The 2012 NBA Mock Draft consensus is that Bradley Beal will go to the Washington Wizards with the No. 3 overal pick, but over at Basketball Prospectus Dan Feldman places him in a third tier, behind Anthony Davis alone in tier one and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Thomas Robinson in tier two. Beal, then, chosen No. 4 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, fits in a third tier with Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond.
Feldman likes Beal for the Cavaliers, who wanted to choose him before he moved even further beyond them in his rapid lottery climb, because of his rebounding ability, which gives him an edge over Barnes and Drummond for the Cavs. But the more controversial explanation is probably why he likes Kidd-Gilchrist--because he won't be able to push the disastrous Bobcats out of the lottery in his rookie season, like Thomas Robinson might.
He's convinced the Bobcats need to stay in the lottery a while longer--and, well, taking a raw player No. 2 overall is one very particular way to do it. The draft is less than an hour away, so we should know the answer to all these questions very soon.