2012 NBA Mock Draft

The staff writers at Right Down Euclid took the time to create their own NBA Mock Draft, with the updated trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets included. Chris Manning starts us out with the odd picks and Zachary Kolesar will critique even, having both of the Cavaliers’ first round picks. 

1. New Orleans Hornets – Anthony Davis  — PF, Kentucky — Davis a lock to go number one overall. Has a great work ethic, rebounds well, and is only going to improve. Highest ceiling of anyone in this draft

2. Charlotte Bobcats — Thomas Robinson — PF, Kansas — Robinson is the type of player that you would center your franchise around. The Bobcats are obviously missing a player like that. He will be able to come in right away and dominate, just like he did during pre-draft workouts.

3. Washington Wizards – Bradley Beal — SG, Florida — Beal is the best shooting guard in this draft. Is a legit 6’4, can shoot from anywhere, and reminds scouts of a young Ray Allen. Would also fit well in Cleveland.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers — Harrison Barnes — SF, North Carolina — Since Beal is off the board I think it’s a much easier decision to pick Barnes over Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kyrie loves him, and the Cavaliers definitely want to please their young star. Barnes was NBA-ready last year, and might have gone fourth to Cleveland had he entered the draft.

5. Sacramento Kings – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist — SF, Kentucky — Kidd-Gilchrist is my favorite player in this draft. High ceiling, works hard, and plays great defense. Has drawn comparisons to the legendary Scottie Pippen.

6. Portland Trail Blazers — Andre Drummond — C, Connecticut — The reason he slipped so low is because he didn’t really “wow” me with his pre-draft workouts and he could become the next Greg Oden. But who knows, maybe the Blazers will get this one right.

7. Golden State Warriors – Terrence Jones — PF, Kentucky — The Warriors need big men, and Jones would fit in nicely in their fast break oriented offense. Probably a little high for Jones, but I think he’s a safer pick than Drummond.

8. Toronto Raptors — Jeremy Lamb — SG, Connecticut — Lamb should definitely go before Dion Waiters. His wingspan is an impressive 6′ 11″ and gives him an advantage on defense. His explosiveness has made him draw comparisons to Reggie Miller.

9. Detroit Pistons – John Henson — PF, North Carolina — Henson is a lanky power forward who shoots at a solid 50.0% clip. At only 216 LBS, he needs to put on size if he wants to play down low in the NBA. Also shot blocked at a high rate in college.

10. New Orleans Hornets — Damian Lillard — PG, Weber State — Lillard has some bust potential, but a good showing at the combine has him shooting up the draft board. He probably won’t make an impact right away.

11.  Portland Trail Blazers – Kendall Marshall — PG, North Carolina — Both Jonny Flynn and Raymond Felton are set to free agents, leaving a big hole at point guard for the Trail Blazers. Marshall led the nation in assists (9.75 per game) and assist to turnover ratio (3.51 – 1) at North Carolina, making him the best pure point guard in this draft.

12. Milwaukee Bucks — Austin Rivers — SG, Duke — Brandon Jennings is going to be a free agent in two years. The Bucks need to look to the future if they ever want to make a run in the playoffs. Rivers showed leadership in his one season at Duke, and that proves to be he’s ready.

13. Phoenix Suns – Terrence Ross — SG, Washington — The Suns need a wing scorer desperately, and Ross is the best available. This pick could also be Jeremy Lamb or Austin Rivers depending on how the chips fall.

14. Houston Rockets — Tyler Zeller — C, North Carolina — Considered to some the best center in the draft, the Rockets would be very lucky to see him fall to pick No. 14. He averaged an impressive 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in his final season as a Tar Heel.

15. Philadelphia 76ers – Jared Sullinger — PF, Ohio State — The Ohio State power forward falls out of the lottery due to health concerns about his back. Is very good offensively, but needs to show improvements in his conditioning. If healthy, will be a steal for the Sixers.

16. Houston Rockets — Perry Jones III — PF, Baylor — This woud be an amazing draft if Jones fell to the Rockets at pick No. 16. He might be the most complete player in the draft with his length and agility giving him the attributes of a power or small forward. I would be surprised if he fell out of the lottery.

17. Dallas Mavericks – Royce White — PF, Iowa State — Stock piling young bigs is never a bad idea, and the Mavs do that with this pick. Could also be Terrance Jones or Jared Sullinger depending on how the lottery plays out. If it is White, the Mavs will be adding an efficient scorer who reminds me of DeJuan Blair.

18. Houston Rockets — Arnett Moultrie — PF, Mississippi — Moultire is a double-double machine. He recorded the second-most double-doulbes in the SEC with 18, while averaging 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds. This would be a great draft for Houston if they got Zeller, Jones and Moultrie. Good management.

19. Orlando Magic – Quincy Miller — SF, Baylor — With Dwight Howard’s future in limbo, adding a young front court player is almost a necessity for the Magic. While he’s not elite, Miller should be a solid player in the league. Fab Melo should also be considered here.

20. Denver Nuggets — Dion Waiters — SG, Syracuse — If Waiters slips this far, I think the Nuggets should snag him. I think the SG talent in the draft is very deep this year, and the reason Wiaters could fall out of the lottery is due to his attitude toward the combine workouts.

21. Boston Celtics – Fab Mel — C, Syracuse — The Celtics are in an awkward position. They may have a title run left in them, but they may be better served rebuilding around Rajon Rondo. Either way, Melo can help them immediately with this shot blocking and rebounding.

22. Boston Celtics — Doron Lamb — SG, Kentucky — Although most experts have Lamb falling out of the first round due to his size, I think Lamb will be able to make an impact with the almost-sure departure of Ray Allen. He has a lot of question marks, but I think he can be the scorer the Celtics need.

23. Atlanta Hawks – Draymond Green — SF, Michigan State — Green will probably never be elite in the NBA, but the Michigan State product is the kind of player every team needs. He is well rounded, rebounds well, and has a solid mid-range game.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers — Andrew Nicholson — PF, St. Bonaventure — With Antawn Jamison gone, the Cavaliers need to address finding a replacement for their top scorer. He averaged 18.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his senior season, leading his team to the NCAA tournament. He would be a great inside threat for the Cavaliers, something they will need for this upcoming season.

25. Memphis Grizzles – Evan Fournier — SG, France — Fournier is one of the top foreign prospects in this draft. At 6’7 and 204 pounds, his size is ideal for the NBA. Will need to improve his jump shot, but has time considering that he won’t come over for a few years.

26. Indiana Pacers — Jeffrey Taylor — SF, Vanderbilt — Taylor may be one of the most-determined player in the draft. Coming to the United States from Sweden when he was 17, Taylor, now 23, improved dramatically from his freshmen season to now He averaged 42.3 percent from beyond the arc this past season. He also showed he could score, averaging 16.1 points.

27. Miami Heat – Festus Ezeil — C, Vanderbilt — The NBA Champs desperately need young big men, and the 6’11 Ezeil fits the bill.  Didn’t rebound well at Vanderbilt, but shows potential. Reminds some of Samuel Dalembert.

28. Oklahoma City Thunder — Moe Harkless — SF, St. John’s — This would be perfect if Harkless fell to the Thunder. We saw in the Finals Kevin Durant having to sit out extra minutes due to foul trouble. Harkless could be a great player off the bench to help fill in when Durant needs some help. He could be a huge help on defense, as he averaged 5.9 defensive rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks in his freshmen season.

29. Chicago Bulls – Tyshawn Taylor — PG, Kansas — Taylor would help fill the huge void at point guard left by Derrick Rose, who may miss all of next season. Good value at this pick for the Bulls, and at the worst, he’ll be instant offense off the bench next season.

30. Golden State Warriors — Meyers Leonard — C, Illinois — I really think that Leonard may be the second-best true center in this draft, with the possibility of Tyler Zeller, Andre Drummond and Fab Melo jockeying for that same spot or higher. He shot 58.4 percent from the field, something that drew scouts’ attention to him.

Make sure to tell us what you think of our mock draft! Let us know if you think our predictions about the Cavaliers will come true, or if Kidd-Gilchrist does in-fact come to Cleveland. Find out by watching the draft Thursday night or stop by Quicken Loans Arena to watch with the Wine and Gold crew. Doors open at 6 p.m.