2012 NBA Draft Recap: Top 5 Biggest Losers

2012 NBA Draft Recap: Top 5 Biggest Losers: With any draft in professional sports there are winners and losers, and the 2012 NBA Draft was no exception. While it is easy to assume that only the perennial bad franchises end up the list of losers, this year’s draft didn’t play favorites. There were lottery teams and playoff teams that made some questionable decisions on draft night. Whether the picks just didn’t fall as some teams anticipated or their front offices know something that isn’t obvious on paper, there were a handful of clubs that made some moves Thursday night that are just tough to explain. Here is a look at the five biggest losers from the 202 NBA Draft.

2012 NBA Draft Recap: Top 5 Biggest Losers

1.      Miami Heat

Fresh off an NBA title, the only thing the Heat really needed was an athletic big man that can finish around the rim. Lo and behold, Mississippi State’s Arnett Moultrie shockingly slid into Miami’s lap. The 6-11 power forward is an excellent athlete for his size, and while he needs to add some muscle, he can immediately block shots and finish around the rim in the NBA. After getting such a perfect gift, the Heat front office promptly shipped Moultrie to Philadelphia for a pick and Justin Hamilton. Hamilton is the antithesis of Moultrie, lacking the speed and explosiveness to keep up with the fast pace of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Hamilton might never see the court, while Moultrie could have seen court time next season. This move was a head scratcher.

2.      Indiana Pacers

After deciding to part ways with Larry Bird when the Hall of Famer had the audacity to tell his underperforming team to show a little effort during the playoffs, the remaining front office decided to part ways with sanity, as well. Indiana wanted some size and toughness inside, but adding Duke center Miles Plumlee in the first round addressed the size aspect only. Plumlee doesn’t have much of an offensive game, and nobody in the NBA is going to be afraid to attack the rim because Plumlee is waiting at the rim. He is also a liability in crunch time because of his poor free throw shooting. With athletic big men, Arnett Moultrie, Perry Jones III and Festus Ezeli picked with three of the four picks immediately following Plumlee, the Pacers whiffed on this pick.

3.      Houston Rockets

I guess I give Houston credit for trying to do something in this year’s NBA draft. Unfortunately, amassing three picks in the top half of the first round didn’t result in a trade for Dwight Howard or anyone else for that matter. The Rockets ended up picking Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Jones and Royce White with their picks, and while positives can be found with each player, Houston has now drafted six forwards the past two years. Lamb is the only player that fits a big need, and the Rockets now have a rotation nightmare on their hands with a bunch of players that will all need court time to improve. Maybe the front office still has some master plan in mind, but right now, this doesn’t look like a promising situation.

4.      Cleveland Cavaliers

While I don’t think either Dion Waiters or Tyler Zeller is a bad first-round pick for Cleveland, I do question the team’s overall strategy. Waiters would have been on the board later in the lottery, and the Cavaliers could have traded down and added picks. Instead, Cleveland ended up having to trade away picks to add Zeller. The end result isn’t terrible. Waiters is the athletic wing scorer the Cavs wanted and Zeller is a polished post scorer that can keep up with Kyrie Irving in transition. Still, Cleveland could have done so much more Thursday night.

5.      Boston Celtics

Granted, the Boston front office obviously has a better idea on the future of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but the back-to-back picks of Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo in the latter of the first round is questionable at best. Sullinger could end up being a steal if the back issues end up being a non-factor, but he would have been a better fit three or four years ago when the Celtics only needed some added scoring in the post. Melo, on the other hand, might develop into a solid shot blocker, but he is never going to have an offensive game in the NBA. This year’s Boston club appears to be headed toward a rebuilding process, and  with players like Perry Jones III, John Jenkins and Arnett Moultrie still on the board that have the potential to be long-term starters and maybe even stars, Boston’s picks seemed far too conservative.

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