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes, who according to the Associated Press (via ESPN) received glowing reviews after working out for the team last week.
Many pundits are giving Barnes the edge due to the fact that like Charlotte owner Michael Jordan, Barnes played for the Tar Heels, and while that may seem like a silly tiebreaker for a draft pick, trying to figure out why Michael Jordan makes personnel decisions is like trying to figure out what happened to Charles Barkley's golf swing.
Good luck with that.
Regardless of who the Bobcats take with the fourth pick (and whether it's a wise decision) the fact remains that this is a rare opportunity for the Bobcats to add both quality and quantity in this year's NBA draft, so if the Cavaliers come calling with a reasonable offer, Charlotte would be well advised to listen.
When you won just seven games in 66 tries the year before, you need as much of both as you can get.
