Mavs draft Shane Larkin @ 18

[GermanStandard]

Your thoughts?

Im okay at best...

[GermanStandard]

Dallas - ATL trade: Dallas sends 16th pick (Lucas N), Jared Cunningham and 44th pick to ATL for 18th pick (Larkin)

[sefant77]

Great shooter, great in the PnR, great athlete, undersized

Looks pretty much like JJ Barea, so guess was a good choice.

[clutch#41]

a little premature but watching his highlights he reminds me of chris paul. floor leader, quickness, small size. one of the best pick and roll players in college. alot happier and excited with larken than i was with cunningham or would've been MCW

[Ninkobei]

Pick and roll player with excellent 3 point shooting and penetration. Sounds like he will be a good fit.

e: i read somewhere that he'll be the smallest active player in the nba. that can't be good

[rabbitproof]

he can't be smaller than Nate Rob.

[DarrenCollisonSucks]

Well he's much better than Darren Collison...

[EricaLubarsky]

Larkin was the second best PG in the draft. If we've learned anything it's that PGs without a jumper don't make it.

Larkin is a ferocious penetrator, a sharpshooter from deep and runs the pick-and-roll extremely well. He also has a very good motor.

You put him next to Dirk and Dwight and he'll be averaging 8-9 apg and his defensive shortcomings will be covered up.

[ddh33]

Best part of the draft is probably moving Cunningham's contract. He seemed like a nice kid and a good-looking athlete, but I didn't see a basketball player when I watched him.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by ddh33

Best part of the draft is probably moving Cunningham's contract. He seemed like a nice kid and a good-looking athlete, but I didn't see a basketball player when I watched him.

I'd definitely trade a guy who is ready to contribute like Larkin for a hype/athleticism guy like Roddy, which is essentially what this draft did for us down to contracts and everything. We added zero salary while upgrading our young PG selection and got a couple of second rounders out of it.

[Kirobaito]

Plus, we finally got that 'e' we were missing with Shan Foster. 5 years now that's been slowly killing me inside.

I like this pick, though. He isn't a project and has actual skills, not just athleticism.

[mavs777]

Larkin looks like a offensive backup PG to me which is good value at 18

Pros
Terrific shooter
Great out of pick n roll
Great athlete

Negatives
Small
Even shorter wingspan than size
He will be a big negative on defensive end because of lack of length/size
Won't be able to finish
May Struggle a bit to create room in mid range

[yahyes]

Great team player with a bold sense of playing. Saw him off and on this college season. Lots of nice potential.

[OneLove22]

Barea 2.0

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by OneLove22

Barea 2.0

He lacks some of the crazy ability to finish at the rim, but he beat JJB in agility drills, jumping measures and footspeed and he's a mature playmaker as well as a more skilled jump shooter.

If he can run a smooth PnR/PnP and continue to hit the three at 40%, he will be an extremely strong draft pick. He drops it off to rolling bigs well (Dwight?) and knows when to pop and when to roll when put in a Pick situation and that was honestly our go-to offensive move when we had Dirk/Terry and no one could stop it because of Dirk's versatility and Terry's ability to nail a three.

[yahyes]

Now that Chris Paul looks to be virtually out of the picture. I'm thinking which veteran PG would be nice in the rotation with Larkin. That will be content with a one year deal too. I'm thinking Collison wont be back. So, I wouldn't mind if Chauncey Billups got signed to a one year. He could help a guy like Larkin. Other options I think could be CJ Watson, Jamaal Tinsley or none other than the great Mike James.

[nowhereman]

I really don't know enough about Larkin, but generally, I'd caution everyone about the Barea comparisons. He may be talented and look the part, but Barea's success was nearly 100% mental. I hope Larkin, who seems to have similar tools, can put it together even somewhat like JJ did.

[MascisMan]

So I guess we also got Jared Leto? errr, I mean Ricky Ledo?

[Underdog]

The Larkin-Barea comparisons continue... I have a feeling this is going to end up a lot like the Dirk-Bird comparisons, where the biggest thing they have in common is a simple physical aspect (height & skin color, respectively).

Mavs compare Shane Larkin to J.J. Barea

link

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks don’t envision Shane Larkin developing into the next Jason Kidd or Steve Nash.

They compare the 18th overall pick to another ex-Mav point guard: J.J. Barea.

“I don’t think he and Barea are exact duplicates, but we’ve missed the last couple of years the element that Barea brought to the game here,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Being able to get to the rim, being able to get it going from 3, the resourcefulness and some of those types of things.

“Shane’s going to bring some of those types of things.”

The coach said Larkin won’t be identical to Barea, and that’s OK.

“He’ll be better in some areas and other areas he won’t be as good," he said. "But we like him and feel like he can compete for playing time right away.”

Barea, who like Larkin comes up shy of being a 6-footer, played a key role as a change-of-pace reserve point guard for the Mavs’ 2011 title team before leaving for the Minnesota Timberwolves after the Mavs declined to make him a multiyear offer. Barea averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists in 20.6 minutes per game that season.

“[Larkin] comes in with that kind of a punch,” Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “He’s able to get by the best of them. He’s about as quick as it gets. His ability to shoot the long ball and create, especially the way the game is played nowadays, is just really, really important.”

Other than size, the primary reason for the Larkin/Barea comparison is their pick-and-roll proficiency, which is especially critical for a point guard who will play with Dirk Nowitzki. As a sophomore for the Miami Hurricanes last season, Larkin averaged 6.4 points as the pick-and-roll ball handler, ranking sixth in the NCAA in that category.

“Our pick-and-roll game this past year was not at the level we’re used to, so we wanted to get better in that area,” Carlisle said. “Shane’s one of the best in college basketball at doing that. A lot of people try to go under screens because of his quickness and he shot behind screens very effectively. He’ll see a lot of different coverages in this league, and what we’ve seen is that he does a good job reading situations.”

Carlisle repeatedly referred to Larkin, who led the Hurricanes to an ACC championship and the Sweet 16, as “a winner.” Like Barea, the Mavs believe Larkin has the kind of grit and mental toughness for a small guard to succeed in the NBA.

The Mavs envision a backup role for Larkin. At this point, they just don’t know who their starting point guard will be next season.

The Mavs were determined to address the point guard position in the first round after a frustrating, non-playoff season that had Darren Collison, Derek Fisher, Mike James and even Dominique Jones all start games at the position. Nelson said the Mavs were prepared to stay at No. 13 and pick Trey Burke, C.J. McCollum or Michael Carter-Williams if any of the draft’s top three point guards slid to that spot.

Once Carter-Williams went off the board at No. 11, the Mavs targeted Larkin, who has a 44-inch vertical leap and ranked among the fastest and quickest players in the draft during combine testing.

“This league now is a lot about playmakers and being able to make plays off the dribble, having a feel for the game,” Carlisle said. “Speed is important. He brings some of those dynamics and characteristics. We think he’s going to help us.”

[nowhereman]

But will he continue to drive it, even after Bynum assaults him in the middle of a layup?

Very few guys are hardwired like that.

Man, I miss JJ.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Glad the Mavs picked a guy who looks like he can play versus a project or a euro stash. I think the JJB comparisons are fair because both are very small but very good pnr points. The difference is that you probably don't need to develop Larkin the same way you did with JJB. Still, I think this kinda says that the Mavs miss what JJB brought to the team. And you also need a little waterbug pg in today's game.

And the Mavs obviously weren't sold on Schroeder and neither was I really. Nice potential but Larkin looks like a real warrior who is ready to give solid back-up minutes. I mean, let's face it, after MCW went off the board...back-up pgs are what was left. We shall see...

[Bayliss]

I'm thankful they didn't draft a BWS or do the EuroStash.

Barea was a bull. He was fearless with the ball, and even though small he tried to guard. But Barea was not a great shooter and he was not a great passer. This kid looks like a great shooter and can pass the ball better off the pick and roll.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Glad the Mavs picked a guy who looks like he can play versus a project or a euro stash. I think the JJB comparisons are fair because both are very small but very good pnr points. The difference is that you probably don't need to develop Larkin the same way you did with JJB. Still, I think this kinda says that the Mavs miss what JJB brought to the team. And you also need a little waterbug pg in today's game.

And the Mavs obviously weren't sold on Schroeder and neither was I really. Nice potential but Larkin looks like a real warrior who is ready to give solid back-up minutes. I mean, let's face it, after MCW went off the board...back-up pgs are what was left. We shall see...

I have to admit that Larkin wasn't on my radar due to our initial draft position, but the kid looks like he can contribute at least something immediately, which is all you can hope for with a #18 pick.

[nowhereman]

Per Fish, the Mavs had Larkin graded as the 4th best PG in the draft. Not a ringing endorsement.

To an earlier point, Barea had a ton of international experience and played four years in college. If anything, Larkin needs more (probably considerably more) development than JJB did.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I have to admit that Larkin wasn't on my radar due to our initial draft position, but the kid looks like he can contribute at least something immediately, which is all you can hope for with a #18 pick.

Well in this draft, he was second to only Trey Burke on PPP in pnr situations. The kid knows how to run it. In fact, he and Burke are very similar players. Small pnr points who know how to shoot. Larkin just happens to be a little smaller but looks to be a little bit better athlete. Still, anyone who is a fan of Burke should like Larkin.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

Per Fish, the Mavs had Larkin graded as the 4th best PG in the draft. Not a ringing endorsement.

To an earlier point, Barea had a ton of international experience and played four years in college. If anything, Larkin needs more (probably considerably more) development than JJB did.

Well the three better pgs were already off the board, so I don't see why you see such negativity in that statement? I'm sure they would have loved to have Burke, MCW, or Mccollum fall to them.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

Per Fish, the Mavs had Larkin graded as the 4th best PG in the draft. Not a ringing endorsement.

The top 3 PGs were picked 9-10-11, so we were kind of limited at #13... Apparently they valued him higher than Schroeder, who they could have picked if they wanted.

[Bayliss]

To an earlier point, Barea had a ton of international experience and played four years in college. If anything, Larkin needs more (probably considerably more) development than JJB did.

And let me spin that for you:

"Mavs got a kid who has just as much upside with less tread on the tires...."

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by Bayliss

And let me spin that for you:

"Mavs got a kid who has just as much upside with less tread on the tires...."

Right. I'm not talking about upside. I'm talking about how much development he'll need, in response to an earlier point saying that he won't need as much development as JJB.

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Well the three better pgs were already off the board, so I don't see why you see such negativity in that statement? I'm sure they would have loved to have Burke, MCW, or Mccollum fall to them.

It's about managing expectations. My point is that the 4th best PG in notoriously weak draft is where the expectations and comparisons should begin. When we took Cunningham, we hoped he could become Westbrook. When we took Jones, we hoped he could become Wade. When we took Larkin, we didn't draft a Barea - we drafted a player we hope can become Barea.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

It's about managing expectations. My point is that the 4th best PG in notoriously weak draft is where the expectations and comparisons should begin. When we took Cunningham, we hoped he could become Westbrook. When we took Jones, we hoped he could become Wade. When we took Larkin, we didn't draft a Barea - we drafted a player we hope can become Barea.

A fair point, but I'd say the difference is that Cunningham and Dojo were nowhere near those players they wanted them to be. And I think Larkin's upside is a bit higher than JJB. Plus, Cunnningham and Dojo couldn't shoot the ball to save their lives. Larkin is very good shooter and offensive player in general.

[LSMF]

Kid looks very fundamentally sound, he had Dick Vitale going nuts (no pun intended?)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxgpHuDI7W8

[sefant77]

Too bad we couldnt buy another pick and offer #13 and this one to the Wolves for Burke...

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by Underdog

The Larkin-Barea comparisons continue... I have a feeling this is going to end up a lot like the Dirk-Bird comparisons, where the biggest thing they have in common is a simple physical aspect (height & skin color, respectively).

.

By Tim McMahon | EspnDallas.com

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks don’t envision Shane Larkin developing into the next Jason Kidd or Steve Nash.

They compare the 18th overall pick to another ex-Mav point guard: J.J. Barea.

“I don’t think he and Barea are exact duplicates, but we’ve missed the last couple of years the element that Barea brought to the game here,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Being able to get to the rim, being able to get it going from 3, the resourcefulness and some of those types of things.

“Shane’s going to bring some of those types of things.”

The coach said Larkin won’t be identical to Barea, and that’s OK.

“He’ll be better in some areas and other areas he won’t be as good," he said. "But we like him and feel like he can compete for playing time right away.”

Barea, who like Larkin comes up shy of being a 6-footer, played a key role as a change-of-pace reserve point guard for the Mavs’ 2011 title team before leaving for the Minnesota Timberwolves after the Mavs declined to make him a multiyear offer. Barea averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists in 20.6 minutes per game that season.

“[Larkin] comes in with that kind of a punch,” Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “He’s able to get by the best of them. He’s about as quick as it gets. His ability to shoot the long ball and create, especially the way the game is played nowadays, is just really, really important.”

Other than size, the primary reason for the Larkin/Barea comparison is their pick-and-roll proficiency, which is especially critical for a point guard who will play with Dirk Nowitzki. As a sophomore for the Miami Hurricanes last season, Larkin averaged 6.4 points as the pick-and-roll ball handler, ranking sixth in the NCAA in that category.

“Our pick-and-roll game this past year was not at the level we’re used to, so we wanted to get better in that area,” Carlisle said. “Shane’s one of the best in college basketball at doing that. A lot of people try to go under screens because of his quickness and he shot behind screens very effectively. He’ll see a lot of different coverages in this league, and what we’ve seen is that he does a good job reading situations.”

Carlisle repeatedly referred to Larkin, who led the Hurricanes to an ACC championship and the Sweet 16, as “a winner.” Like Barea, the Mavs believe Larkin has the kind of grit and mental toughness for a small guard to succeed in the NBA.

The Mavs envision a backup role for Larkin. At this point, they just don’t know who their starting point guard will be next season.

The Mavs were determined to address the point guard position in the first round after a frustrating, non-playoff season that had Darren Collison, Derek Fisher, Mike James and even Dominique Jones all start games at the position. Nelson said the Mavs were prepared to stay at No. 13 and pick Trey Burke, C.J. McCollum or Michael Carter-Williams if any of the draft’s top three point guards slid to that spot.

Once Carter-Williams went off the board at No. 11, the Mavs targeted Larkin, who has a 44-inch vertical leap and ranked among the fastest and quickest players in the draft during combine testing.

“This league now is a lot about playmakers and being able to make plays off the dribble, having a feel for the game,” Carlisle said. “Speed is important. He brings some of those dynamics and characteristics. We think he’s going to help us.”

[Underdog]

How about a direct link to the article, Chum? You could've made the whole thing up.

But I like how you posted the same story that I just posted - I'm sure it's 100% about properly citing an article that someone else wrote and 100% not about you starving for attention.

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

A fair point, but I'd say the difference is that Cunningham and Dojo were nowhere near those players they wanted them to be. And I think Larkin's upside is a bit higher than JJB. Plus, Cunnningham and Dojo couldn't shoot the ball to save their lives. Larkin is very good shooter and offensive player in general.

Hope this is true. Having not seen nearly enough Larkin to be well informed, I'm not sure how close he is presently to where Barea was by the time he left Dallas, but you're right that that gap couldn't be nearly as far as the gap between, say, Dojo and Wade.

I will also say that even if Larkin is a very good shooter though, it's extremely hard for very good shooters to get good jumpers off in the NBA when they're as short as he is. Hopefully this is less of a concern with Dirk or other players drawing attention on the floor.

[SMC0007]

FTR, I don't think it's over for Dojo. I still think that if he develops his shot he can play in the NBA.

As for Cunningham, I'm pretty sure he will catch on, he has too much athleticism and good handles to not fit in somewhere. Maybe the pressure of performing for the team that drafts you played a role in their relative lack of success.

[G-Man]

Is its "dog" vs "dawg" now?

[tsar]

Seems like a good hardworking kid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=...ture=endscreen

[BGMaverick9]

Larkin ranked 9th on the team's board, according to Cuban.