Chad Ford 2012 Mock Draft: ESPN Expert's Most Curious Picks

Chad Ford has been covering the NBA draft for ESPN for a while now, and he has the connections to generally be in the ballpark when it comes to mock drafts.

However, that doesn't mean ESPN's aficionado gets everything right. In fact, no draft expert in the country gets everything correct.

While I have no serious qualms about most of Ford's latest 2012 NBA mock draft, there are some picks that are hard for me to see coming to fruition.

Here they are.

New Orleans Hornets, No. 10: Austin Rivers, SG, Duke

Austin Rivers certainly has the inside-outside scoring to be a lottery pick, but questions about his ability to play within the game and his defense should push him back beyond No. 10 overall.

As hyped as Rivers was coming out of high school, he should have stayed another year at Duke. He showed in his freshman season with the Blue Devils that he's still a raw talent learning the game.

Philadelphia 76ers, No. 15: Perry Jones III, F, Baylor

I understand this pick to an extent. Given the back-and-forth debate about whether Perry Jones III is a small forward or a power forward in the NBA, it makes sense for him to go to the 76ers. After all, they need a successor to Elton Brand and have been trying to trade Andre Iguodala for a while now. 

What I don't understand is why the 76ers would pass up on someone like Arnett Moultrie, Terrence Jones, Moe Harkless or a slew of other impressive forward prospects who don't have character concerns. Jones' desire has been questioned throughout the league. Why take the risk when you have plenty of other promising prospects to choose from? 

Oklahoma City Thunder, No. 28: Evan Fournier, SG, France

I'm not debating that Evan Fournier is a promising prospect; he certainly is. The question is, why would the Thunder go for a 19-year-old project after reaching the NBA Finals this year? You'd think they'd want to draft someone who could come in and help out right away next season.

There is debate around the league about how impressive Fournier is and whether he's shown enough in a handful of workouts and games. There is no debate about the fact that he's raw.

The Thunder would be better served adding depth with a prospect who can contribute right away. Even someone like Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli would be a better pick in my opinion, given his ability to add instant post defense.

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