FanPost

Who should Dallas be Looking at in the Draft? Plus My take on the Dallas Roster and the Draft



Been wanting to put this up for a While now. Most of the "experts" are acting like Dallas has no chance of repeating as champions next year. They seem to think that because Dallas has alot of older starters, and is apparently one of the oldest teams in the league that Dallas has no chance against the "young guns" I.e Bulls ,Thunder and to a certain extent the Heat. I say BULL SHIZE!! Yes while Dallas does have an older Lineup that doesn't mean that They don't have a lot of young Talent. Let's look at some "the Future of the Mavericks":

"disclaimer"...I freely admit that I am not a "stats guy". I do however have a particular philosophy that goes like this: Similar measurables = similar performance. Now notice I say similar. When I am comparing two players I will attempt to find the most well known player that has similar measurables to the less well known (so to speak). So if I am comparing Roddy to Chris Paul, I am not say that Roddy will be Chris Paul, but merely that he has the measurables, thus the potential, to be Chris Paul...Got it? OK lets go:

First Off Here is Fan Favorite Rodrique Beaubois:

Predraft Measurements

Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 1.25" 6' 2.25" 182 6' 9.75" 8' 4" 7.9 29.5 39.0 3 10.49 3.15 NA

Now for a comparison I went with Chris Paul:

Predraft Measurements

Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
5' 11.75" 6' 1" 178 6' 4.25" 7' 9" NA 32.0 38.0 10 11.09 3.22 16



Now, from this snapshot I can see why there is so much hype around Rodrigue. The kid does have some very nice qualities. Now If he can improve is court vision and strength, then He his going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Up next Dominique Jones:

Predraft Measurements

Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 3.25" 6' 5" 216 6' 9.25" 8' 5" 5.9 26.0 32.5 19 10.88 3.31


NBADraft says that Dojo Compares to Rodney Stuckey(click link to look at Stuckey if you aren't familiar with him) so here is what Stuckey did pre draft wise:

Predraft Measurements

Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 3.75" 6' 4.5" 207 6' 7.25" 8' 4.5" 6.1 30.5 35.0 14 11.34 3.11 10


As you can see the comparison is fairly accurate, if Dojo can become a similar player then Dallas got themselves a steal.

Now For Corey Brewer:

Predraft Measurements

Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 6.75" 6' 7.75" 185 6' 8.25" 8' 7" 4.2 30.5 36.5 11 11.69 3.22 29


Now for a comparsion I went with Evan Turner:

Predraft Measurements

Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 5.75" 6' 7" 214 6' 8" 8' 7.5" 8.6 27.5 34.5 9 11.06 3.27


I would have rather used Shawn Marion, but Draft Express has no data on him so...However if Brewer can become Marion v2.0, then Dallas definitely has an awesome player at its' disposal.

Next is Nick Calathes:

(Error, No Data Available).....

Well that sucks, Ok lets just use his Scouting Report(via NBADraft.net):

Strengths: Calathes is a true point guard who continuously makes his teammates better. He runs a team like an NBA veteran. He is an exceptional passer, always putting the ball in the right place for easy baskets, and often sending passes to where his teammates should be on the floor, in a sense coaching them with each pass. He has a great shooting stroke and can hit consistently from three. He is very shifty and can get into the paint when he needs to. He plays a very composed game, and visibly pushes himself more when he makes mistakes. He was named Mr. Basketball of Florida as a junior in high school.

Weaknesses: His foot speed is solid but his athleticism is a concern. He seems to be the quintessential point guard for the college game, but it is unclear if his game translates to the NBA where he will be playing against much quicker and stronger point guards. He is very thin and needs to bulk up to really take advantage of his size. Defensively, he needs to work on staying in front of his man in one on one situations.

After reading this, I honestly thought, Wow that sounds alot like Jason Kidd....Now please don't read to much into that(re-read disclaimer) but still, definitely someone to watch for....

Now for Iah Mahinmi:

Again same issue as Calathes, However here is his Scouting report:

Overview:A gifted, young, and athletic power forward who lacks the experience and polish to see significant minutes. Possesses good size and length for his position, and has packed on some muscle to his still somewhat skinny frame since entering the NBA. Displays good mobility and gets off the floor well. Nice athleticism for his size despite injury history. Intriguing physical tools along with rebounding and shot blocking instincts made him a prospect coming out of France. Spent two additional seasons in France after being drafted late in the first round by the Spurs. Showed some signs of improvement, a trend that has continued in his time playing with the Spurs’ NBADL affiliate, the Austin Toros. Still could develop into a nice roleplayer, but needs to stay healthy. Missed almost all of the 2008-2009 season with a bad ankle. Needs to get the development of his offensive game back on track and play minutes wherever he can in San Antonio’s organization.


Offense:Developing offensive player who shows flashes of potential. Gets most of his touches in the post or as a hustle player. Used to show extremely good lateral quickness that allowed him to create easy opportunities for himself on the inside and out. Time on the sidelines has hurt his explosiveness to a small degree and has generally slowed his development. Still able to use his speed to do some things in the post. Lacks the strength to consistently establish deep position, but shows a nice running hook over his left shoulder as well as developing turnaround and face up jumper. Displays very nice touch with his right hand around the rim across the board. Length makes his hook extremely difficult to block. Jumper is still a work in progress, looks capable when he has time and space, but lacks the mechanics to get good touch on every shot. Capable finisher around the basket who is able to do some damage on the offensive glass with his length. Gets to the line at a very good rate. Will go up strong when he has a lane to the rim. Needs to continue working on his post repertoire and left hand to take full advantage of the attempts he gets around the rim. Can put the ball on the floor with his back to the basket to get in better position to score, but is still a bit turnover prone. Will have to continue polishing his game from the midrange in to cut down on mistakes. Not much of a passer, but displays better vision than he did in his younger days. Has some obvious tools and potential, but definitely a work in progress on the offensive end.

Defense:Has very nice defensive tools, but still lacks the fundamentals to stay on the floor for extended minutes in an NBA setting. Length and athleticism allow him to effectively defend the midrange and contest shots, though his lack of physical strength hurts his ability to defend the paint against more experienced back to the basket scorers. Gets quite a few of his blocks defending the ball one-on-one. Needs to do a better job going straight up when he’s rotating over from the weak-side. Still prone to hacking shooters, leading to foul trouble. Got a free pass during his time in the NBADL, but will need to continue improving his discipline to help himself translate to the NBA level. Quick hands and feet for a big man, could stand to add weight to become a more complete package defensively and improve his ability to box out and battle for position on the block.

My take? Mahinmi should probably be moved to the PF position, as he seems more like a Haslem type player. Though I can see where Dallas would want him at the Center position....

So where does this leave Dallas? Well Lets look at what we have shall we?:

Possibly up to three "Combo gaurds" in Dominique, Beaubois, and Calathes. Any one of them can play both the SG and PG spots, though Beaubois is "undersized" ala Jason Terry, for the 2 spot.

A SF that is "undersized"(weight wise) in Brewer, but can play both the 2 and the 3 spots.

Last but not least a Center in Mahinmi that may be better off in as a PF.

Which Leaves Dallas with a issue. In my opinion they need a 2 players, a true SF, and what I would call a "Dirk Clone".

So who in this Drafts fits this? Well frankly Seeing as Dirk is so unique, a 7 footer that has 3pt range, I highly doubt that the NBA will ever see another player like him (at least not anytime soon).

However there is a player that I think Dallas should be giving a very hard look at.

Here is Justin Harper...

PHYSICALS POSITIONS RANKINGS SALARY MISC
H: 6' 9"
W: 230 lbs
Bday: 08/30/1989
(21 Years Old)
Current: PF
NBA: PF
Possible: SF/PF
Round: 1 Pick: 28 in 2011 Mock Draft
Rank 3 in NCAA Seniors
Rank 31 in Top 100 Prospects
Rank 5 in 2011 Forwards
Agent: Lance Young
DRAFT ELIGIBLE
High School: Meadowbrook
Hometown: Richmond, Va.
Predraft Measurements
Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 8" 6' 8.75" 228 6' 11.75" 8' 10" 4.0 28.5 33.0 19 11.92 3.30 NA
Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s
Year League Name GP Min Pts FG FGA FG% 2Pt 2PtA 2P% 3Pt 3PtA 3P% FTM FTA FT% Off Def TOT Asts Stls Blks TOs PFs
2010/11 NCAA Justin Harper 37 31.8 17.9 6.6 12.4 53.4 4.5 7.8 58.5 2.1 4.6 44.8 2.5 3.2 79.7 1.7 5.2 6.9 1.2 0.6 1.2 1.5 2.2



From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Justin-Harper-6341/#ixzz1PkBvEqxq
http://www.draftexpress.com

Now at 6'-8", 228 lbs, most would say that he is a 4. However I say that he would be better at the 3 spot though that is just my personal opinion. Near as I can figure most 4's are 6-10 to 6-11 and sit at 240-260 lbs. where as most 3's are 6-7 to 6-9, 220-240 lbs. Bear in mind that this is in no way a scientific study, more of an opinion, from looking at a bunch of players.

Now if that is the case, then Dallas could have a line up that looks like this:

PG- Beaubois, Jones

SG-Brewer,Jones

SF-Harper, Brewer

PF-Mahinmi, Harper

C-Chandler, Mahinmi

Notice that Chandler is the oldest player in his line up at 28 years old....Now If Dallas can find another young 5, (I like Greg Smith, who may be available in the second round), look for this line up:

PG- Beaubois, Jones

SG-Brewer,Jones

SF-Harper, Brewer

PF-Mahinmi, Harper

C- Smith, Mahinmi

Notice that I have not included any players above the age of 25 in this line up....If Dallas can pull off the draft of Harper and Smith...Wow....Talk about a young core of players.

Now this may be my only "draft post", as these tend to take alot of time to pull together, though I will be looking to put one after the draft that takes into account the actual drafted players. As Always I welcome any comments and critiques that you guys may have, so feel free to make them(disclaimer not with standing).

Go MAVS-2011 NBA champions(Man does that feel awesome to Type!)

Reader submitted. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of our editorial staff.