The only good thing about being so bad this season is that the Charlotte Bobcats are virtually guaranteed to get a pretty solid player in the coming NBA draft. That can’t always be said, but the talent pool looks pretty darn good so whether they get the first, second, or third pick (or lower) via the lottery they are going to get someone who can contribute immediately.

That is, unless His Airness does something crazy, but in Jordan we trust right?

As the whole world knows, Mr. Unibrow (aka Anthony Davis) is going to be the No 1 pick in the draft. Should that pick not belong to the Bobcats, who else should they choose?

They can’t go wrong if they opt to go with the sophomore forward from Ohio State Jared Sullinger.

His stats are solid. As a freshman– the year most people expected him to enter the draft—he averaged a double-double with 10.2 boards and 17.2 points a game. That number dipped a tad last season (9.2 boards but 17.5 points a game), but he went up in many other areas.

He went from averaging a block every other game to 1.1 a game. His free throw percentage improved from .704 to .768. As a big man he will not be expected to drain a lot of 3s, but he got better at that too hitting 40 percent (16-40) last season compared to 25 percent as a freshman (3-12). His field goal percentage took a dip (.519 to .541), but with his smaller size he was likely taking more jump shots than he did as a freshman.

The draft will be here in no time and as diligent basketball fans that hope our beloved Charlotte Bobcats will climb out of the cellar next season we know the importance of the coming draft. When you get the chance to make what will hopefully be one of the first picks of the draft you should get an immediate impact player, but not everyone fits that bill.

On the chance that we don’t get the No 1 pick and Anthony Davis we have to do our homework on the other available studs—like Thomas Robinson of the Kansas Jayhawks.

What can I say, but that I like this guy. Unlike many of the other projected lottery picks he is not a young, one and done kind of player. He has taken the time in college to hone his craft and improve his game before trying to make the jump to the NBA. I would trust in a guy like him that has spent some time maturing in college being ready to contribute before I would a 19-year old kid.

Now he likely did not make the jump because no one would have taken him after his freshman year or sophomore year. He played a lot his first two years, but other players were the key to the team’s success those years. Once he got his chance to shine as a junior he did just that.

During the 2011-12 season he averaged an impressive double-double, 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds a game; both big improvements off his sophomore numbers. On the season he recorded 27 double-doubles beating Drew Gooden’s single season record of 25 set back in 2002.

The season is thankfully winding down now and the Bobcats have done at least one thing. Much like the Indianapolis Colts, they will have a great chance at picking up a player that should be able to make an immediate impact on the team next year thanks to the team sucking so bad this year.

Of course the man we want and hope to get is the Uni-brow himself, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. However, with the lottery system—as we all know—just because you have the best chance at the No 1 pick does not mean we’ll get it. Whoever does get it will take Davis so in case we are No 2,3,or 4 or whatever who should we take?

What about Florida’s Bradley Beal?

He’s another one of the many ‘one and done’ players that are becoming commonplace in college basketball. The youngster stands 6-foot 3-inches (according to his profile on ESPN), weighs in at 207, and will turn 19 on the day of the draft (talk about an awesome present).

Beal was the lynch pin in Florida’s 26-11 season playing more minutes than anyone else and averaging a respectable 14.6 a game to go with 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He’s listed as a guard, but I’ve read that he played small forward and power forward a lot for the Gators.

The word on this guy is that he is a can’t-miss prospect for whatever NBA team is lucky enough to pick him up. Some analysts and NBA executives have projected him to go as high as No 2, but definitely in the top 10 if not five.

Now it is safe to say that the consensus first pick is Anthony Davis. However, since we don’t know for certain that the Bobcats are going to get the first pick, the team will have to be ready to choose someone else when it does become their turn.

So besides Davis, who do we want? What about Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?

John Calipari seems to have an eye for talent and this year’s team of Wildcats is one of the best ever. Any top recruit that doesn’t go to NBA U, aka Kentucky, is just nuts. A couple years ago he lost five guys to the draft; this season he is expected to lose six—including Kidd-Gilchrist.

A look at the stats and you might think he’s a little over hyped. On the season he averaged just 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. Good? Yes. Top five pick worthy? Maybe.

Personally I find it a little hard to get a true judge on some of these basketball players that are coming out early, especially the ones from UK. One season does not a stud professional make, but that is pretty much how many of these guys are viewed. I don’t know the stats, but I have to wonder how many “one and done” players become stars and how many crash and burn.

When it comes to the UK guys the evaluation is even tougher. These guys were in first for much of the season and won the national championship for a reason—they were pretty darn good. When it comes to making individual evaluations on a team that is so talented how do you judge the individual talent?

Anyway…Kidd-Gilchrist has the look of a guy that could make a difference for whoever drafts him. At 6-foot 7-inches and 232 pounds he has the frame of someone who could plug in at forward or guard (ESPN lists him as a forward while Catsillusrated.com says he’s a guard). In a nut shell the man is big, but not so big that he is stuck playing one position (versatility helps).

The good thing about having one of the lottery picks in the coming draft is that it is hard to go wrong with whoever you pick. Every player that will get taken in the early part of the first round is bound to make a difference on whatever team they happen to land on.

That is exactly what the Charlotte Bobcats will be hoping when it becomes their turn to choose from this year’s crop of future stars.

When you have a team that has played as poorly as the Bobcats have this season you’d think that the team could just put a bunch of names on a dart board have His Airness close his eyes and throw. If that dart were to land on Andre Drummond (center, UConn Huskies) would it be a good choice for the ‘Cats?

Drummond was one of the best players in the country coming out of high school in 2011. ESPN and NBADraft.net had him rated as the No 1 player in the country; Rivals.com and Scout.com had him No 2. If the NBA was still drafting kids straight out of high school he would have gone in last year’s draft.

Should the Bobcats take him he could very well be the center that the team needs. He has the size of an NBA center standing 6-foot 11-inches and weighing in at 275 pounds. He could be a tough defensive presence down low, is known for being a solid rebounder and shot blocker, and has a decent (and improving) offensive game.

The man can play; that’s a given, but do the ‘Cats need him? What about Bismack Biyombo?