2012 NBA Draft: Ranking the Biggest Surprises

Now that the 2012 NBA Draft is in the books, it's time to look at the biggest surprises of the night that was.

With all the rumors surrounding the top picks and their potential swapping of positions, there was very little activity that shook up the order.

However, there were a number of surprises throughout the rest of the draft. Some of them in terms of players dropping down the list, others for players shooting up the list and some who weren't drafted at all.

Let's take a look at the biggest shockers of the night that was.

7. Evan Fournier Goes to Nuggets at 20

This one isn't as shocking as the rest of the list, but it was pretty surprising here.

For months, no foreign player had been projected in the first round in most major mock drafts, including this one (h/t CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman). Seeing Evan Fournier's name pop up in the middle of the first round surprised a number of people.

More importantly, it was the Denver Nuggets that did the reaching for the prospect out of France. Denver has a plethora of young, talented guards, headlined by Ty Lawson, Corey Brewer and Wilson Chandler. It was thought, by many, that the Nuggets wouldn't necessarily need any more guards.

However, looking at this scouting report from NBADraft.net, Denver might be going for the overall potential value of Fournier rather than his production overseas.

"

Strengths: Has a really solid, strong body that helps him attacking the rim; he is not so explosive, but his first step allows him to beat opponents off the dribble ... Very crafty offensively. He is a natural talent, and can score in many ways: shooting from three, attacking the basket and spotting up ... Very adept at driving and dishing ... Also has a nice left hand, and can grab rebounds, both in offense and defense ... The trademark to his game is his ability to score clutch baskets. He seems to live for crunch time ... Sees the floor exceptionally well for a 19 year old ... He also is a very difficult defensive assignment because he is always in motion, working hard to get open looks ... Defensively, he has nice position and good foot work, plays smart, not overly aggressive ... Tremendous attitude, work ethic. Willing to put the work in to maximize his abilities ...

"

Fournier has some good qualities to him, as outlined in the above passage, but taking him at 20 could be a huge mistake for Denver.

6. Thomas Robinson Slips Down to No. 5, Sacramento Selects Him

With Charlotte shaking things up at the two slot—selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out of Kentucky—Thomas Robinson fell down the board.

While it may not have been very far, it was sort of a surprise to see the first four teams pass up on the truck-like Robinson.

Fortunately for Sacramento, Robinson is now their gain.

By bringing in Robinson, Sacramento has one of the best young frontcourts in the league. Combining Robinson's aggressiveness with DeMarcus Cousin's physicality will make opposing forwards sore for days.

Given the physical attributes of Robinson and Cousins, these two forwards will be a force to be reckon with for years to come.

Sacramento probably didn't expect to have Thomas Robinson fall into their laps at five, but will be happy to have the big man pairing they now enjoy.

5. Cleveland Trades for Tyler Zeller, Gives 3 Picks to Mavericks

For a team looking to rebuild their entire franchise from the ground up, Cleveland didn't seem too content with drafting three players with great potential. Instead, they traded with the Dallas Mavericks for the draft rights to Tyler Zeller.

Now, with Zeller, the Cavaliers have a nice, suitable option at the center position. Anderson Varejao has been extremely undersized playing the five role for years. Drafting Zeller will allow Varejao to move over to the four, a role he's more suited for playing.

Rather than using the No. 33 and 34 picks, along with another one to be named later,  to build up their forward position, they opted for the lone pick in Zeller, putting all of their eggs into his basket. That's an awful lot of pressure on one post.

Had the Cavaliers gone with the more rational approach of selecting a group of players to help stabilize their core front-court, they could have used the services of others for years to come. Names such as Jae Crowder and Draymond Green come to mind. Instead, Cleveland went for the "all or nothing" approach.

Of course, it is extremely early to call this a poor decision, but it was a little shocking nonetheless.

4. Golden State Warriors Dominating the Draft

Besides the New Orleans Hornets, who would have won the draft no matter what after their selection of Anthony Davis, the Golden State Warriors ran away with some of the best overall talent the draft had to offer.

After the shake up in the lottery, Harrison Barnes fell to the Warriors at the seventh slot. Barnes brings great versatility and length to a roster full of similar type players. Golden State wasn't done making its mark on the draft.

With the final pick in the first round, the Warriors chose explosive post Festus Ezeli, who will immediately bring a dominating presence to their bench, spelling both David Lee and Andrew Bogut. Ezeli won't be alone in the post, however, as Draymond Green just so happened to fall into their laps as well.

Overall, Golden State, who already had a solid team to their name, got even better. Warriors fans will be happy to see their team loaded with talent for years to come. Obviously, with Lee, Bogut and Stephen Curry already under contract, Golden State has a shot to "totally redeem themselves" in the years to come.

3. Terrence Ross Jumps Up to No.8 to Raptors

Toronto has been known to make some interesting draft selections over the past few years. Ed Davis and James Johnson come to mind in terms of questionable choices.

The Raptors would not take the 2012 draft off, as they chose Terrence Ross out of Washington with the eighth pick in the draft.

While Ross brings an array of great shooting ability to Toronto, this was a huge stretch to draft him. Very versatile, Ross can bring some good offensive weapons to the Raptors. Except, with players such as Austin Rivers, Perry Jones III and John Henson still on the board, one has to wonder what they saw in Ross that nobody else did.

Until that time, Ross will be considered a huge stretch for the Raptors. With so many other names on the board, Toronto fetched towards the end of the first round for their selection. It will be very interesting to see if Ross can live up to his new, high expectations.

2. Perry Jones III's Slide, Picked 28th by Thunder

Perry Jones had been sliding down mock drafts for a number of weeks. He wasn't expected to be one of the top picks, but mid-first round, absolutely.

Unfortunately for Jones, he fell much further than anybody had expected him to do. Actually, he almost fell out of the first round completely, a far cry from being a top prospect after his freshman season at Baylor.

Jones dropped all the way down to the 28th selection of the draft. Lucky for him, that pick just so happened to be held by the defending Western Conference Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In Oklahoma City, Jones will be able to learn from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on how to bring energy and determination in every game. These attributes were ones that Jones lacked during his run with Baylor.

Another benefit for Jones with the Thunder is that he will not be expected to contribute immediately, unlike many picks taken before him. He has the luxury of being on a winning team, so he can just try to fit in as best as possible.

Jones will also be the backup plan if the Thunder cannot re-sign Serge Ibaka in the summer of 2014. Ibaka came on very strong during the Thunder's playoff run and will demand a sizable contract when he becomes a free agent. If he goes, Jones should, by that time, be ready to take over for him.

Sliding down to the 28th pick may be a blessing in disguise for Jones. His talent level is there, now he has a few years to adapt to the NBA game before being relied upon.

1. Miles Plumlee Drafted 26th by Pacers

Being rational in this discussion, maybe the Indiana Pacers thought they desperately needed a back-up center for Roy Hibbert. Maybe the saw something special in Miles Plumlee that nobody else saw.

Okay, enough of the rational talk. What were the Indiana Pacers thinking with this pick?

Sure, Plumlee has some nice qualities that could make him an effective reserve for years. But wasting a first round selection on a guy who provides no spark, no punch to a team that needed a splash after falling to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals makes no sense.

Numerous players were still left on the board at this point. Here are just a few names that would have been better suited for the Pacers than Plumlee at 26: Festus Ezeli, Draymond Green, Jeffery Taylor, Perry Jones III and Arnett Moultrie.

This is the short list of names that the Pacers could have gone with that would have been better suited for their team. Understandably, with Larry Bird out of the organization and Donnie Walsh being brought back, there could have been some confusion in the front office over who to take. However, the change-over should not have brought them from one end of the draft spectrum to the other.

Indiana made the most baffling pick of the entire draft when they selected Plumlee. It's not even close here.