Well, here we are about to hit draft day for the National Basketball Association and while the 2012 NBA Draft has a different feel to it around the Association, with no looming lockout and all, it also has a different feel on the local front. That's because the Dallas Mavericks will pick 17th overall and instead of trading that player away or not having a pick at all in the first round, it looks like this choice will be one they will need to hit on as someone who can contribute right away in 2012-13. But before we get to who the Mavs will take on Thursday night, it's important to look at who they've taken in the past 10 years.
2011
1st round (26th overall)-Jordan Hamilton SF Texas---This pick was promptly traded to Denver and as a rookie under George Karl, this ex-Longhorn appeared in 26 games, including two starts and averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Hamilton also got two games of playoff experience for the Nuggets last season.
2nd round (57th overall)-Tanguy Ngombo SF Congo---Dallas also traded this pick away, this one going to Portland. But Ngombo was a player surrounded by controversy. There was some question about his age and whether he was 22 or 27. No matter because he spent last year playing in Qatar, a small Middle Eastern Country located in the heart of the Persian Gulf.
2010
1st round (25th overall)-Dominique Jones SF South Florida---Technically, the Mavs didn't pick DoJo as it was the Nuggets who took him 25th overall and then traded him to Big D. He has 51 games of NBA experience through his first two seasons and has also played several stints for the Mavs' D-League affiliate in Frisco. Dallas originally had the 27th pick in the 2010 draft but traded that choice to New Jersey as part of the Jason Kidd trade. The Nets took Xavier swingman Jordan Crawford with that acquired pick.
2nd round (50th overall)-Solomon Alabi C Florida State---This 7-foot-1 big man from Nigeria who played for the Seminoles didn't remain a Mav for long as he was traded to Toronto on draft night. He has appeared in 26 games for the Raptors through his first two seasons and has also seen considerable time with Erie and Bakersfield of the D-League.
2009
1st round (24th overall)-Byron Mullens C Ohio State---Donnie Nelson and Company promptly traded Mullens, who played one season for the Buckeyes, to the Thunder. After not getting a ton of PT with OKC, he was traded to Charlotte last December and in 65 games with the Bobcats, including 25 starts, he broke out, averaging 9.3 points and five boards per game.
1st round (25th overall)-Rodrigue Beaubois PG Guadeloupe--- Beaubois was drafted by the Thunder, but traded to the Mavs. Much has been expected of Roddy B almost from the moment he arrived in Big D, but whether it's been due to injuries or inconsistency, the bang to hype ratio has been way out of whack with this guy. This coming season figures to be especially crucial for him if he is to stick with Rick Carlisle's club in the future.
2nd round (56th overall)-Ahmad Nivins PF St. John's---Nivins ended up in Spain and last December, his draft rights were traded to the Knicks as part of the Tyson Chandler deal. The Mavs also gave up a second-round pick in 2013 as part of that three-way swap that also included the Wizards.
2008
1st round-no pick---Dallas was slated to have the 21st overall pick but that choice was dealt to the Nets as part of the Kidd trade. The Nets ended up taking Ryan Anderson, a former Cal power forward. Anderson has since moved on to Orlando, where he averaged 16.1 points and 7.7 points in 61 games last season for the Magic.
2nd round (51st overall)-Shan Foster G Vanderbilt---This ex-Commodore landed in Italy for a bit and also had a run with the Mavs Summer League team in 2010 but wasn't all that impressive then. Still, he figures to earn a nice living abroad.
2007
1st round-no pick---The Mavs were slated to pick 30th overall but traded that pick to the Sixers, who took Finnish guard Petteri Koponen with that choice and promptly traded that choice to the Blazers. Koponen has never played in the NBA but has had a nice career and spent last season in Russia. Dallas acquired his rights from the Sixers in 2011 for a second-round pick.
2nd round (34th overall)-Nick Fazekas F Nevada---Fazekas might have to go down as one of the bigger second-round busts in Mavs draft history and that says a lot. He just never adjusted to the NBA game well at all and was released by the Mavs in Feb. 2008. The ex-Wolf Pack big man then caught on with the Clippers but hasn't been in the league since. Fazekas has played abroad in such locales as Belgium, France and has spent the last few years in the Philippines.
2006
1st round (28th overall)-Maurice Ager G Michigan State---The ex-Spartan looked lost in the NBA almost from day one. He had a stint with the Mavs' D-League affiliate which at the time was based in Fort Worth and his stay there was a productive one, but he never did acclimate to the league. He has since bounced around and saw his last NBA action with Minnesota, playing four games for the T-Wolves in the 2010-11 season.
2nd round (58th overall)-J.R. Pinnock G George Washington---Dallas turned right around and dealt this pick to the Lakers. Pinnock has spent time in the D-League and also in Germany but over the last few years, has been playing in Puerto Rico.
2005
1st round-no pick---Dallas would have had the 27th pick in the draft but that choice was traded to Portland. The Blazers took former Missouri forward Linas Kleiza on draft night and in turn dealt him to Denver, where the Lithuanian-born swingman had a productive four seasons under Karl. He has spent the last two seasons with the Raptors.
2nd round-no pick---This choice was dealt to the Suns, who in turn drafted Marcin Gortat, who after spending several seasons in Orlando, was traded to Phoenix in Dec. 2010, a deal also involving current Mav Vince Carter. Gortat had a breakout season last year with the Suns, averaging 15.4 points and 10 rebounds while starting all 66 contests for Phoenix.
2004
1st round (21st overall)-Pavel Podkolzin C Russia---This big man came to the Mavs by way of a trade with the Jazz, who selected him on draft night before dealing him. He was with Dallas between 2004 and 2006 and he also logged time in the D-league. Podkolzin's game never really translated to the Association but he has since returned to his native Russia and done pretty well for himself. Dallas originally had the 24th pick but that was traded to the Celtics as part of the deal to land Raef LaFrentz and Antoine Walker in 2003. Boston took current Mavs guard Delonte West with that pick in the 2004 draft.
2nd round (51st overall)-Vassilis Spanoulis PG Greece---Dallas traded the rights to Spanoulis to the Rockets and he played in Houston in both 2006 and 2007. He has since returned to his native Greece to play professionally there and has put together a successful resume in his homeland.
2nd round (54th overall)-Matt Freije G Vanderbilt---Miami is who got Freije's rights on draft night from the Mavs. And after stints with the Hornets and Hawks, this Vandy product has since become a well-traveled player abroad, playing in such locales as China, Israel and Lebanon among others.
2003
1st round (28th overall)-Josh Howard G/F Wake Forest -- Not only did J-Ho have a solid career for the bulk of his time in Dallas, but he also gave Mavs fans some memorable quotes, especially the one about him not being able to control what the ball gonna do. Howard was eventually traded to the Wizards in 2010, a deal that landed the Mavs Brendan Haywood and after some knee issues surfaced in his second year in the nation's capital, he signed a one-year deal with the Jazz before last season.
2nd round (57th overall)-Xue Yuyang C China---Dallas traded this pick to the Nuggets and it turned out that Xue never had his country's permission to declare himself eligible for the draft. He has remained in the People's Republic ever since and has done quite well for himself in the Chinese Basketball Association.
2002
1st round-no pick---For once, trading away a pick worked out pretty well for the Mavs. That's because Denver took Illinois point guard Frank Williams with this choice before then trading his rights to the Knicks. Not that Williams didn't have two solid seasons with the Knicks between 2002 and 2004 because he did, but the results weren't first-round great and after his stint in the Big Apple, he landed with the Bulls and played in the Windy City in 2004 and 2005. But not much has been heard from him since 2009, when he was facing drug charges.
2nd round (55th overall)-Mladen Sekularac SG Yugoslavia---Sekularac was originally projected as a potential lottery pick heading into the '02 draft. But questions about his game and ability to be nothing more than an NBA project coupled with his club wanting a big fee to release him saw his draft stock plummet. He never saw a minute in the Association and has been playing in Europe ever since, mostly near his home country of Serbia and Montenegro.
