Shane Larkin’s surgery: better in July than October

Shane Larkin had ankle surgery Tuesday, and while it’s a big setback for the rookie, it could have been worse for him and the Mavericks.

With a stable of guards, led by Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon, both of whom are expected to sign their free-agent deals soon, the Mavericks have depth in the backcourt.

They also are going to have Devin Harris and Wayne Ellington, both of whom are expected to be rotation players, although Harris’ toe injury may keep him out of the early portion of training camp and perhaps the start of the regular season.

In addition, they have Ricky Ledo, a rookie shooting guard, along with Vince Carter, who can play both wing positions.

So Larkin’s ankle fracture suffered Friday means he will be lost until at least the middle of training camp and possibly for the start of the regular season.

But the Mavericks have the luxury of giving him time to get back to 100 percent. And it’s not always a negative for a rookie to be looking at a 60-game season instead of an 82-game season.

“A significant injury is never a good thing,” coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday. “But I’d rather this happen in July than October.

“He has time to recover. And it’s fortunate that we have depth at the position. I really loved him in the draft. I thought he was the best all-around guard in the draft.”


(dallasnews.com)