The Mavericks do have their first rounder this year.
Coming into the season the Mavericks were expecting Brendan Haywood to step up in the absence of Tyson Chandler. That doesn't look likely. Rick Carlisle will try to get Haywood back to the level he was at before the 2010-11 season, but finding the right mix of aging veterans on the fly may be difficult this season with so little practice time. At least they have their own pick in a strong draft, during one of the biggest offseasons - in fact, maybe the second biggest after 2010 - in franchise history.