The Dallas Mavericks obtained the New York Knicks pick in the 1992
trade of Rolando Blackman to the Knicks.  As was the case with Dallas'
first pick, they are represented by:

   Lawrence Wang 
   Patricia Bender .

They use this pick to select:

   Junior Burrough, PF, 6-8.  Virginia

For a complete analysis of the Mavricks, please see their previous pick
(number 12).

=========================================================================
Your selection and why:

With the 24th overall pick of the draft, I decided to select Junior
Burrough of Virginia.  This was an extremely difficult decision between
Burrough and Zidek.  This year's draft had an extremely weak selection of
centers.  With the exception of Reeves and possibly Parks and Griffith,
there were no other quality starting centers.  The Mavericks needed a
quality starting center, and I felt that Zidek did not fit the bill.
Ultimately, I felt that Burrough was the best player available, regardless
of position.  With the selection of both Burrough and Bennett, the
Mavericks suddenly find themselves replete with power forwards.  I believe
that one of the aforementioned draft picks, in addition to Roy Tarpley,
could prove to be quality trade bait for a starting NBA center.

Junior Burrough, Virginia.  Extremely underrated at 6-8 and 242, I believe
Burrough to be one of the sleepers of the draft.  He came on really strong
during his senior year when he led Virginia to a four-way tie of the ACC
regular season title.  Burrough took on the senior leadership duties when
point guard Cory Alexander suffered another season-ending injury.  He
exhibits an excellent post-up game which proved unstoppable when he had to
play against the likes of Joe Smith, Rasheed Wallace, Tim Duncan and in the
NCAA tournament, Corliss Williamson.  He was Virginia's only consistent
post-up player, leading them to a regular season-split with preseason
favorites North Carolina and Maryland.  Other positives include his
rebounding skills and strength.  His major weakness is his lack of a
shooting range.  Although he possesses a shot from 12 feet in, he has been
inconsistent within the 15-18 foot range.  Throughout his four years at
Virginia, he has improved dramatically and I believe that with his work
ethic, he'll become a good role player for any NBA team.

Others considered (and why):

Rashard Griffith, Wisconsin.  Griffith would've been my first choice with
the 24th pick of the draft.  He possesses the size and bulk of an NBA
center, yet his motivation and attitude are extremely questionable.  I
still would not have chosen him with the 12th overall pick of the draft,
but I felt he was worth the risk of a late first round pick  (see previous
Mavs report for fuller description).

George Zidek, UCLA.  I thought seriously about drafting Zidek, mainly
because of the Mavs' desperate need for a center.  At 7-0 and 250, Zidek
possesses the size and necessary bulk of a starting NBA center, but his
skills are below average.  He is an intelligent player, as evidenced by his
Academic  All-American status.  He exhibited a nice hook shot during his
senior year at UCLA that proved effective at times.   I have heard that he
also has a nice work ethic.  But his rebounding and defensive skills are
below par for a big man.  He has horrible hands.  The biggest knock on him
is his lack of speed.  Zidek was one of the slowest centers in college,
which made him extremely foul-prone.  I believe that this liability will
prevent him from ever becoming a good starting NBA center.  If I could
compare him with a current NBA center, it would be Luc Longley of the
Chicago Bulls - a center who has a decent go-to shot, but horribly slow
with concrete hands and minimal defensive skills.

==========================================================================