2012 NBA Mock Draft: How Chips Will Fall After Anthony Davis Goes No. 1

Tonight, at long last, is the NBA draft. Teams are jockeying for position, and as they do, they are revealing something of what their thinking is. 

Meanwhile, some players are moving up the big board, and others are moving down. 

Things are starting to take some shape, though, and we're getting an idea of where players will go and whom teams will take. 

Here is my final mock, which includes all the latest news and trades. I'll be paying more attention to what the teams are doing and thinking than reviewing the player. 

1. New Orleans Hornets, Anthony Davis

The second least surprising thing that will happen this evening is the sun will set. That's a distant second to the New Orleans Hornets taking Anthony Davis with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. 

Davis is a franchise player whose defense is spectacular. One of the most impressive things about his defense is his ability to step out to the perimeter and defend jump shots. He blocked 40 jump shots last season, and 15 of those were three-pointers. 

Some question his offense, but according to Chad Ford on the First Take Draft Special, when he worked out for NBA scouts, he wowed them with his offensive skills. 

Davis is a star player; no questions asked. 

2. Charlotte Bobcats, Thomas Robinson

The only thing that the Charlotte Bobcats need is everything. The nice thing about being the worst team in the history of the league is that you don't have to worry about this whole "need vs. best player available" conflict. You need the best player available. 

Their top choice is Thomas Robinson, who is a nice player to start building with. He might not be the kind of star to lead a team, but he's a good staple.

There are numerous teams who are looking to move up, but the notion of taking Tyrus Thomas back has them running. 

The Bobcats will probably end up making a trade, though. 

3. Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal seems to be the player who is generating the most excitement right now, and while he's listed third here, he is second on a number of draft boards. 

He seems to me to be something like last year's Derrick Williams, though. He had some nice tournament games that have vaulted his value. However, there's a bit of an overreaction to Beal. He's not the second-best player in this draft. 

He's considered to be a great shooter, but he shot .339 from the three, .769 from the stripe and .445 from the field. That's not "bad," but it's not great. His Player Efficiency Rating was 90th among players who had at least 500 minutes and only fifth in a fairly weak SEC. 

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is going to be the second-best player in this draft. He does everything well but shoot. He's not a bad shooter; he's just not a great one. He does so many things well that I see him having a huge rookie season. 

His defense is a large factor in his game too. He's been compared to Luol Deng or Andre Iguodala, but according to Chad Ford on the First Take Draft Special, that's his floor. His ceiling according to Ford is Scottie Pippen. 

That is some high praise. 

5. Sacramento Kings, Harrison Barnes

The experiment with Tyreke Evans at small forward has not left Evans feeling happy. He'd rather be a point guard. 

That means that the Sacramento Kings' biggest need is going to be a small forward, and the best small forward on the board will be Harrison Barnes. 

Little man Isaiah Thomas will be moved to the bench, but the bright side is that he'll have a chance to get in the running for Sixth Man of the Year. 

6. Portland Trail Blazers, Andre Drummond

The Portland Trail Blazers have two needs, center and point guard. Since centers are harder to find than point guards, I look to them to pick Andre Drummond over Damian Lillard, who some have here. If Drummond is gone, though, they'll take Waiters. 

The Trail Blazers will be able to take a point guard with their 11th pick. 

7. Golden State Warriors, Dion Waiters

The Golden State Warriors have a nice backcourt with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, but Curry is injury-prone, and neither player is a guy who is noted for his ability to drive the paint.

Dion Waiters can play either guard position and has a real knack for finding the iron. Jerry West is very high on him too. They'll end up going with West's view, but only because West is almost always right. 

8. Toronto Raptors, Austin Rivers

The Raptors' biggest need is small forward. They can either draft a small forward, or they can draft a shooting guard and slide DeMar DeRozan their. 

Austin Rivers is climbing the big board in the closing hours before the draft, and that might be enough to convince the Raptors to take him. They would rather have Dion Watiers, but he'll be a Warrior. 

9. Detroit Pistons, John Henson

The Detroit Pistons will be looking for length inside, and the best big left for them to get will be John Henson. The combination of Henson and Greg Monroe playing inside together is actually pretty interesting. They would make an athletic inside tandem. 

There is some possibility that the Pistons will try and move up because they like Andre Drummond, but there's not much chance. 

10. New Orleans Hornets, Terrence Ross

I've seen several mocks where the Hornets are taking Austin Rivers, which is something I don't understand. Why would a team with so many needs waste a top-10 pick on a position where they are already set? 

Yes, Eric Gordon is a restricted free agent, but the emphasis here is on restricted, not free agent. It makes more sense to me that they take Terrence Ross, who can play the small forward. 

11. Portland Trail Blazers, Kendall Marshall

With their second pick in the first 11, I see the Trail Blazers filling their other biggest need, the point guard, and taking the best passer in the NCAA in Kendall Marshall.

Of course, it could go that they fill the point guard spot first and then the center, but I think that Andre Drummond and Kendall Marshall sounds better than Dion Watiers and Tyler Zeller.

12. Houston Rockets, Meyers Leonard

If the Houston Rockets use this pick, there is no doubt that they'll use it on a center. The best center available is Meyers Leonard, who is probably not their dream center. 

More than likely, they're going to be pushing hard to try and bundle their picks together with Kyle Lowry and make a play for Dwight Howard, but I'm not sure they'll be able to get the pieces. If they do, they won't have enough left to keep him. 

13. Phoenix Suns, Jeremy Lamb

The Phoenix Suns were delaying going into full-scale rebuilding mode as long as they could, but with the apparent departure of Steve Nash looming, they can't put it off any longer. 

As a result, they have enough holes that whoever the best player on the board is will do just fine, and if the draft goes the way I've projected, that would be Jeremy Lamb. Even if I didn't get it exactly right, there's a good chance he'll be the best player remaining. 

14. Milwaukee Bucks, Terrence Jones

Now that the Milwaukee Bucks have a starting center in Samuel Dalembert, they can focus on a power forward. Terrence Jones would make an interesting fit here and work very well with the style of play the Bucks had last year after they acquired Monta Ellis. 

With Dalembert and Jones patrolling the middle, this would certainly make for a team that could run the court. 

15. Philadelphia 76ers, Tyler Zeller

Last year, the Philadelphia 76ers were one of the worst teams in the NBA in terms of scoring at the rim. Only the Nets had fewer field goals at the rim. Tyler Zeller fills that role. 

He gives them an honest center who can also run the court well with their athletic wings. 

16. Houston Rockets, Moe Harkless

The Houston Rockets have Moe Harkless chalked in as their favorite at this spot if he's still around, and he should be. 

Chad Ford calls him "a young Trevor Ariza," which is good or bad depending on how much you were hoping to get out of this pick. 

17. Dallas Mavericks, Perry Jones

Perry Jones has a knee issue now, which could cause him to slip even further in the draft, but how far down can he go?

This is a player that in early March many were projecting could go in the top five, and now, he's potentially falling out of the top 20. 

He has too much talent to slip that far, though. Concerns about his motor are the primary reason he's falling, but Mark Cuban will believe he can motivate him. 

18. Houston Rockets,Arnett Moultrie

With the third pick they are(n't) likely to use in the 2012 NBA draft, the Houston Rockets will (not) take Arnett Moultrie, who would make for a nice backup to Luis Scola and/or allow them the freedom to involve Scola in a potential trade for Dwight Howard. 

It will be interesting to see how bad Houston is willing to get to get Dwight Howard. This gives new meaning to the phrase "wants him badly." 

19. Orlando Magic, Marquis Teague

A. The Orlando Magic are seriously close to the post-Howard rebuilding phase. 

B. You're not going to rebuild around Jameer Nelson, who is going to opt out of his contract and isn't worth what he's getting paid anyway. 

C. Marquis Teague is better than his big brother at this age. 

Put all this together, and you have Teague going Orlando. 

20. Denver Nuggets, Royce White

The Denver Nuggets are a deep team, and pretty much they can pick anyone here. Probably what they need more than anything is another playmaker, which Royce White is, so that's who they're going to take. 

He would look good next to Kenneth Faried as well. 

21. Boston Celtics, Jared Sullinger

Are people making too much of Jared Sullinger's "limitations?" It's starting to seem like he might be a victim of what I like to call "unhype," which is where there's a kind of negative hype which causes a player's value to plummet. 

Sullinger is a top-20 caliber player. He has a good chance to be on the All-Rookie team. He'll be a great addition to Boston because his rebounding is something sorely in need there. 

22. Boston Celtics, Andrew Nicholson

Andrew Nicholson is a player who has really helped himself int he workouts and seen his stock climb. There's a good chance he doesn't make it down this far. 

He is probably the best shooting power forward, and it would serve him well to get some mentoring form Kevin Garnett if he stays. If he doesn't, the Celtics will need a replacement. 

23. Atlanta Hawks, Fab Melo

Ultimately, the Atlanta Hawks are going to be a better team when they stop trying to play Al Horford at center and Josh Smith at power forward. 

Marvin Williams is a bust. It's time for Atlanta to admit this. 

Drafting Fab Melo gives the Hawks a true center and slide Horford to the 4 and Smith to the 3. That makes them a much better team. 

Of course, if they trade for Pau Gasol, this is all very different. 

24. Cleveland Cavaliers, Quincy Miller

The Cleveland Cavaliers will probably combine this pick with their No. 4 pick to move up and take the No. 2. pick so they can get Bradley Beal. 

But for now, we need to say who they take if they don't, and Quincy Miller should fit the bill. There might be some concern about another "tweener" forward, but he'll be the highest player on their board that is remaining. 

25. Memphis Grizzlies, Tony Wroten

The Memphis Grizzlies have a very nice starting five, but they have a little bit of a problem when it comes to their bench, particularly at the point guard position. 

Tony Wroten would not be a rotten addition to the Grizzlies. He can play either guard position and is the perfect type of player to be a sixth man. 

26. Draymond Green

Draymond Green does a little bit of everything and is just the type of player that would fit in well with the Indiana Pacers. He's versatile and dependable. He'll bring a lot of "glue" tot he team off the bench. 

He'd also make for a nice backup to Danny Granger, something which was apparent they needed last year when he went down in the Miami Heat series. 

27. Miami Heat, Festus Ezeli

Even NBA champs can get help in the draft. Miami will be looking to upgrade its center spot, where it was really struggling to find a consistent starter down the stretch. 

Festus Ezeli will be the best remaining seven-footer on the boards and, on virtue of that quality, will be the pick for the Heat. 

28. Oklahoma City Thunder, Evan Fournier

Evan Fournier makes a lot of sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder if they don't trade up to the No. 2 spot and take Bradley Beal. He's a great shooter and could duplicate the offensive production of James Harden should they decide that he's too expensive to keep. 

He's not going to be the kind of defender that Harden is, but for a pick at No. 28, you can do a lot worse. 

29. Chicago Bulls, Tyshawn Taylor

Q. How do you motivate Derrick Rose to come back from his knee injury even faster. 

A. Draft a point guard from Kansas to take his place. Kansas!

At least it's not Mario Chalmers. 

Actually, Taylor makes a lot of sense for the Bulls. He can play either guard position, so he'll be useful both before and after Rose comes back. He also has both the ability to shoot and attack the basket, something the Bulls are sorely in need of. 

30. Golden State Warrors, Furkan Aldemir

With the Golden State Warriors taking Dion Waiters with their first pick, they'll use their pick at No. 30 to take the best big man left whoever that is. 

There's a good chance they just trade this pick, though. They've been working the phones pretty hard, so it's going to be interesting to see what they do tonight. I'd be surprised to see them use No. 7 and No. 30.