Since the Mavs won their NBA title four summers ago, point guard has been a revolving door of mediocrity.
Jason Kidd stuck around for one year after the parade, but Russell Westbrook ran circles around him in the Thunder’s playoff sweep. Then came Roddy Beaubois, Delonte West, Darren Collison, Derek Fisher, Mike James, Nick Calathes, Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin, Gal Mekel, Raymond Felton, Devin Harris and J.J. Barea.
And with the likely departure of Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis, it’s now a complete mess.
Harris is better suited as a change-of-pace shooting guard. And Barea’s feistiness is better served in small doses. It leaves Dallas needing a point guard for 2016.
They need a Goran Dragic. A Patty Mills. A Pablo Prigioni. Even a Matthew Dellavadova.
But where on Earth do they find such a player? Um, Finland. Duh.
Once upon a time they Mavs drafted Calathes, stashed him in Europe for a couple years but then cut him free in favor of Mekel. Enter Petteri Koponen. He’s 6-foot-4. He’s 27. He’s one of the best point guards in Europe. And, yep, he belongs to the Mavs. Dallas acquired his rights from Portland in 2011, and he’s apparently ready to make his NBA debut next season.
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Normally you’d roll your eyes at such a move. But considering the success of other foreign point guards recently, and the glaring need for point guard help, the Mavs would be wise to at least invite Koponen to training camp next October.
This past year he averaged 15 points per game in the Russian league, leading his team to the Eurocup title. The guy can shoot. He can penetrate. He can create. Can he defend NBA players?
The Mavs need to find out.
