In a perfect world for Charlotte, Michael Jordan would have won Wednesday's lottery and the Bobcats would have done what every other NBA team would have done and taken Anthony Davis and built the team around him.
Didn't happen though: to add insult to injury, the previous Charlotte team, the Hornets, now of course in New Orleans, will have Davis, who gets to return to the scene of his greatest triumph.
The Bobcats will pick second, and that means that Jordan, and the Charlotte braintrust, will have to think carefully.
Last year they picked up an intriguing project in Bismack Biyombo, a raw 6-9 athlete who averaged 5.2 ppg and nearly six boards. They also have DeSagana Diop, 7-0, a 10-year veteran who has never really excelled, DJ White, who hasn't lit the world on fire, Bryon Mullens, 7-0, who averaged 9.3/5, and Tyrus Thomas, 6-10, who managed 5.6/3.7.
Former Devil Gerald Henderson averaged 15 ppg and rookie Kemba Walker hit for 12. Corey Maggette missed half the season but did average 15 as well.
So where do they go from here?
They need everything, really. Maggette is still a useful player but he's aging.
If he follows the route he took at Washington, Jordan may go for the most promising big man available, a la Kwame Brown. That might mean Andre Drummond, unquestionably talented but certainly a guy who hasn't established himself. You'd think MJ would be loathe to repeat the mistake.
Most people seem to figure he'll either go for KU's Thomas Robinson or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Both are safe picks, but it wouldn't surprise us to see the Bobcats take Jared Sullinger, possibly trading down slightly since it's a deep draft and they might have some options later as well.
You can go down to the second round and probably find guys like Draymond Green, Mike Scott or Herb Pope. They might not be stars but each could prove to be a useful player. Any of the three would be an improvement over Matt Carroll or Eduardo Najera.
Sullinger has solid skills, he's athletic enough, and just as importantly, he's got a nasty attitude.
That, as much as anything if he can't get Davis, may win Jordan over.
One other thing to consider: if Biyombo comes anywhere near his potential, having him and another solid forward - Robinson or Sullinger, for instance - could be the building blocks of an outstanding front line.
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