2012 NBA Mock Draft

With the NBA finals done, the attention turns to the draft that will take place this Thursday. Here is my mock draft of the top 10 picks.

1. New Orleans Hornets- Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
This is a no brainer as the long, big man is one of the best prospects since Lebron James in 2003.

2. Charlotte Bobcats- Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
Even though they got unlucky to get the number two pick, Robinson will add some much needed interior strength to a weak Bobcats front court.

3. Washington Wizards- Bradley Beal (Florida)
A scoring two guard is a gaping hole for the Wizards and Beal is a lights out shooter.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers- Harrison Barnes (UNC)
His length and shooting abilities will help the Cavs stretch the floor on offense.

5. Sacramento Kings- Andre Drummond (UCONN)
He is raw talent but Drummond could become a big star in the NBA.

6. Portland Trail Blazers- Damian Lillard (Weber State)
Lillard is not known by many but he is the best point guard in the draft and Portland definitely needs  one with the assumption that Raymond Felton is leaving via free agency.

7. Golden State Warriors- Michael Kidd-Gilcrest (Kentucky)
This would be a steal for the Warriors as MKG is super athletic and a lockdown defender.

8. Toronto Raptors- Dion Waiters (Syracuse)
This guy can score in a hurry and he proved that in college averaging over 12 points per game off the bench for Syracuse last year.

9. Detroit Pistons- John Henson (UNC)
He would complement Greg Monroe perfectly and the Pistons front court would be set for the next decade.

10. New Orleans Hornets- Austin Rivers (Duke)
Already drafting a big in Anthony Davis, the Hornets could get the point guard Rivers and come out of the draft definitely a better team.

New Generation

For the past decade, the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics have dominated the NBA. Ever since the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan first overall in 1998, they have won four titles. The big three of Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili have stuck together and every year when everyone thinks they are too old, they prove the critics wrong. That especially goes for this season as nobody thought the Spurs would compete this season. Instead of backing down, the Spurs finished with the best record in the league and rolled off 20 wins in a row at the end of the season. It is unfortunate they just ran into an extremely hot Thunder team who beat the Spurs 4-2 in the conference finals. Who knows how the Spurs will do next season but I would not be surprised if they are in the hunt again come May.

Five years ago, the Celtics made a big splash in free agency after acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to complement Paul Pierce. All three of the superstars had only one goal and that was to win their first title. They achieved that goal in their first year together in 2008 after they beat the Lakers. After that win, injuries riddled the team's chances of winning another one as they closest they got was in 2010 when they lost in seven games to the Lakers. After they lost last week to the Heat in a game seven heartbreaker, you have to wonder if the Celtics big three will ever be on the court together as teammate. My guess is no as Garnett and Allen are free agents this year. They will probably now have to rebuild around Rondo but it was a good run for the Celtics and they got the title they all deserved.

 

So now the attention turns to the next two dynasties. The Miami Heat and OKC Thunder are both young, explosive teams in their prime that are bound to be successful for years to come. Get your popcorn ready because this will be one of the fastest, most exciting finals in the history of the NBA.

With three MVP trophy's all Lebron has left to do is win the NBA Finals.