Hornets Win NBA Draft Lottery, Will Pick No. 1

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Coin Flip Cost Cavaliers A Chance To Pair Anthony Davis With Kyrie Irving

The Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Hornets finished the 2011-12 season with identical 21-45 records. Due to NBA draft lottery rules, the two teams had to combine 275 lottery combinations and split them, with the winner of a coin flip winning the spare. The winner of the coin flip would also get the first set of combinations sequentially, while the loser would get the next set. These don't matter in probabilities or odds at all, but it's just a reality.

The Hornets lost the coin flip, and got the second set of combinations. The winning combination -- the one that will station Anthony Davis in New Orleans for the next several years -- came from that set.

Had Cleveland lost the coin flip, they'd have two straight No. 1 picks, a rare occurrence that, in this case, would have given the Cavaliers the best young point guard since Derrick Rose and the best young big man since Dwight Howard. It would have been a hellacious rebound from the salad days of the Cavaliers' post-LeBron existence.

Alas, a lucky coin flip turned out to be just the opposite, and New Orleans will reap the rewards.

For more on the Cavs, visit Fear The Sword.

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Bobcats' Path Forward Uncertain After NBA Draft Lottery Fall

The Charlotte Bobcats' entire season built up to this moment: when they'd find out if they'd be blessed with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and the right to pick up phenom Anthony Davis. They were not so blessed.

Charlotte didn't fall far -- just to the No. 2 spot, unlike the 2009 Sacramento Kings, who fell from No. 1 to No. 4 -- but the path forward is nonetheless murky.

The Bobcats have needs at essentially every position. The best prospects on the roster are 2011 first-round picks Bismack Biyombo (a defensive big man) and Kemba Walker (a scoring guard), but those two might not rate among the top three building blocks on other young squads. Davis is a franchise cornerstone; the prospects left at No. 2 could be great, but aren't sure things, and aren't likely instant fate-changers.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson and even Andre Drummond are expected to be the popular names there. But again -- none of those guys bring the overwhelming hope and promise of Davis. This is rough start to the offseason.

For more on the Bobcats, visit Rufus On Fire. Pray for Cardboard Gerald.

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2012 NBA Draft Order: New Orleans Hornets Win Lottery, No. 1 Pick

The New Orleans Hornets will pick No. 1 in the 2012 NBA draft after winning the lottery on Wednesday. Kentucky big man Anthony Davis is a unanimous, unquestioned choice at No. 1.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who had the worst season in NBA history, won the No. 2 pick and the Washington Wizards won the No. 3 spot. The Cleveland Cavaliers won a coin flip against the Hornets that, in the end, dropped them to No. 4. After that, the pre-lottery order held to form.

Here's the full draft order for the first round.

1. New Orleans

2. Charlotte

3. Washington

4. Cleveland

5. Sacramento Kings

6. Portland Trail Blazers (via Brooklyn Nets)

7. Golden State Warriors

8. Toronto Raptors

9. Detroit Pistons

10. New Orleans (via Minnesota Timberwolves)

11. Portland

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Phoenix Suns

14. Houston Rockets

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. Houston (via New York Knicks)

17. Dallas Mavericks

18. Minnesota (via Utah Jazz)

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Boston (via L.A. Clippers)

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Cleveland (via L.A. Lakers)

25. Memphis Grizzlies

26. Indiana Pacers

27. Miami Heat

28. Oklahoma City Thunder

29. Chicago Bulls

30. Golden State via San Antonio Spurs

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2012 NBA Mock Draft: Reviewing Picks Before Wednesday's Lottery

The 2012 NBA Draft lottery will take place on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., which should provide some clarity to mock drafts that currently have the picks in order of team records. Of course, those mock drafts are instructive, because many of the teams will still be locked into similar selections.

Therefore, let’s take a quick look back at the last two mock drafts from our own Tom Ziller. Here’s who Ziller had each team taking.

(Note: Ziller’s May 15 mock draft predicted the lottery, while his May 7 mock draft was ordered by worst record).

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

• May 15 (picking fourth): Bradley Beal.
• May 7: Anthony Davis

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

• May 15 (picking fifth): Andre Drummond.
• May 7: Thomas Robinson

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

• May 15 (picking sixth): Harrison Barnes
• May 7: Bradley Beal

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

• May 15 (picking seventh): John Henson
• May 7: Andre Drummond

SACRAMENTO KINGS

• May 15 (picking third): Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
• May 7: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

BROOKLYN NETS

• May 15 (picking first): Anthony Davis
• May 7: John Henson (pick goes to Blazers if not in Top 3)

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

• May 15 (picking eighth): Kendall Marshall (pick goes to Jazz if not in Top 7)
• May 7: Harrison Barnes

TORONTO RAPTORS

• May 15 (picking ninth): Jared Sullinger
• May 7: Kendall Marshall

DETROIT PISTONS

• May 15 (picking 10th): Perry Jones III
• May 7: Jared Sullinger

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (by way of Timberwolves/Clippers)

• May 15 (picking second): Thomas Robinson
• May 7: Damian Lillard

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

• May 15: Damian Lillard
• May 7: Jeremy Lamb

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

• May 15: Tyler Zeller
• May 7: Tyler Zeller

PHOENIX SUNS

• May 15: Austin Rivers
• May 7: Austin Rivers

HOUSTON ROCKETS

• May 15: Meyers Leonard
• May 7: Perry Jones III

For all news and information regarding the 2012 NBA draft, please stay tuned to SB Nation’s dedicated basketball hub.