Carlisle not sure Shane Larkin will play in preseason

DALLAS -- The last time rookie point guard Shane Larkin attempted to go through a full practice with the Dallas Mavericks was July 5 -- the day they left town to travel to Las Vegas to participate in the summer league.

Unfortunately for Larkin, a few hours before the Mavs departed for Vegas, he fractured his right ankle in that practice session. Larkin subsequently underwent successful surgery on July 16 and was slated to be sidelined for approximately three months, which is Wednesday.

Coach Rick Carlisle said Friday that Larkin is doing a little more work in practice.

"But he's not doing anything with the team on the court other than stretching and some shooting,'' Carlisle said. "He’s doing some running on the treadmill, so that’s a good sign.

"And he's making progress. He's had no setbacks, so that’s good.''

Carlisle isn't sure if Larkin will return to full workouts next week. He isn't even sure if the No. 18th overall pick of this past June's NBA Draft will be able to play in any of the remaining six preseason games.

When asked if Larkin would be ready to play in any preseason games, Carlisle said: "Just purely on my gut opinion, my non-educated medical opinion, I would say doubtful. But who knows.

"We’ll see how Mother Nature treats us. She’s not been returning my text messages.''


(star-telegram.com)