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Wednesday, June 25, 1997

Mavs counting on Nelson to unearth gem with 15th pick

By JAIME ARON / Associated Press

DALLAS - With the sixth pick in Wednesday's NBA draft, Don Nelson could find the exact player needed to begin turning around the Dallas Mavericks. Problem is, the pick was traded before he was hired.

Instead, the 15th player taken in Wednesday's draft will be Nelson's first as the Mavericks general manager. He'll also have the 35th choice in a draft many say is basically a crapshoot after slam-dunk No. 1 Tim Duncan.

Dallas' biggest needs are for a small forward and a backup center. However, coming off a 24-58 season that kept the Mavericks out of the playoffs for the seventh straight year, the team could use help everywhere.

"We like 17 players and we're picking 15th," Nelson said. "Unless I find a way to really screw up, we'll get one of them."

Nelson didn't screw up his drafts for Golden State from 1989-92. Without a pick higher than 11 and one of them going as low as 24, he took future All-Stars Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Gatling and Tyrone Hill.

Speculation has the Mavericks eyeing San Jose State's Olivier Saint-Jean and Providence forward Austin Croshere and Tennessee-Chattanooga's Johnny Taylor. Nelson also may throw a curve and try bulking up the frontcourt with Tulane's Jerald Honeycutt or Cal-State Bakersfield's Johnny Taylor.

Nelson is notoriously tight-lipped about his decision once he makes it. But he also makes it clear that the choice is his, for better or worse.

"My scouts have always done the dirty work. I've just been the one not afraid to pull the chain," Nelson said. "My philosophy is simple - don't be afraid to take a guy you like no matter where you have to take him."

While the Mavericks haven't picked this low since 1990, all those years of higher picks haven't done much. Seven top-12 picks since 1989 have resulted in zero playoff wins for Dallas. Last year's top choice, Samaki Walker, is the only one still with the team.

The Mavericks should've had the No. 6 pick this year, but Nelson's predecessors gave it to the Boston Celtics last summer for Eric Montross, mistakenly believing he was exactly what Dallas needed to make the playoffs. They were so sure of it, they didn't even seek lottery protection, a common step that would've let the Mavericks keep the pick for several years if it was among the top 13.

Ironically, the No. 15 pick Dallas will be using began as Minnesota's, but remained with the Timberwolves for two years because of lottery protection. The Mavericks gave up Cherokee Parks last summer to remove the lottery protection, only to see the Timberwolves make the playoffs and avoid the lottery anyway.

The track record of players taken 15th over the last 10 years isn't overwhelming. The most notable picks there include Dell Curry (1986), Anthony Peeler (1992) and Brent Barry (1995). Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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