The 2012 NBA draft was held last month and the New Orleans Hornets came away with at least one potential superstar when they selected the University of Kentucky’s Anthony Davis as the #1 overall pick in the draft.
Minutes later, the Hornets selected Duke University’s Austin Rivers at the #10 overall pick, giving the NBA two of the nation’s top collegiate basketball athletes. In the second round, the Hornets selected Darius Miller, another member of the Kentucky Wildcat team that won the NCAA Basketball Champion earlier this year. Austin Rivers is the 19 year old son of current NBA Head Coach Doc Rivers of the Boston Celtics, who himself played in the NBA. At the conclusion of the 2012 NBA draft, six players from the Kentucky Wildcats team were selected, which set a record for most selections from a single university, which also included the #2 overall pick, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The selection of Kentucky’s Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist was the first time ever in collegiate history that the first two picks in the NBA draft were from the same team.
The distinction of having high draft picks in this year’s NBA draft merely suggests that the New Orleans Hornets were one of the worst teams in the league, which they were. In fact they were tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers as having the third worst winning record. But the Hornets won the rights to the first overall selection in May by winning the NBA Draft Lottery that is held for the teams that miss the playoffs, which gave them the privilege of selecting the consensus top collegiate player in the nation.
The Hornets relocated to New Orleans for the 2001-2002 season from Charlotte, North Carolina and since then, have only won the NBA’s Western Conference once, when two of the few superstars in the franchise’s history, Chris Paul and David West led the team. Both players left prior to the 2011-2012 season, with West signing on as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers and arguably the Hornets best player ever, Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Just last month, the Hornets traded away two key players from this past season’s team – Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor, but gained veteran player Rashard Lewis and the second round draft pick that garnered Darius Miller. Another potential starting player for next season is Ryan Anderson, who was recently acquired from the Orlando and was one of the leading scorers on the team.
Although the NBA 2012-2013 season is months away, many Hornets fans are anxiously awaiting the first time Anthony Davis takes the floor at the New Orleans Arena, located next to the Superdome. Although he won’t be 20 years old until late in the season, Davis was the undisputed 2012 collegiate player of the year and was the primary factor for the Kentucky Wildcats in winning its eight NCAA Championship.
If Davis turns out to the worthy of the #1 overall selection, the New Orleans Hornets could be contenders and if all works out right, could someday lead the team all the way to the NBA Championships. Once the regular season begins later this year, the unquestionable leader in limousine service in New Orleans to the New Orleans Arena is Limo Livery. The leading limousine service in the Crescent City, Limo Livery also provides airport connections, wedding limos, festival transportation and convention shuttles.