Dallas Mavericks fans are both excited and nervous about the upcoming road to the 2015 NBA Draft, but we have a few cautionary tales we have to share before the draft noise gets ratcheted up a few notches. Here's our list of The 3 Worst Draft Picks In Dallas Mavericks History.
PF Bill Garnett (#4 in 1982)
One of the most wooden and unathletic big men to every put on a Mavs uniform, Garnett was vouched for by former GM Norm Sonju as a great "character" player. That was code for a ineffective role player who washed out off the league after uninspiring two-year stints with Dallas and the Indiana Pacers.
PF Leon Smith (#29 in 1999)
You win some, you lose some. A year after drafting future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs followed it up by drafting a kid with overarching mental problems and a consistent lack of on-court focus. He never ended up playing a game in a Mavs uniform, playing just 15 NBA games combined between the Hawks and Sonics to go along with a long odyssey through the independent leagues.
(We couldn't even fine a proper picture of Smith, so there's also that...)
PF Samaki Walker (#9 in 1996)
In case you didn't notice, there's a power forward theme to our list. The Mavs passed on the trifecta of Kobe Bryant (#13), Steve Nash (#14), and Peja Stojakovic (#15) to draft a big man who's only true claim to fame is starting 63 games for the Los Angeles Lakers' 2002 championship team. Walker played just three of his ten years in Dallas, Samaki drifted to and through the Big D like a tumbleweed.
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