The Dream Shake 2012 Mock Draft: Pick Seventeen

The draft order has been established. Your devoted writers here at the Dream Shake have set up a mock draft, pick by pick, to be delivered to you daily. We will be going through the first round of the draft with our selections and our reasons why we think we will correctly predict the whole damn thing.

1. New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis

2. Charlotte Bobcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

3. Washington Wizards: Andre Drummond

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Harrison Barnes

5. Sacramento Kings: Thomas Robinson

6. Portland Trail Blazers: Bradley Beal

7. Golden State Warriors: Terrence Jones

8. Toronto Raptors: Perry Jones III

9. Detroit Pistons: John Henson

10. New Orleans Hornets: Damian Lillard

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Jared Sullinger

12. Milwaukee Bucks: Meyers Leonard

13. Phoenix Suns: Dion Waiters

14. Houston Rockets: Jeremy Lamb

15. Philadelphia 76ers: Tyler Zeller

16. Houston Rockets: Kendall Marshall

Everyone's favorite, the Dallas Mavericks, are now on the clock. With potentially half of their roster departing as they attempt to woo Deron Williams, the Mavericks really have needs across the board. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are both free agents and will need to be replaced if they're not resigned, and Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood could be traded or amnestied if the Mavericks need to clear even more space.

Essentially, the Mavericks could go in any direction with this pick. Jump to see which way they go.

With the seventeenth pick in The Dream Shake 2012 Mock Draft, the Dallas Mavericks select Austin Rivers, shooting guard from Duke. Because the Mavericks have needs across the board, they are in an ideal position to pick the best player available. At this pick, there is little doubt that that player is Austin Rivers.

Terrence Ross may have more of a prototypical shooting guard body, but Rivers has a chance to be a dominant scorer in the NBA, one of the few in his class. He's a creative finisher in the lane, can shoot the ball well, and is an outstanding ball handler.

Landing Rivers this far out of the lottery would be a coup in my mind.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are now on the clock.