The 2012 NBA Draft is about a month away, but on Wednesday the lottery order was settled with the New Orleans Hornets moving up to the No. 1 overall pick. The Nuggets weren't in the lottery since they made the playoffs, so it didn't affect them. But now we'll start getting a better sense of where the mock draft projections will move for the Nuggets. ESPN Insider Chad Ford has released his first post-draft-lottery mock and the Nuggets pick up St. John's forward Moe Harkless:
The Nuggets don't have any glaring needs right now, which gives them the luxury of taking the best player left on the board. We've had Quincy Miller here the past few mock drafts, but there seems to be a growing consensus that Harkless might be the better prospect.
Ford's been on the "best player available" mantra since his first mock draft. Now five deep in, Ford is still sticking with it. There really isn't a position of immediate need for the Nuggets, making this pick a wide open one. Or maybe even open for trade.
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