NBA DRAFT 2012

The stage is set. The NBA draft is ready to go. Some picks remain mysteries, others are pretty certain.

The crowd booed Commissioner David Stern. They booed the Miami Heat. But hey, it's Newark, N.J., and it's the NBA draft. Get ready for more of it.

Stay here and follow the draft as we provide instant analysis and grades for each pick.

The draft starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, but that first pick will almost certainly be Anthony Davis of Kentucky. Who else gets picked? Check out our latest mock draft and review team needs while you wait.


Here's the draft order:

======FIRST ROUND======

1. New Orleans Hornets: Kentucky forward Anthony Davis

The crowd gave him a warm but anticipated reaction, as you might expect, and no one looked particularly surprised when Stern made his announcement. We've known about this pick since the lottery last month, but in that time, there have been no reasons to doubt it. Davis should be a franchise player as he continues to improve his offense. Defensively, he's a once-in-a-lifetime player. The Hornets could use the help in the paint, too. And Davis can dress for success. Grade: A

2. Charlotte Bobcats: Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

In an NBA draft first, college teammates go first and second. Kidd-Gilchrist was a bit of a surprise with this pick, but he may be the safest pick in the draft other than Davis. Kidd-Gilchrist will provide the Bobcats with stability on the wing. But he may not be the scorer the Bobcats lack. Grade: B+

3. Washington Wizards: Florida guard Bradley Beal

This pick was inevitable when Kidd-Gilchrist went second, as the Wizards need a shooting guard to pair with point guard John Wall and had been rumored to want Beal enough that teams were considering trading up to No. 2 to get the former Gator. Beal should be a good fit, but he may have been a bit of a reach if he can't improve on his college production. He draws comparisons to Ray Allen, but he shot 34% on three-pointers in his one season at Florida. Grade: B

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Syracuse guard Dion Waiters

This pick fills a need, clearly. Waiters will be a nice partner for last year's rookie of the year, point guard Kyrie Irving. He rose up the board after spending the season as the Orange's sixth man. Waiters has a lot of talent, but the pick seems to be a reach with Thomas Robinson and Harrison Barnes on the board. He dealt with maturity issues in his freshman year before stepping up as a sophomore. But he's a plug-and-play guard who should score well. Grade: C-

5. Sacramento Kings:

6. Portland Trail Blazers:

7. Golden State Warriors:

8. Toronto Raptors:

9. Detroit Pistons:

10. New Orleans Hornets:

11. Portland Trail Blazers:

12. Houston Rockets:

13. Phoenix Suns:

14. Milwaukee Bucks:

15. Philadelphia 76ers:

16. Houston Rockets:

17. Dallas Mavericks:

18. Houston Rockets:

19. Orlando Magic:

20. Denver Nuggets:

21. Boston Celtics:

22. Boston Celtics:

23. Atlanta Hawks:

24. Cleveland Cavaliers:

25. Memphis Grizzlies:

26. Indiana Pacers:

27. Miami Heat:

28. Oklahoma City Thunder:

29. Chicago Bulls:

30. Golden State Warriors:

======SECOND ROUND======

31. Charlotte Bobcats:

32. Washington Wizards:

33. Cleveland Cavaliers:

34. Cleveland Cavaliers:

35. Golden State Warriors:

36. Sacramento Kings:

37. Toronto Raptors:

38. Denver Nuggets:

39. Detroit Pistons:

40. Portland Trail Blazers:

41. Portland Trail Blazers:

42. Milwaukee Bucks:

43. Atlanta Hawks:

44. Detroit Pistons:

45. Philadelphia 76ers:

46. New Orleans Hornets:

47. Utah Jazz:

48. New York Knicks:

49. Orlando Magic:

50. Denver Nuggets:

51. Boston Celtics:

52. Golden State Warriors:

53. Los Angeles Clippers:

54. Philadelphia 76ers:

55. Dallas Mavericks:

56. Toronto Raptors:

57. Brooklyn Nets:

58. Minnesota Timberwolves:

59. San Antonio Spurs:

60. Los Angeles Lakers:

source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/06/live-nba-draft-grades-pick-by-pick-analysis-as-it-happens/1#.T-zwRRfCCkw