Rumors rage on as draft approaches

Earl K. Sneed breaks down the final days leading up to the NBA Draft, as the Dallas Mavericks weigh their options before selecting a player with the No. 17 pick.

Rumors rage on as draft approaches

With the NBA Draft now just two days away, there figures to be plenty of rumors raging around cyberspace over which direction the Dallas Mavericks are leaning in as they try to add a Day 1 contributor with the No. 17 pick overall.

Now in the final phase of the draft process, the Mavericks’ front office is charged with one clear-cut goal: select the best fit for a squad looking to return to a championship level.

That final phase includes narrowing in on a candidate to draft in the first round on Thursday night, but could also lead to many surprises should a trade present itself to either move up into the lottery or to acquire more talent.

That’s the speculation that makes this week entertaining for Mavs video coordinator and scout Mike Shedd, who was among the staff working out several prospects during pre-draft workouts last week at the American Airlines Center.

“Well, you’re gonna see so many things go down, like you saw a trade go down (last week),” Shedd explained as he anticipates several more moves throughout the league before and during the draft. “I think you’re gonna start hearing more rumors on that and who wants to move out of this pick. You’re gonna start hearing about guys that ‘got promised to a spot.’ You’re gonna see workouts canceled. You’re gonna see people pulling out of workouts. So, after you get through this first week, now it’s gonna get to the nitty-gritty, meat and potatoes of it and see who’s interested in what and what route people are starting to go.

“Like I said, you’re gonna start to hear all the rumors pick up more about this team doing this and they want to move. That’s what makes it fun in this last week leading up to the draft, is all the things that could happen potentially and where people might go. You’ve got people saying, ‘They’re gonna take this guy.’ Nobody knows except who’s in that room and what happens on Thursday night. Regardless of what happens those 16 picks before us, that’s gonna dictate what we have, unless our guy floats to that spot. Then we’re gonna get it and go, just like on the fast break. Just get it and go and play with it.”

Meanwhile, the Mavericks' brass still hasn’t tipped its hat as to which player the former champions are eying. And as Mavs owner Mark Cuban and GM Donnie Nelson have shown throughout their tenures, they will remain opportunistic should a deal present itself between now and when NBA commissioner David Stern utters the words, “And with the 17th pick, the Dallas Mavericks select…”