Teenagers and unpronounceable foreign projects were in vogue Thursday night during the NBA draft. But for the Mavericks, those lures weren't enough to alter their basic strategy of doing all they can to win big now.

With the chance to take a mature collegian who stands a chance to chip in to the cause next season, the Mavericks used the 29th selection in the draft on Wake Forest shooting guard Josh Howard.

While a bruiser in the paint is Job 1 for the Mavericks, getting an athletic perimeter player like Howard is their second priority.

"We're really excited to get him," said owner Mark Cuban, who was the Mavericks' war-room general dispatched to talk to media members. "We thought he was going to go at No. 21, if not sooner, so we were trying to work deals. We kept on hoping and hoping and he kept on falling. By the time it got down to 29, our phone was ringing off the hook with people trying to grab him."