Mavericks Draft Review: Nick Fazekas Not Enough

When you only have three second-round selections—two of them in the last 10 picks—it's hard to get very excited about the NBA Draft. At best, the Dallas Mavericks were hoping to get a player with the 34th-overall pick who might actually have a shot at making the team.

They didn't do much better than that. 

Postseason disasters aside, Mavericks front office personnel have insisted that they won't be making any drastic changes to a core that includes Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Jason Terry. Unfortunately, that strategy ignores the fact that Dallas lacks a post presence on the offensive end.

DeSagana Diop has proven to be a reliable defensive force, but his meager offensive game allows opponents to double Nowitzki. Erick Dampier, meanwhile, has been inconsistent...to put it mildly.

The Mavs also need a true point guard. Jason Terry is a shooter before he's a distributor. Third-year guard Devin Harris has shown steady improvement and is a ferocious defender, but lacks an outside shot and is prone to early foul trouble.

As the Mavs don't look to be big players in the trade market, the draft with one of the deepest classes in years—was their best bet to get help.

The results weren't as promising as they might have been.

At number 34, the Mavs selected Nick Fazekas, a 6'11", 235-pound forward from Nevada who was the only Division I player not named Kevin Durant to average 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. Fazekas was a three-time WAC Player of the Year and a second-team All-American in his senior season. 

The Mavs clearly drafted Fazekas with the hope that he'll take some heat off Dirk by drawing defenders. That means he's going to be counted on as a shooter, which he is but the Mavs already have enough shooters, which is why I question the pick...especially with LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis still on the board.

I understand the reluctance to take a chance on Davis in the first round: He has frequently struggled with his weight and consistency, and has been called either the next Charles Barkley or the next Gary Trent. Still, his upside warrants taking a chance on him in the second.

Coach Avery Johnson got a career underachiever in Diop to drop nearly 60 pounds during the 2005 offseason—and there's no reason he couldn't have had the same impact on Davis. More to the point, the Mavs missed an opportunity to land the inside presence they so desperately need. 

I could be wrong about the wisdom of taking a flier on Davis, but I have a bad feeling I'm not.  

At number 50, Dallas selected 6'5", 180-pound guard Renaldas Seibutis from Lithuania—a wait-and-see pick, as the Mavs will let Seibutis play one more season overseas before making a final decision on him. The team then made Serbian center Milovan Rakovic Mr. Insignificant (the last pick of the draft) before trading him, with cash, to the Orlando Magic for UNC forward Reyshawn Terry.

Terry was the 44th pick in the draft, and at 6'8", 232 pounds is considered to be a solid defender with an excellent three-point shot. Despite the interest Dallas has shown in him, Terry will have to prove himself in the summer and developmental leagues if he wants to make the team. 

The result, then, is that the 2007 Draft left the Mavs with ONE player who MIGHT be able to contribute this year. In fairness, it's hard to expect much when a team doesn't have a first-round pick or enticing trade bait...but the Mavs can't be feeling good about their standing in a gauntlet-like Western Conference that's only going to get better.

If there are going to be any significant roster changes in Dallas, they'll likely come in the following weeks as teams cut players to make room for rookies or trades. As it stands, the Mavericks are treading water while their immediate competition gains on them. 

 

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