2012 Rising Stars Challenge mock draft

The 2012 NBA All-Star weekend will have a slightly different look this season. Gone are the days of the rookie-sophomore challenge. The game that took place on either Friday night or Saturday afternoon of All-Star weekend which pitted the best rookies versus the best second-year players in the NBA. The new format is very similar to the NHL All-Star roster selection process. This year, the game will still feature the best rookies and the best sophomores, but they will be intertwined within two separate rosters. TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’neal will serve as the two general managers who will select both rookies and second-year players from a draft pool of 18. While the game tends to be an after thought of the festivities that consist of All-Star weekend, it is one of my favorite aspects of the NBA season as a whole. To honor this new-look wrinkle to All-Star weekend, I decided to put together a mock draft for the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge. (NOTE: The fact that&...