DALLAS -- Mavs rookie Shane Larkin will soon get the chance to prove he's a quick NBA point guard. But for now, the promising prospect is hoping to establish that he's a quick healer.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban tells DallasBasketball.com and FOXSportsSouthwest.com that Larkin could be ready to participate at some point in training camp (which starts Oct. 1) despite having broken his ankle in July. The prognosis at the time was a two-to-three-month rehab period, and Larkin is seemingly on the positive side of that pace.
"He is on schedule," Cuban says.
Larkin, who was drafted No. 18 out of the University of Miami, broke his ankle preparing to play with the Mavs in their Las Vegas Summer League schedule. A positive report on his recovery was first noted by the AP in Miami.
Larkin, the son of baseball Hall-of-Famer Barry Larkin, is a smallish-but-athletic point guard who will compete for time in a crowded backcourt, featuring Jose Calderon as the starter at the 1 and veteran Devin Harris (himself recovering from toe surgery) and fellow rookie Gal Mekel (two-time MVP of the Israeli League).
But before any of that happens, his recovery needed to happen.
"Minor setback for a major comeback,'' Larkin tweeted on July 12, and the Mavs hope the rookie is prophetic.
