NBA Draft 2012: Addressing Offseason Needs for Top 5 Teams
The 2012 NBA draft has come and gone—depressing, I know—but remember there is a season set to begin in November.
Picks have been made, traded and wasted. Draftees have laughed, cheered and cried.
Who knows how these picks will pan out, but each of the top-five teams made some fitting choices in Newark on Thursday night.
However, their work isn't done. The New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings still have many holes to fill this offseason.
Here are those holes.
New Orleans Hornets: Veteran Point Guard
The Hornets made out like kings in this draft. Adding Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers in one night would provide a nice spark to any team in the league, but there is still much to be done in New Orleans.
Most notably, the Hornets don't have a veteran point guard on their roster. Well, a quality, veteran point guard on their roster. Greivis Vasquez and Jarrett Jack aren't going to get as much playing time with Rivers coming to town.
Jack is a decent guy to run the point, but he's not the guy you would want teaching Rivers how to handle the ball in an NBA offense. There's a reason guys like Jack jump around so much (four teams in seven years), and it's not because they are great talents.
Charlotte Bobcats: Another Big Man
The Bobcats drafted Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 2, but he's not going to provide the scoring necessary to drag the organization out from the doldrums of the NBA. Charlotte acquired Ben Gordon and got the true scorer they lacked lack season, but he won't be able to turn things around right away.
D.J. White has been in the league four years. If he can't earn starters minutes on the Bobcats by now, he's not going to be a good NBA player. Tyrus Thomas seems to be a problem in the locker room. Bismack Biyombo and Byron Mullens are still firmly in the midst of the developmental period of their careers.
If the Bobcats don't want to find themselves in the top five of the 2013 draft (and maybe they do), they'll need to add a power forward or center to their roster to help hone the skills of the inexperienced players.
The only problem is, I don't see who, in their right mind, would come to Charlotte.
Washington Wizards: Some Kind of Defense
The Wizards drafted Bradley Beal, who is an above-average defensive prospect at the shooting guard position, but they also drafted Tomas Satoransky, a defensive liability.
Typically, a team doesn't meet much success when they finish 20th in the league in points allowed, and the Wizards did nothing to improve that in the draft.
Washington needs a versatile defender who can come in when needed and guard a multitude of positions. Nene is decent in the paint, but he can't get the job done with nobody around to help him out.
Organizational turnarounds start with defense. The Wizards need to do something about that to right the ship.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Size Up Front
Anderson Varejao has been getting hurt more and more these last couple of years, and Semih Erden boasts a gruesome 9.89 PER.
The Cavs have some serious pieces in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters running the backcourt, but the frontcourt is going to be a big issue for them.
Tristan Thompson is a solid guy who can get the job done, but he and Varejao are where the talent up front ends. A team with Antawn Jamison on the court has not chance of competing in the NBA.
Adding depth in the form of a big man is an absolute necessity if the Cavaliers don't want to ruin the careers of Irving and Waiters directly into the ground before they get up and running.
Sacramento Kings: A Sharpshooting Wing Player
The Kings score a lot of points, but it's not because they have a team full of shooters.
Sacramento shot just under 44 percent from the field last season, putting them at 26th in the league. The only team worse from behind the arc was the lowly Bobcats.
Jimmer Fredette hasn't turned out to be the sharpshooter that he was supposed to be, so the Kings may have to go a different route.
If they can bring in a perimeter scorer, the entire dynamic of their offense changes. There's a drive-and-kick possibility every time down the court. There is also more space opened up for DeMarcus Cousins to assert himself in the low post
The secret to a dominant offensive team is spacing on the court. The Kings could make some waves in the Western Conference in the future if they can add the right pieces to an up-and-coming roster.
