NBA Mock Draft 2012: Last-Minute Predictions for Draft Day

As NBA fans, we need something to ease us into the offseason; something that can remind us the regular season won't start for another four months.

Alcohol usually does the trick, but when it doesn't, we actually have events that are worth taking a look at if you're an NBA fan. In fact, some exciting stuff happens during the offseason, such as the free agency period. Because the NBA is so close-knit and because there aren't many players, it's always interesting to see what type of names are on the move.

One or two names being moved and a team could suddenly have their entire outlook change.

However, what we're here to speak of today is the NBA draft, which is set to take place this Thursday night. In one of the most loaded draft classes we have seen in awhile, there is still a fair share of uncertainty from the No. 2 pick on down.

Outside of the New Orleans Hornets taking Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick, we're not really sure what else is set to happen.

There are still trades that could be made that could impact the entire draft. The Houston Rockets, in particular, have been extremely aggressive over the past week and now have three picks in the first round at 12, 16 and 18. While it may appear that they're getting stocked for the draft, analysts have other ideas in their minds.

We take a look at that story and make five predictions as to what will or won't occur during the always-intense drafting period.

The Charlotte Bobcats Will Find a Way to Screw It Up

It's just in the nature of things for the Charlotte Bobcats to screw up an opportunity like this.

They didn't obtain the No. 1 pick, despite going 7-59, but they have settled on the second pick in the draft and will have a myriad of talented options to choose from.

Among those options include power forward Thomas Robinson, small forwards Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes, and shooting guard Bradley Beal to name a few.

The Bobcats haven't exactly been the best drafting team in the NBA. Since their first draft in 2004, they have drafted one player who turned into an All-Star--Gerald Wallace, who was taken in the expansion draft. Their very first pick, Emeka Okafor, won Rookie of the Year and that's essentially the only accolade that any Bobcats draft pick has received with the team.

Out of 17 total draft picks, Okafor is the only one that has accomplished anything on an individual level.

Charlotte has had moderate success stories in guys like Okafor, Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin and possibly Kemba Walker, but they've probably had far more disappointing picks than any other franchise in their first seven years as a team.

Adam Morrison, infamously taken with the No. 3 pick, Sean May taken 13th, Brandan Wright taken at eight, Gerald Henderson at 12 and Alexis Ajinca at 20 are just a few of the names that the Bobcats have actually wasted picks on.

It seems impossible that the Bobcats could screw up something like this, but if they were willing to draft Adam Morrison over Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay and Rajon Rondo then anything is possible.

Dwight Howard Doesn't Go Anywhere

Once again, Dwight Howard is causing a traffic jam in sports media, which is leading to mundane topics and useless rumors and predictions being made.

While Howard has managed to stay out of the public eye himself, there happens to be an NBA franchise that wants to bring him back in it—that franchise being the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets have recently been making a number of moves at a frantic pace in order to acquire draft picks.

Over the past week, they've made a slew of moves that include trading Chase Budinger and Samuel Dalembert, as well as moving up in the draft to the No. 12 spot. They'll also be picking at No. 16, courtesy of the New York Knicks, and at No. 18.

With the Rockets making so many move, and moving out their starting center, analysts are being led to believe the team is getting prepared for something big. Word on the street is the Rockets are attempting to pull off some sort of move for Orlando Magic center and 2013 free agent Dwight Howard to come to Houston.

And the plot thickens.

However, if this type of deal does actually go through, Howard would reportedly not end up re-signing with the Rockets when he becomes a free agent next summer.

Oh, the thickening continues!

In my personal belief, nothing is going to happen, yet. All this Dwight Howard talk has been just that—talk. The Orlando Magic are still extremely reluctant at the idea of trading Howard and might require more than a few draft picks and a few Rocket players to get a deal moving.

Jared Sullinger Goes Late in the First Round

Formerly known as a player who had the potential to get picked up with the No. 1 pick, Jared Sullinger of Ohio State may now find himself lucky to be taken by the end of the first round.

Sullinger had played an excellent freshman season with the Buckeyes when he averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per. Obviously, a freshman for a standout basketball team that just averaged 17 and 10 would generate some hype, thus the reason why mock drafts had Sullinger being taken in the top five.

However, Sullinger decided to stay another year. He turned down a sure top-five selection in the draft, so he could continue to refine his game and be even more ready for the NBA. It was an admirable move on Jared's part to stay the extra year, but one that could eventually haunt him as the worst decision he could have made.

Sullinger was still a projected lottery pick after an average sophomore season, but just weeks before the draft, reports started swirling in that Sullinger was being medically red-flagged.

After going under a series of tests, NBA team doctors were beginning to warn their front offices that Sullinger had a bad back which could result in a shortened career. Sure enough, organizations got worried and declared that they were no longer thinking of taking Sullinger as a lottery pick.

Jared being from Ohio State doesn't help, either.

The last lottery pick with injury problems to come out of OSU was Greg Oden, a center who only ended up playing 82 games in five years. While the two players have completely different issues, NBA teams will still be wary at the thought of another Buckeye attempting to join the league with injury problems.

We'll project that Sullinger is taken in the 20-30 range. Most likely, he'll fail to earn the minutes that were previously expected out of him as a lottery pick, but could end up becoming a valuable role player off the bench for a contender.

Damian Lillard Is the First Point Guard Taken

It's not every day you get to see a Weber State Wildcat being taken in the lottery, but that's certain to change this year.

Point guard Damian Lillard has been taken the NBA draft community by storm after an excellent month's worth of working out for teams.

It's one of the most unique stories ever seen in a draft because of the fact that Lillard has had barely any experience playing against upper-tier schools. The point guard played in zero NCAA tournaments in the four years he spent at Weber State.

In his final season, the 6'3" floor general averaged 24.5 points, five rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 47 percent from the field and converted 2.9 three-pointers per at a 41-percent clip.

The four impressive seasons were enough to net Lillard a spot in the lottery a few weeks ago, but it's only been ascertained recently that he'll end up being taken in the top 10.

In his senior season, Damian ranked first for the best offensive rating among players who used at least 28 percent of their team's possession in the entire NCAA organization.

Lillard's main competition amongst point guards in this year's draft include North Carolina's Kendall Marshall, Kentucky's Marquis Teague and Washington's Tony Wroten.

The point guard class is unusually small this year, with a large number of forwards and centers peppering a stacked draft class that surely won't disappoint.

Marshall was originally slated as the first point guard to be taken, but that has since changed with Lillard's upward climb.

Lillard will definitely become known more for his shooting than his passing. However, that shouldn't diminish his passing skills because he is a capable passer who only averaged 2.3 turnovers last season.

Perry Jones Will Have the Longest Fall

Jared Sullinger's fall is due to possible medical conditions; the fall we're speaking of here is focused around the talent of a player being the cause of it.

That title will belong to one of two people: Andre Drummond or Perry Jones III.

Andre Drummond could be that player, despite having relatively fair workouts. Many teams are impressed with Drummond's size at 6'10", 270 pounds, but they're also wary of his lack of a go-to move on offense. Organizations who are worried about drafting Drummond too high probably see him as just another defensive-minded center.

He also shot 30 percent from the foul line in his lone season at Connecticut, which is really bad.

However, Drummond still has size and potential, as well as being an excellent shot-blocker after sending 2.7 per back last year.

No, the player that will end up dropping the most, and possibly out of the lottery, is Baylor's Perry Jones III.

Like Jared Sullinger, Jones also saw it as a good idea to spend another season working his way through the college ranks. This came after a freshman season where Jones averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per. Following his sophomore season, not much could be taken out as a positive that wasn't already seen in his freshman year.

What NBA teams did find out, however, is that Jones may not be as prone to being an aggressor as they originally thought. While they're also disappointed with the fact that he didn't improve at all from his first year at Baylor, they're also worried that Jones won't be as physical a player down low as he could be.

Despite having athleticism and versatility significantly on his side, the 6'11" Jones may just find himself dropping out of the lottery and possibly being taken in the 15-20 range.