NBA Draft Lottery Shakes Out; Experts Peg Sullinger For Blazers, Warriors

The NBA's 2012 Draft Lottery had its lottery balls fall where they did. Chris Paul trade extortion request victims New Orleans (and soon to be owned by the bounty battered New Orleans Saints' Tom Benson) found their want to be in the number (one) come to fruition. They now seem pegged to be lazily cast into much idle, hollow condemnation for being the beneficiaries of a ruse by commissioner David Stern, he of the "basketball reasons" Hornets-Lakers veto, instead of, you know, math. Je ne m'en souviens pas. ¹

So how does this effect the Buckeyes' highest profile draftee to be? Draft Express, arguably the foremost minds on the subject, have Jared Sullinger going sixth overall to the Portland Trail Blazers. Having Sullinger land in the same hallowed locker rooms which saw Greg Oden face such hardship has to cause pause for some, but the two are completely different players with radically dissimilar medical histories. Despite the Blazers' star-crossed relationship with bigs, this would likely (particularly financially) be the absolute best case for Sullinger.

ESPN's Chad Ford, on the other hand, sees Sullinger more realistically falling to Milwaukee with the 12th overall selection. While not live yet, Ford is currently preparing his Mock Draft 5.0, which based on his Lottery Mock Draft scenario simulator, would suggest Sully going to basketball's other other Bucks. IS KIND OF A REVISIONIST A**HOLE. J/K. Even though you overhyped Darko so much way back when, we still love you Chad. In Ford's Mock Draft 5.0 ($$$), he has Sullinger landing with the Golden State Warriors at the 7th overall pick. He goes on to state that while he believes the San Francisco bound GSW will be tempted by Perry Jones III, they'll error on the side of the more proven Sully.

Meanwhile, in William Buford land:

Sources tell PBD that William Buford struggled at Orlando's workout and got sick during drills.#Magic

— Probasketballdraft (@Probballdraft) May 30, 2012

God speed, The WB.

^{1. I don't remember. ↩}