It's still reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy early in the 2012 NBA Draft process. We haven't had the pre-draft camp, official measurements or team workouts. We haven't even had the lottery. Therefore, it would be a mistake to think the way the Washington Wizards think about the draft right now is the same way they'll think about the draft in a month and a half.
Still, I found this point interesting. In his latest mock draft, ESPN's Chad Ford suggests that if the Wizards stay in the No. 2 slot, they may only consider Bradley Beal or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Here's the way he put it.
I think the Beal versus Kidd-Gilchrist scenario is a toss-up right now, but I'd be surprised if there's anyone else seriously in the mix for the Wizards at No. 2
The most obvious "anyone else" scenario is Kansas forward Thomas Robinson. Based on my inferring of Ford's words, it looks like, as of right now, the Wizards feel that because they have a fairly strong frontcourt with Nene, Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin and Jan Vesely all showing signs this year. It's on the wings where they need the most help, and therefore, they are trying to decide between the defense of Kidd-Gilchrist and the offense of Beal. As of now, Ford has them choosing Kidd-Gilchrist.
As I wrote a while back, I think it would be a mistake for the Wizards to not consider Robinson, though that depends on how the Wizards frame their research. If they think Robinson won't be as good a pro as Beal or Kidd-Gilchrist, that's one thing, but I think it would be a mistake to not consider Robinson just because of this current team's needs.
It's still early, though, and there's bound to be a ton of misinformation/changed minds over the next couple months. Buckle up.