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Houston's approach to team-building exposed the Mavs in the playoffs

When the 2012 NBA draft rolled around, there was no one in particular the Mavs were after. Sitting at No. 17 and one season removed from a championship, they didn't see much chance of securing a player who would make an instant impact. They ended up moving back seven spots in the first round, something you never see NBA teams do, in order to pick up a project (Jared Cunningham) and get two second-round picks (Jae Crowder and Bernard James) to fill out the back of their roster. The Cavs moved up to take Tyler Zeller.