Not expecting a lot from the Dallas Mavericks in tonight's NBA Draft. They don't have a first-round pick - Jason Kidd-for-Devin Harris ring a bell? - and own only the 50th overall selection, which, as we know, is about as valuable these days as mittens in Mesquite.
The Mavericks haven't hit on a second-round pick since Greg Buckner way back in 1998, which got me to thinking about the best picks in their 30-year history:
10. Mark Price, 2nd Round, 1986
9. Roddy Beaubois, 1st, 2009 - Actually, the Mavs last year drafted Ohio State's B.J. Mullens and then traded him to Oklahoma City for the frantically fast Frenchman.
8. Lucious Harris, 2nd, 1993
7. Eduardo Najera, 2nd, 2000
6. Greg Buckner, 2nd, 1998
5. Jason Kidd, 1st, 1994
4. Josh Howard, 1st, 2003
3. Mark Aguirre, 1st, 1981
2. Rolando Blackman, 1st, 1981
1. Dirk Nowitzki, 1st, 1998 - I know technically the Mavs drafted Robert "Tractor" Traylor and traded him for Dirk. But you know as well as I do that the deal was done before picks were made, so essentially the Mavs drafted Nowitzki.