2011 NBA Mock Draft: Best and Worst Case Scenarios for All 12 Lottery Teams

Fans care about what could happen to their teams in the NBA Draft, but they care far more about the extremes than the typical occurrences. 

Sure, a team can select a player they're expected to pick and that player could live up to expectations, but it's much more fun to think about the best and worst case scenarios. 

Read on for the best and worst case scenarios for all 12 lottery teams (not 14 since Utah and Cleveland both have two selections) in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Minnesota Timberwolves

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 18: Kyrie Irving #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on while taking on the Hampton Pirates during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 18, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Best Case Scenario

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2011 NBA Draft, so the best situation for them is capitalizing on that opportunity and landing that first pick.

With it, they'll be able to select either Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams, although they should go with the former over the latter. These two are the most secure players in the draft. 

Worst Case Scenario

Somehow, someway, the Timberwolves drop out of the top three and miss out on Irving, Williams and Enes Kanter. They're forced to reach for Brandon Knight without a guarantee that he's got the passing skills necessary to be a successful pure point guard. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: Kyrie Irving #1 of the Duke Blue Devils moves the ball while taking on the Michigan Wolverines during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 2011 in Charlotte, North

Best Case Scenario

Cleveland doesn't get the No. 1 overall pick, and the team that does selects Kyrie Irving, thereby removing the thought of selecting him from the Cavaliers' mind.

With the No. 2 pick though, Cleveland gets to pick Derrick Williams, and he blossoms into a star capable of partially replacing LeBron James. 

Worst Case Scenario

The Cavaliers miss out on the top few players and end up with one of the talented international players.

Unfortunately though, the player they select requires a bit of development and doesn't provide the disgruntled fans with any immediate gratification. Chaos ensues. 

Toronto Raptors

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 24: Kyrie Irving #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Arizona Wildcats during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by

Best Case Scenario

The Toronto Raptors capitalize on their 15.6 percent chance at winning the lottery and draft Duke super-point guard Kyrie Irving. The former Blue Devil blossoms into a fantastic point guard and also convinces Andrea Bargnani to actually play like a big man. 

Worst Case Scenario

Toronto drafts Enes Kanter, which may actually turn into a good pick.

But the rumors about Kanter's knees turn out to be true, and the Turkish center falls apart almost as soon as he enters the league, meaning the Raptors essentially wasted a top pick and a good bit of money. 

Washington Wizards

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 24: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after defeating the Duke Blue Devils during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 in Anaheim, California.

Best Case Scenario

Washington's 11.9 percent chance at winning the first overall selection comes to fruition, and the Wizards add the final piece to their puzzle with Derrick WIlliams. Jordan Crawford proves his late season success was legitimate, and the lineup of John Wall, Crawford, Williams and JaVale McGee is around for a long time. 

Worst Case Scenario

The Wizards come out with the second pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, but miss out on Williams.

Without any reason to select Kyrie Irving or Enes Kanter because of Wall and McGee, the team is forced to take a massive reach and select Jan Vesely. But Vesely doesn't work out for the team right away, and the money and draft pick are spent for naught. 

Sacramento Kings

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 26: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after a dunk against of the Connecticut Huskies during the west regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 26, 2011 in Anaheim, Cali

Best Case Scenario

Sacramento and their 8.8 percent chance at the No. 1 pick work well together, and the Kings' ping pong ball pops out first.

With the selection, the Kings take Derrick Williams and allow him to run up and down the court with Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings' young nucleus plays at an All-Star level for quite some time. 

Worst Case Scenario

Sacramento loses its mind and selects a center for some strange reason, just adding to the frontcourt logjam that already exists. Enes Kanter and Jonas Valanciunas are both going to be successful players, but the Kings don't need to add any big bodies to their roster. 

Utah Jazz

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 17: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars reacts while playing against the Wofford Terriers during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo

Best Case Scenario

The Utah Jazz select a productive player with the first of their two lottery picks, maybe even Derrick WIlliams if they come up with a high enough pick.

Then with their second pick in the lottery, the Jazz take hometown hero Jimmer Fredette, whose scoring prowess allows him to challenge Kevin Durant for scoring title after scoring title and also proves all the doubters wrong. 

Worst Case Scenario

The Utah Jazz get pressured into selecting Fredette with the first of their two lottery selections, and the nation's leading scorer at the collegiate level is a colossal bust.

Jimmer doesn't play defense well enough to stay on the court, and when he does get the ball, his limited athleticism doesn't allow him to have many scoring opportunities at all. 

Detroit Pistons

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 18: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Texas Longhorns blocks a shot by Reggie Hamilton #23 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies during the second round game of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 18, 2011 in Tulsa, Okl

Best Case Scenario

The Detroit Pistons wind up with a top three pick and end up with a Turkish center on their roster. Ben Wallace somehow becomes a good mentor and helps Enes Kanter develop into an All-NBA center whose knees actually stay put for quite some time.

Worst Case Scenario

Detroit selects Tristan Thompson halfway through the lottery portion of the first round, and the former Texas Longhorn develops into a massive bust.

Thompson's lack of shooting ability from anywhere outside the paint hinders him to such an extreme that he's sent down to the D-League midseason. 

Charlotte Bobcats

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13: Kemba Walker, guard for the Connecticut Huskies throws out the first pitch before the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on April 13, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo b

Best Case Scenario

The Charlotte Bobcats watch with bated breath as team after team passes on Kemba Walker.

Finally, they can stop holding their breath, as Walker is still on the board when it's time to announce their selection. Walker develops into a star both on and off the court, giving Charlotte a new face of the franchise. 

Worst Case Scenario

Charlotte still drafts Walker, but this time he's a serious bust.

Walker's size and lack of true point guard skills keep him from ever being successful, and the Bobcats are still left without a franchise player, as D.J. Augustin is still the best player on the team. 

Milwaukee Bucks

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 09: Alec Burks #10 of the Colorado Buffaloes drives with the ball against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first round of the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 9, 2011 in Kansas City,

Best Case Scenario

The Milwaukee Bucks are lucky enough to have Alec Burks fall to them, and they select the most underrated lottery player in the draft.

As those who have read my other articles know by now, I'm completely convinced Burks is going to be a stud. He has the length, speed, athleticism and skill necessary to be extraordinarily special. 

Worst Case Scenario

Milwaukee gets excited as Donatas Motiejunas falls to them at No. 10, but the Lithuanian power forward is soon shown to be a complete head case. With too much cockiness and not enough game, he runs the Bucks' 2011-2012 campaign into the ground. 

Golden State Warriors

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 18: Marcus Morris #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks takes a shot against the Boston University Terriers during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 18, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald

Best Case Scenario

Marcus Morris is still on the board when Golden State gets a chance to pick, and the Warriors go ahead to take the only forward worth drafting.

Jan Vesely and Derrick Williams are going to go to high, and Kawhi Leonard and Markieff Morris would be huge reaches. With the addition of a good forward who actually plays defense, the Warriors become a good team and not just one that's fun to watch. 

Worst Case Scenario

Alec Burks, Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker all fall to the Warriors' selection, and Golden State has to pick one of them.

They can't in good conscience leave all three on the board, but Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis are already on the roster, so Golden State tries and fails to trade one of those two.

The result is too many players competing for too little playing time and getting frustrated all season. 

Phoenix Suns

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 24: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars warms up prior to their game against the Florida Gators in the Southeast regional of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 24, 2011 in New Orle

Best Case Scenario

Either Jimmer Fredette or Alec Burks falls to Phoenix and gets the opportunity to receive sparse playing time while learning from Steve Nash, one of the best guards to ever dribble up a basketball court.

Eventually, Nash moves on from the Suns,—either through retirement or a trade—and the replacement steps up without forcing Phoenix to skip a beat. 

Worst Case Scenario

Phoenix drafts either Kawhi Leonard, Markieff Morris or Trey Thompkins.

If Leonard, they soon realize he doesn't have any elite skills and won't be anything more than a role-player.

If Morris, they soon realize there's a reason he was considered the second-best Morris twin.

If Thompkins, they realize his mentality will keep him from ever being a star. 

Houston Rockets

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SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 27: Marcus Morris #22 and Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks react during the southwest regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Alamodome on March 27, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas. Virginia Commonw

Best Case Scenario

Houston watches with awe as one of the two Morris twins falls to the end of the lottery where they'll have a chance to snatch him up.

Wanting to add a productive player and help make history, the Rockets take either Marcus or Markieff off the draft boards and complete the Morris' hopes of becoming the first twins to ever be selected in the same lottery. 

Worst Case Scenario

The Rockets realize there's not really anyone worthy taking with a lottery pick here and try to trade down. But no one wants to trade up, and the Rockets are stuck making their selection.

With it, they deem Kawhi Leonard the most worthy, but he lets them down.