2012 NBA Draft Results: Winners and Losers of the 2012 NBA Draft

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and the NBA draft is no exception.

The 2012 NBA draft had it all—certainties, surprises, head-scratchers, you name it.

But while all 30 teams attempted to bolster their rosters and fill pressing needs, not every one came out for the better.

Just like any regulated contest within the Association, this year's draft had its winners and its losers.  

Winner: New Orleans Hornets

First Round Selections:  Anthony Davis (PF), Austin Rivers (SG)

Second Round Selections: Darius Miller (SF)

No matter what happened after drafting Anthony Davis, the Hornets were going to be winners. The big man is a two-way powerhouse just waiting to take the NBA storm and be a pillar that New Orleans can build the rest of its team around. 

That said, the selection of the sharp-shooting Austin Rivers only helped the Hornets' cause. He has some decision-making kinks to work out, but the potential to be an offensive star, both as a point guard and shooting guard, is there.

Selecting Darius Miller, a teammate of Davis' at Kentucky, was a stroke of genius as well. He's a deep-ball specialist who adds depth to the small forward position and is the quintessential sixth man.

New Orleans got two exceptional talents and a strong role player, all of whom should be able to play off one another as they attempt to re-invent the Hornets' image.

That's a win by a landslide.

Losers: Cleveland Cavaliers

First-Round Selections: Dion Waiters (SG), Tyler Zeller (C) (via Dallas Mavericks)

Second-Round Selections: None

I'm not going to sit here and argue that Dion Waiters isn't a solid selection; he's just not top-four material.

Though the Cavaliers walked away with two sound athletes in Waiters and Tyler Zeller in the first round, they could have done so much more with the hand they were dealt.

Waiters wasn't going to go in the top four, or even the top seven, which meant the Cavaliers could have attempted to draft down and receive even more value for their fourth pick. 

But they didn't, nor did they opt to take the most athletically gifted big man in all the draft—Thomas Robinson—either.

And if that's not enough, there's always the three draft picks they had to relinquish in order to receive Zeller, taking them out of play for a deep pool of second-round talent.

This was not Cleveland's finest draft. 

Winner: Detroit Pistons

First-Round Selections: Andre Drummond (C)

Second-Round Selections: Kim English (SG)

Andre Drummond is not guaranteed to develop into a Dwight Howard-caliber player, but the fact that the Pistons had the opportunity to draft someone with that kind of potential is a win in itself.

Detroit needs an low post sidekick for Greg Monroe, and it went from drafting a perennial complementary piece to having a potential superstar fall into its lap.

As raw as Drummond is, Detroit is skilled in the art of developing its big men. That bodes extremely well for Drummond and the future of the Pistons.

But they didn't stop there. The addition of Kim English, an efficient shooting guard out of Missouri, should help fill the scoring void that Ben Gordon's departure left.

Here's to the Pistons finally taking a giant leap in the right direction.

Losers: Houston Rockets

First Round Selections: Jeremy Lamb (SG), Terrence Jones (PF), Royce White (SF)

Second Round Selections: None

The Rockets drafted an array of quality athletes, but not one of them fills the enormous void that continues to plague the middle for Houston.

Neither Jeremy Lamb nor Royce White is going to anchor in the low post for Houston, and while Terrence Jones comes in at 6'10", he plays more of a small forward's game than a power forward's or center's.

What's even more disconcerting, though, is that the Rockets knowingly passed on size like John Henson and Tyler Zeller to essentially draft three swingmen.

And now, after three first-round picks, the Rockets find themselves in the same predicament they were in after their trading bonanza—void of a bona fide big man to protect the rim on defense and score in the low post on offense.

That's a fail.

Winner: Portland Trail Blazers

First Round Selections: Meyers Leonard (C), Damian Lillard (PG)

Second Round Selections: Will Barton (SG) 

The Blazers filled their two biggest needs with extremely promising prospects in Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard.

Lillard, without a doubt, was the most talented all-around point guard to be had in this year's draft. He's an efficient scorer, deft facilitator and strong perimeter defender. He'll go a long way in revamping Portland's broken backcourt.

As for Leonard, he's an extremely mobile big man who provides some much-needed relief down low for LaMarcus Aldridge. He's a calculated yet forceful defender who is merely a few low post moves away from becoming an elite scoring threat as well 

The drafting of Will Barton was also a solid selection. He's as strong a scorer as there was in all draft, so much so that it wouldn't be surprising to see him eventually grab hold of the starting shooting guard slot in Portland someday.

Just like last year, optimism surrounding the Blazers is running rampant after the NBA draft. It's now up to Portland to ensure its prolific potential becomes a reality.

Loser: Atlanta Hawks

First-Round Selections: John Jenkins (SG)

Second-Round Selections: Mike Scott (PF)

John Jenkins is an incredible shooter, but he doesn't do much else.

While Jenkins' three-point prowess will be a welcomed commodity in Atlanta, he was a first-round selection for a team that didn't have any remaining pressing needs. And that's not the Hawks.

Atlanta addressed its need for additional low post induce by drafting an increasingly polished, two-way enforcer in Mike Scott,but failed to obtain a potential upgrade over Marvin Williams (Quincy Acy or Quincy Miller, anyone?). 

The Hawks instead essentially drafted a smaller version of Joe Johnson, and that's not helping their cause any at this point.

Winner: Phoenix Suns

First-Round Selections: Kendall Marshall (PG)

Second-Round Selections: None

Potentially losing Steve Nash can hardly be considered a victory, but potentially drafting his protege in Kendall Marshall was a huge win.

Marshall is an incredible playmaker. Passing is second nature to him, and he picks apart opposing defenses with ease, especially in transition.

Unlike Nash, though, Marshall doesn't know when to look for his shot; he has a penchant for playing too unselfishly.

That said, if Marshall can manage to balance distributing with self-serving aggression, he's liable to develop into a superstar.

How does that kind of ceiling not imply a victory?

Loser: Philadelphia 76ers

First-Round Selections: Moe Harkless (SF), Arnett Moultrie (PF) (via Heat)

Second-Round Selections: None

While Moe Harkless is a tremendous athlete, he's currently poised to play behind Philly's wealth of swingmen.

Just like the rest of the team's small forwards, Harkless is a versatile defender with a suspect offense, overall bearing an uncannily striking resemblance to Andre Iguodala.

Unless the Sixers have a plan to move Iguodala or Thaddeus Young, Harkless becomes excess talent, which is a more humane way of acknowledging he'll hardly ever play, severely damaging his development in the process.

Currently, this is simply a bad fit for all parties involved.

As for Arnett Moutlrie, he adds needed size, but he camps out on the perimeter for far too often. Philly must nip that in the bud. 

Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder

First-Round Selections: Perry Jones III

Second-Round Selections: None

Sam Presti doesn't mess around.

The Thunder found the perfect athletic specimen to back up Kevin Durant off the bench in Perry Jones III. Though his knee presents a dose of uncertainty, he injects lottery-level talent into an already stacked Thunder roster.

For Oklahoma City, a painstaking decision regarding the futures of James Harden and Serge Ibaka is not far off.

But for now, the Thunder and their fans should relish in the reality that they just came up with perhaps the biggest steal of the entire draft.

Loser: Indiana Pacers

First-Round Selections: Miles Plumlee (PF)

Second Round Selections: Orlando Johnson (SG) (via Sacramento)

The Pacers reached too far by selecting Miles Plumlee with the 26th overall pick of the draft.

Plumlee, while noticeably athletic, is also overwhelmingly raw. He's one of the most mobile centers available, yet he's wildly uncoordinated on both sides of the ball.

Many have the big man pegged as a competent per minute rebounder, but no one has him pegged as a potential impact on the offensive end. His numbers at Duke certainly don't suggest Indiana has a player ready to break out on its hands.

The unwarranted Plumlee selection even overshadows the addition of Orlando Johnson, a frightening scorer with a freakishly long wingspan who will make a contribution at the 2-guard position right away.

While the Pacers are a deep enough team to take on a risk like Plumlee—made even more possible by the addition of Johnson—they're close enough to contention where they can ill afford to waste golden opportunities.

And that's exactly what they did here. 

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