1.  New Orleans Hornets Anthony Davis (6’10″ PF, Freshman, Kentucky)

2.  Cleveland Cavaliers Bradley Beal (6’5″ SG, Freshman, Florida)

3.  Washington Wizards Harrison Barnes (6’8″ SF, North Carolina, Sophomore)

4.  Charlotte Bobcats Thomas Robinson (6’9″ PF, Junior, Kansas)

The Draft Team has compiled a Big Board, or hierarchical ranking, or where we think the players stack up for each of our picks.  Anthony Davis is obviously out of the question, so we have listed the top 5 players available for the Second pick and the top 5 players for the Thirty-first pick.  This list does not factor in the draft combine so please keep that in mind while reading through.

1.  Thomas Robinson (6’9″ PF, Kansas, Junior)

PPG: 17.7

RPG:  11.9

FG%: 50.5

FT%: 68.2

Strengths: Physically mature, high motor, great character moves well with and without the ball, natural scorer and is an amazing rebounder.

Weaknesses:  What is his true size on the court for a PF (possibly undersized), inconsistent shot selection, double teams.

How he would fit the ‘Cats:  At 21 years of age, Robinson’s chiseled physique and mental stability is already NBA ready.  He is always around the ball and knows how to get the ball in the basket in a variety of ways.  His frame is able to bang down low (not necessarily in a post game, but physical enough to hang), yet he is athletic enough to step out on the perimeter and drain shots with ease.  Robinson is a beast on the boards and is an ideal player at running the pick and roll game.  Size is the biggest knock on Robinson due to the fact that he has been measured between 6’8’’ – 6’10’’.  If he measures well at the pre-draft camps, and can hit that 6’10” measurement, Thomas Robinson should be the ‘Cats pick at #2.

2.  Andre Drummond  (6’11″ PF/C, Connecticut, Freshman)

PPG:  10.0

RPG:   7.6

BPG:   2.7

FG%:  53.8

FT%:  29.5

Strengths:  Very athletic and strong for his size, defensive stalwart, great rebounder and shot blocker, highest ceiling.

Weaknesses:  Limited offensive game, work ethic and desire is questionable, disappears too often.

How he would fit the ‘Cats:  Andre Drummond is about as frustrating a player as you will find in this draft.  On paper and high school videos, he appears to be the next Dwight Howard.  Then, you flip on his games at UConn, and you see a much different player.  If Andre Drummond can discover a passion for the game of basketball, he could dominate in the NBA.  He is an athletic freak with a 7’5” wingspan, and runs the court like a guard.  Drummond’s presence in the paint is noticeable as he alters shots defensively and is always crashing rebounds.  His upside and potential is what will sell an owner on Andre Drummond because if he can flip the switch, he will be a franchise center.

The Draft Team has put together the second official BCP mock draft hot off receiving the second pick in the lottery.  This mock was compiled based on draft stock following the NCAA Championship game and off-season hype, and before any official combine measurements have been tallied, so please keep that in mind when viewing.

Also, this mock is not compiled according to what teams are rumored to be thinking, but more along the lines of what we think they should do.  Don’t hesitate to jump into the comment section below with your thoughts.

1.  New Orleans Hornets Anthony Davis (6’10″ PF, Kentucky, Freshman)

Breakdown:  The people in New Orleans are rejoicing at winning the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes.  There really isn’t much that needs to be said here as he’s the clear #1 guy in the draft.  If Eric Gordon stays, they all of a sudden have a scary duo that is the great starting point for the future.  They also have the 10^th pick, so they could still add another talent on the wing or at the point to help them out.  A guy like Kendall Marshall, for example, would really look nice playing next to Davis and Gordon.  Weakness:  lack of ideal bulk to consistently bang with NBA big men

2.  Charlotte Bobcats Thomas Robinson (6’9″ PF, Kansas, Junior)

Reasoning:  The Bobcats and Bobcats fans were bummed to miss out on Anthony Davis, but the addition of Thomas Robinson will still result in a great improvement to the worst roster in the NBA. The Bobcats need help at basically every position so they are free to take BPA without worry. Robinson is a physical specimen that plays with heart and hustle. Robinson should start from day 1 and immediately help the NBA’s 2^nd worst rebounding team. The only concern with Robinson is his height, if he measures a legit 6’ 9” or 6’10” at the Chicago combine, I believe the #2 pick is his to lose.

3.  Washington Wizards Bradley Beal (6’4″ SG, Florida, Freshman)

Reasoning:  John Wall and the Wizards desperately need a guy like Beal to help space the floor.  They could also do well with his leadership and toughness as the Wizards have been floundering for a long time now.  His relative lack of height is mitigated by the size and athleticism of Wall, and they could potentially have the best young backcourt in the league.  Weakness:  Does he have the height or length to consistently get his shot off?

4.  Cleveland Cavaliers Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (6’7″ SF, Kentucky, Freshman)

Reasoning:  The Cavs are thrilled to see MKG still available. Kidd-Gilchrist is both strong and athletic and plays with boundless energy. MKG has future All Defensive Team SF written all over him, he has both the ability and the desire to be a shutdown perimeter defender. With Kyrie Irving running the break and MKG finishing the Cavs have the chance to create some Top 10 Highlight Moments this season. Weakness: Doesn’t have a natural shooting motion and his jumpshoot will most likely be broken down and reconstructed by a shooting coach.

With few highly touted point guards available through free agency or the upcoming draft, the Charlotte Bobcats announced on Thursday that they would be exploring fictional options.  “Lets face it,” Bobcats Vice President Rod Higgins stated in a press conference, “(Unrestricted free agent) Deron Williams wouldn’t sign with our team if (team owner) Michael Jordan beamed himself over to D-Will’s house, defecated a new pair of blue-and-orange Jordans on his front lawn, and called them the Air Max Derons.  And the highest-rated point guard in the draft went to Weber State,” Higgins continued, referring to Damian Lillard.  “Can you even point to where that is on a map?” Higgins asked, before adding, “Cause I sure as hell can’t.  It’s time for us to get on some Last Action Hero (stuff).”

Higgins then announced that the Bobcats would be holding a special tryout for three players who have all had prior success elsewhere, albeit completely fictional: Scott McKnight of the New Jersey Nets, playground legend Sidney Deane, and the Mormon God Elohim.  Here is a brief scouting report of each:

First off, I’d like to praise Rich Cho’s reaction to the results of last night’s draft lottery.  I’m amazed at how gracefully he handled the unspeakably crushing news that he’d lost out on the #1 pick by smiling sweetly and casually congratulating the winner, Monty Williams.  It’s certainly not how I handled it, that’s for sure.  Given his Asian ethnicity and bald dome, Cho’s got a Buddhist monk vibe to him, so perhaps this really was no big deal for him—you know, life is merely suffering and spectacularly failed draft strategies on the way to eventual dharma, etc.  Whatever the case, thank you, Rich, for representing us well!

As for the loss itself, why are we all so distraught?  Because the media has commanded us to believe that Anthony Davis isn’t just a once-in-a-generation basketball talent; nope, this boy can stop bullets.  And by “the media,” I basically mean every journalist everywhere, from Sports Illustrated to Juggs.  The praise for Davis has been so over-the-top that it’s borderline homoerotic.  Not only that, but according to the media, Davis is in a class all by himself, and anyone else in this draft is practically a heroine addict.  Just look here, here, here, here, or here.  On his podcast with Bill Simmons, Chad Ford subtly predicted that if the Bobcats missed out on the #1 pick it, would be “kill-the-franchise, devastatingly bad.”  Given this bombardment of unified opinion, had Rich Cho kneed Monty Williams in the groin and then sat down and set himself on fire, I would have only considered it a mild overreaction.

It's OK, MJ! It'll be OK!

Can’t win for losing.  I mean seriously, the Hornets?  The Hornets, George Shinn ruined this city for NBA basketball and now, the Hornets get the Number One overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft?

I don’t even want to get into the conspiracy theories, because it’s so simple to look that direction.  I just want to wallow in the misery of losing yet again, in an arena where no one was in control.  The Charlotte Bobcats will select second in the upcoming draft.  Anthony Davis, the unibrow, the consensus player of the year in the NCAA as a freshman, will be a New Orleans Hornet and the Bobcats will have to pick from the rest.

It’s not so much that Davis is that much better, it’s the fact that everyone else is within a whisker of each other.  So from one crap shoot to another.  I still contend, as I would have if the Bobcats had won the lottery, that there is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to evaluating 19 year olds to play basketball.

So, now it comes down to talent evaluation.  Haha, you see what I did there?  Anyway, I feel like the Bobcats have a great team in place to select exactly what they need.  Hell, Rich Cho and Rod Higgins could come up with a guy they like better than the prohibitive favorite, in the goofy-lookin’ Davis.  (I will continue to bash him, until he’s out of the league in 3 years)