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Dallas Mavericks: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2017

By James D. Tillman III

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the podium and stage before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the podium and stage before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Mavericks have the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Will they find the impact player they are looking for?

Six years ago, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world when they beat the heavily-favored Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. Since that time, however, things have gone downhill.

Although they have advanced to the playoffs in four of the past six seasons, they have failed to make it out of the first round in each of those appearances.

In fact, aside from the 2014 NBA Playoffs – a first-round series in which they pushed the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games – the Mavericks have not won more than one game in any of their playoff series during that stretch.

On top of that, the 2016-17 season is one that the fan base would like to forget. Not only did the Mavericks finish 11th in the Western Conference, their unimpressive 33-49 record was the worst win-loss mark since the 1998-99 campaign. The Mavericks won just 19 games during that lockout-shortened year.

The bad news is the Mavericks were not a playoff team this season. The good news is they own the No. 9 pick in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft.

Here is a bit of history about the Mavericks pertaining to the No. 9 pick.

The Mavericks have had the ninth pick on three separate occasions, with the most recent occurrence taking place in 1996. That year, the Mavericks selected Samaki Walker from the University of Louisville. Walker’s tenure with the team lasted three seasons.

During that stretch, he posted averages of 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the field.

Walker also played for several other teams, including the Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and the Heat.

Another instance in which the Mavericks held the ninth overall pick was 1983. In that draft, they selected Dale Ellis from the University of Tennessee. There is a little bit of irony here in the sense that Ellis’ averages during his three-year stint with the Mavericks included a modest 8.2 points per outing on 44 percent shooting from the field.

As it turned out, Ellis proved to be a very productive player to say the least, as he produced double-digit scoring averages with four other teams — including 20.9 points per game in seven seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics and 15.9 points per contest in two seasons with the Spurs.

The most productive player taken by the Mavericks at the No. 9 spot was Rolando Blackman back in 1981. During his 11-year run with the team, Blackman posted averages of 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while converting 50 percent of his field goal attempts.

Another scenario surrounding the ninth overall pick that should be mentioned dates back to the 1998 NBA Draft. On that night, a trade took place that altered the long-term fortunes of two franchises, as explained by TheComeBack.Com:

  • The Mavs drafted Robert Traylor with the No. 6 pick.
  • The Bucks took Dirk Nowitzki at No. 9 and Pat Garrity at No. 19.
  • The Mavs traded Traylor to the Bucks for Nowitzki and Garrity.
  • The Mavs turned around and traded Garrity to Phoenix for Steve Nash, a backup point guard.

Traylor averaged just 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds during his seven-year NBA career. Conversely, Nowitzki has averaged 21.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing on 48 percent shooting overall and a respectable 38 percent from deep during his 19-year career.

Simply put, the Mavericks definitely got the better end of that trade.

While the Mavericks were hoping to move up a few spots in the upcoming NBA Draft, head coach Rick Carlisle is looking forward to the players who could still be on the board at No. 9.

"“I’ve already looked at the top 15 prospects, and it’s a great draft,” Carlisle said, via Mavs.com. “There’s great opportunity there. I don’t know which player, obviously, at this point we’re going to draft, but we’re going to get a good player. I’m really excited about it.”"

History is certainly on the Mavericks side here as the top two scorers in franchise history were both taken with the ninth overall pick. Additionally, here is a partial list of a few other notable players who have been taken at that spot as well.

  • Tracy McGrady (Toronto Raptors – 1997). The newly named Hall-of-Famer averaged 20 points per game over his career and was a seven-time All-Star who went on to win two scoring titles.
  • Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers – 2004). Iggy averaged over 15 points per contest during his eight seasons in the city of Brotherly Love and is currently playing a reserve role for Golden State Warriors squad that is on the verge of winning its second title in three seasons. Did I also mention that he was named Finals MVP back in 2015?
  • DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors – 2009). During his eight-year career, DeRozan is averaging over 19 points and four rebounds per game. Furthermore, he has earned three All-Star sections and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016-17.

Next: Dallas Mavericks - 5 options for pick No. 9 in 2017 NBA Draft

Taking these scenarios into consideration, the Mavericks have every reason to like their chances of acquiring a talented player that has star potential and will be able to contribute from day one.

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