Dallas Mavericks: Revisiting the 2005 NBA Draft

As we continue our trek through the numerous NBA drafts in Dallas Mavericks’ history, we stop today in the year 2005.

The 2005 NBA Draft class was another solid year full of future all-stars, role players, and of course the occasional bust. For the purposes of revisiting each draft since the Big German himself donned a Dallas Mavericks uniform, we review the year 2005.

The 2005 draft was significant for more reasons than just the excellent players that would be available early in the first round. It was also the final draft that allowed high school players to be taken as the NBA decided it necessary for each athlete to get at least one year of NCAA or international basketball under their belt.

So, without further ado, here is the 2005 draft analysis for the Dallas Mavericks.

Notable Players Drafted in 2005

Andrew Bogut – Rd. 1 Pk. 1 (MIL)

Deron Williams – Rd. 1 Pk. 3 (UTA)

Chris Paul – Rd. 1 Pk. 4 (NOH)

Raymond Felton – Rd. 1 Pk. 5 (CHA)

Charlie Villanueva – Rd. 1 Pk. 7 (TOR)

Gerald Green – Rd. 1 Pk. 18 (BOS)

David Lee – Rd. 1 Pk. 30 (NYK)

Ersan Ilyasova – Rd. 2 Pk. 36 (MIL)

Monta Ellis – Rd. 2 Pk. 40 (GSW)

Marcin Gortat – Rd. 2 Pk. 57 (PHX traded to ORL)

State of the Mavs

The previous year for the Mavericks wasn’t a bad year by any means, but it was a disappointing season nonetheless. With a record of 58-24 and a 4th overall seed in the Western Conference, the Mavs had continued to make the climb up the dangerous west.

So why was it such a rough year? Well for one thing, the coach that had put together such a great team in Dallas elected to step down from his position and was replaced by a young, former player in Avery Johnson.

AJ had struggles finding his place on the court but seemed to thrive as a coach, going 16-2 in his first partial season as the coach of Dallas while taking them to the 2nd round. A 7-game, nail-biter series against the Houston Rockets preceded the eventual 6-game loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Another reason for the frustrations of the season stem from the fact that the Mavericks did get knocked out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led by the league MVP, and former Maverick, Steve Nash.

What the Mavs Did

The 2005 draft may have been one of the worst in history for the Mavericks. Dallas didn’t make a single selection in the entire draft as they had already traded away both the first and second round picks in previous trades.

In the past, those trades have paid off well for Dallas, getting many great players that have filled important roles for the team over the years. However, this time around, we made some mistakes.

One noticeable issue with this is the first round pick. Dallas traded away their first round pick (eventually the 27th overall pick) in exchange for the draft rights to a player by the name of Pavel Podkolzin.

Unlike many of the foreign players drafted by the Mavericks in years previous, Podkolzin actually did make the trek to the US to play for Dallas. Over two years on the roster, Podkolzin played in a total of 6 games before being waived.

This was very clearly a bad decision for Dallas. The second round pick was also traded prior to the draft for Darrell Armstrong. Armstrong played fairly decently for Dallas shortly, but the trade looks far worse when you see that Phoenix acquired the second round pick from Dallas and picked a player by the name of Marcin Gortat.

What the Mavs Should’ve Done

The Mavericks clearly made some mistakes. Trades can often look good at the time, especially when selecting a European player where they look great at their level of competition but struggle making the transition to the NBA (not everyone can be Dirk Nowitzki, after all).

The 27th pick was a late pick in the first round, after the really outstanding players had been taken, so it certainly isn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened. However, unlike many drafts in the past, a number of great players were selected after that 27th pick, not including the pick itself, Linas Kleiza.

Players who the Mavs could’ve had at 27 include: David Lee, C.J. Miles, Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, and Lou Williams to name a few. Many of these players did make their way into a Mavericks uniform eventually, but it’s hard to say that Podkolzin was a better selection than any of these guys.

The second round pick may have been even more hurtful as Dallas made a really meaningless trade for a third-string point guard. That trade turned into Marcin Gortat, a solid, starting-caliber center still even this year.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: Revisiting the 2004 NBA Draft

It is clear that the 2005 NBA draft was by no means the highlight draft for the Mavericks but, as you will see in the upcoming draft coverage, the Mavs did not really lose their stride without the draft, going to the NBA Finals the following year. If you have missed our previous draft coverage, follow these links to see them again: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.