It wasn't quite as startling a jump as when the Orlando Magic parlayed a .500 record into Penny Hardaway, the Chicago Bulls took a less than two percent chance into the top overall pick and eventual MVP Derrick Rose, or when last year's Cleveland Cavaliers cashed in on hoop karma and leapt from seventh to first to take Kyrie Irving; but the New Orleans Hornets made out quite well in the 2012 NBA draft lottery by taking the fourth-best odds and turning them into the top overall pick in June's NBA draft. The Hornets, who until last month were owned by the NBA (go nuts, conspiracy theorists) had the right combination of ping pong balls to get the job done, switching out its fourth overall pick for the top choice that will likely result in Kentucky center Anthony Davis heading to Louisiana. It will be the first time in the team's history that the Hornets will select first overall, though not the first time (in 1999, resulting in Baron Davis) the outfit has bypassed several worse teams on its way to a higher pick. This is terrible news for the Michael Jordan-owned Charlotte Bobcats, who turned in the worst winning percentage in NBA history, but per lottery rules were only guaranteed a 25 percent chance at the top overall pick. As with the Washington Wizards (moving from second to third) and Cleveland Cavaliers (third to fourth), the Bobcats moved down a spot in the projected order to second overall. Losing a projected All-Star pivotman in Davis will hurt for Charlotte, but in reality the team badly needs help at all positions, with even the team's recent lottery selections barely registering as starting-quality NBA players moving forward.
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