# NBA Draft 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214 "2012-06-25T04:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/21 "2012-06-29T00:08:45Z")
Lillard. That’s …interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/22 "2012-06-29T00:17:34Z")
I’d heard some rumors he might go that high. He can score a lot of points. Meanwhile the Raptors make a surprise pick and I guess we’re going to act like that matters. They picked Ross from UW, who I don’t know anything about. Oh, I see - they reached up for a guy who shoots well but can’t make his own shot. Now it all makes sense, because you know Toronto has such great point guard play. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/23 "2012-06-29T00:20:45Z")
I wasn’t that high on MKG for the Bobcats at first, but after I read this [article](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8100861/ford-vs-simmons) yesterday I started getting more excited about him. > [@](#): > > But he’s won at every level (high school, AAU, NCAA) and has a Rondo-eque type of motor and toughness. He’s an elite finisher at the rim. He runs the floor as well as anyone in the draft. He can defend at least three positions. He’s a gym rat and a relentless worker. Most of the analysts who followed him in high school thought he made major improvements as a freshman in virtually every area. And he’s the youngest player in the draft (doesn’t turn 19 until late September). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/24 "2012-06-29T00:21:13Z")
I like what I’ve seen of Lillard (which isn’t much), but you just don’t see very many players come out of the Big Sky Conference, especially in the top 10. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/25 "2012-06-29T00:22:40Z")
Yup. He’s the first Big Sky lottery pick since Michael Ray Richardson in 1978. That’s not the _best_ omen… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/26 "2012-06-29T00:30:29Z")
As expected, Drummond goes to Detroit and Rivers to New Orleans. I think several teams have had exactly the guy they wanted fall into their laps, and that’s cutting down the deal market. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/27 "2012-06-29T00:39:24Z")
Drummond is the biggest high risk/high reward player in the draft. I’m not familiar enough with Detroit’s current situation to speak intelligently about them, but I feel that Drummond needs to have a lot of veteran, high character guys on a decent team to be successful. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/28 "2012-06-29T01:00:21Z")
If Drummond pans out, Detroit’s front court is going to be incredible. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/29 "2012-06-29T01:10:48Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I wasn’t that high on MKG for the Bobcats at first, but after I read this [article](http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8100861/ford-vs-simmons) yesterday I started getting more excited about him. Scottie Pippen is a nice ceiling to have. As for the Cavs, I’m fine with the Waiters pick, and I’m glad they didn’t just resign themselves to Barnes. Waiters’ college numbers are similar to Russell Westbrook’s, and he gets to the rim like Westbrook. I think Irving and Waiters will be a tough back court to defend against. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/30 "2012-06-29T01:24:25Z")
Kinda loses a lot of excitement once it gets past the lottery, especially if your team picked high, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/31 "2012-06-29T01:24:46Z")
Kidd-Gilchrist was the most impressive player I saw in the Tourney. I don’t think he’ll ever have the speed and range of a Pippen and Pippen is probably the greatest defensive player to ever lace up, but a poor man’s Pippen is still an All-Star. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/32 "2012-06-29T01:35:32Z")
Apparently, Cleveland traded the rest of their draft to Dallas for Tyler Zeller. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/33 "2012-06-29T01:42:26Z")
I’m scratching my head raw and bloody on that one. I mean, he had a good college career, but 3 picks good? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/34 "2012-06-29T01:44:05Z")
The Celtics, who needed to get younger in a serious way, drafted Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger. I think I like those picks a lot. They should both be able to play right away and add energy while letting the older guys rest. No word yet on whether Garnett is coming back. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/35 "2012-06-29T01:50:35Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m scratching my head raw and bloody on that one. I mean, he had a good college career, but 3 picks good? Normally, in the NBA Draft, the 17th pick is worth more than the 24th, 33rd and 34th picks. The 33rd and 34th picks tend to be considered no better than guys you sign off the street. But, this is considered a really deep draft so those 33rd and 34th picks might actually have some value which is unusual. Probably a smart move for both teams, Cleveland needs front line starters now and Dallas needs players to develop for the future. There could be a couple nice specialists/swingmen there at the top of round 2 who could come off the bench right away. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/36 "2012-06-29T01:55:30Z")
Damn, both Jenkins and Cunningham were guys that I was looking at slipping to the Bulls. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/37 "2012-06-29T02:17:00Z")
Bulls on the clock. Will Barton? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/38 "2012-06-29T02:26:02Z")
Don’t love the Teague pick. Good player, undersized, so-so defender, but plays PG. He’s not enough of a scorer to step in as the SG and if he and Rose are on the floor together the Bulls are really small. Bad fit, almost seems like Teague is a 1-year pick, hoping he can fill in for Rose while he’s out next year. But, I suppose Teague was BPA here. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/39 "2012-06-29T02:58:34Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Pippen is probably the greatest defensive player to ever lace up He was the 3rd best defender on his own team after 23 and 91. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214/40 "2012-06-29T03:02:21Z")
A lot will depend on Tristan Thompson playing like a 4th overall, but the Cavs will have Thompson, Varejao, and Zeller in the front court, with Varejao rotating between the 4 and the 5 depending on the matchup, Irving and Waiters in the back court, Gee at the 3, and Boobie Gibson and Omri Casspi and someone else off the bench. I liked the Zeller move. He doesn’t have the potential of Drummond, but he’s versatile and rebounds well. Oh, and he’s 7 feet tall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-draft-2012/626214.md?page=3)