Charlotte Bobcats headed for top NBA draft pick

The Charlotte Bobcats are costing their coach sleep:

"It's been so hard. I've had sleepless nights," coach Paul Silas said Monday. "Guys play as hard as they can, but ..."

But there's not enough collective talent right now to compete for a playoff spot. Combine that with a variety of injuries to rotation players and the Bobcats have the worst record in the NBA at 3-18 entering Tuesday night's road game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Bobcats are careening toward a slew of chances in the annual draft lottery. A high pick is billed as the compensation for a bad season. There's no guarantee a lottery pick will pan out (Adam Morrison, where are you?), but if everyone eligible for the 2012 draft turns pro, this could be an impressive class.

The Bobcats likely are headed for one of the top picks in the NBA draft. If they finish with one of the worst four records, they'd pick no worse than seventh.

With advice from various NBA college scouts and looking at the Bobcats' needs, here's an early view of what could be available in June.

"With the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select ... Kentucky's Anthony Davis (6-foot-10, 220 pounds; 13.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg): What does he do? He can be a Marcus Camby-type shot-blocker/rebounder at the NBA level. Camby averaged 10 points and 2.5 blocks in 16 seasons. Davis is interesting because he grew up as a guard, then had a sudden, dramatic growth spurt late in high school (somewhat like what happened to former Spurs star David Robinson). That means he didn't always rely upon height, and developed skills and coordination. The downside of a sudden growth spurt is he hasn't filled out. He sometimes gets pushed around like he's made of cotton balls.

Plug him into the Bobcats: As well as the Bobcats played offensively Saturday, the Wizards still beat them because they couldn't keep Washington out of the paint. It happens all the time: Opponents have scored a stunning 152 points in the lane in the Bobcats' past three games. Gana Diop might never work out and Byron Mullens is offense-centric. Adding Davis, while developing rookie Bismack Biyombo, has the potential to fix the Bobcats' interior defense.

With the second pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select...Connecticut's Andre Drummond (6-10, 270; 10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg):

What does he do? He's potentially a big-time pick-and-roll center, a bigger, less mechanical version of what the Bobcats hoped they were getting in Emeka Okafor in 2004. Big men typically take years for their coordination and athleticism to catch up with their bodies. Not Drummond. He's ready to play and figures to have a huge upside going forward.

Plug him into the Bobcats: Half-court offense is a major problem for this team and it hasn't so far shown much ability or interest in running, despite Silas' requests. Drummond is raw, but he's a heck of an athlete and the best player who'd be available with true center size. Improving at center is as much a priority as any position for the Bobcats.

With the third pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select...North Carolina's Harrison Barnes (6-8, 215; 17.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) ...

What does he do? He's about as good a catch-and-shoot guy as there is in college basketball. He has good size for a small forward. And he puts in the effort defensively to do what's expected of him at the NBA level. The issues with Barnes are he's not a great athlete and he needs to improve his ball-handling skills. Beating people off the dribble is expected at the next level and right now that skill isn't apparent.

Plug him into the Bobcats: They need an heir apparent to Corey Maggette, unless you believe Tyrus Thomas' long-term future is at small forward (doubtful). Barnes and Gerald Henderson would be a nice pair of wings to build the next playoff team around. Ticket sales shouldn't be a reason to draft someone, but it wouldn't hurt marketing-wise to have a prominent Tar Heel on the roster.

With the fourth pick of the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select... Ohio's State's Jared Sullinger (6-9, 280; 17.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg)...

What does he do? He's a skilled, sophisticated basketball player who might surprise people with his shooting range (not quite Kevin Love-like, but a solid 15 to 17 feet). Also, he's way ahead of most college big men in his ability to pass out of double-teams. Every Buckeye benefits from how well their best player promotes quick ball-movement.

Plug him into the Bobcats: Truth is, he doesn't plug in so well to a team that has five power forwards and is shorthanded almost everywhere else. Sullinger is far from a great athlete; he plays mostly below the rim and at one point in his career, he had weight issues. When people compare him to the 76ers' Elton Brand, it's to the post-injury Brand now rather than the leaper he was at Duke.

With the fifth pick of the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select...Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb (6-5, 180; 17.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg)...

What does he do? He's a light-it-up scorer who makes 37 percent of his attempts from the college 3-point line. He's one of the better athletes in college right now, but he needs to get a lot stronger to fight through screens at the NBA level.

Plug him into the Bobcats: Adding him to a starting unit likely would mean shifting Henderson to small forward, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. The concern with Lamb is he's purely a finesse player, and that leads to conclusions that he's soft. The Bobcats already have a soft reputation; embellishing that isn't on their agenda.

With the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select... Baylor's Perry Jones (6-11, 235; 14.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg)...

What does he do? One scout described Jones as a classic "tease." As in the guy with so much athleticism that he might blow away predraft workouts and make teams fall in love with him. The problem is Jones has a long way to go to be a consistent, impactful NBA player.

Plug him into the Bobcats: When they're already figuring out how best to use Biyombo and Thomas, do the Bobcats really need to add a project at power forward? The reward would have to be tremendous to use another high pick on another defer-gratification guy at a loaded position.

With the seventh pick in the 2012 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select ... North Carolina's John Henson (6-11, 220; 14.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg) ...

What does he do? Potentially he'll be a John Salley-type shot-blocker and probably a better rebounder than Salley, who averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14 NBA seasons. Henson's not in Davis' class, but 6-10 guys who fly around and block shots are always valuable.

Plug him into the Bobcats: A team that regularly gives up more than 40 points in the paint needs to acquire as much at-the-rim defense as possible. Henson fits the prescription if that's the malady.