New Orleans leapfrogs over three other teams to earn the top pick in the 2012 NBA draft (Ball Don’t Lie)

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 second time in the team's history that the Hornets will select first overall (1991's draft resulted in Larry Johnson), and the second 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...