Gal

Mekel

Mekel, a 25-year-old who played two seasons with Wichita State, is a former Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the Israeli Super League, and he just took his team Maccabi Haifa to the finals. The Jazz, who have zero PGs under contract, were impressed by Mekel last summer and wanted to sign him for training camp before visa issues scuttled their plans.

Mekel is a 25-year-old who has been absolutely balling out in Israel, and now he’s getting a handful of looks from NBA teams. He may very well get an invite to training camp after the Jazz flirted with the idea last season, but it’s not clear how good his chances are of making a team’s final roster.

Mekel was known to be working out for the Bucks previously, and he was also expected to work out for the Mavericks as well. The Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies and Jazz are all reportedly interested in Mekel, with the Suns rumored to have interest in him previously as well. Just 25 years old, Mekel could get an NBA shot after being named MVP in Israel this year.

Per the report, the Timberwolves want Mekel to be a starter on their summer league team. At this point, it looks like Mekel will have a handful of offers to pick from, and there’s a real possibility he’ll be on an NBA roster next season.

Harris had surgery to fix his toe and began practicing on December 2nd, but has recently experienced a resurgence of pain in his toe after practice. The Mavericks medical staff doesn’t think the recent pain is anything serious, but it’s sounding like the December return that Harris was targeting may not be all that realistic. Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel will continue to see an uptick in minutes while Harris is out, but neither provides much value beyond deep leagues.

“He’s making steady progress,” Rick Carlisle said. “I would say he’s ahead of schedule based on what the expectations were with the scope.” The rookie from Israel has played in just 30 games this season and is averaging 2.4 points and 2.1 assists in 9.6 minutes per game, on 34.5 percent shooting. That tells you about all you need to know with regards to his fantasy value -- he’s waiver fodder.

Calderon missed Saturday’s game against Minnesota, but felt good after Tuesday’s shootaround. If the Spaniard is unable to suit up, Gal Mekel and Shane Larkin would see a bump in minutes, but neither are worth a look in anything but the deepest of leagues. If anything, Calderon’s absence would likely mean a stuffed stat sheet from Monta Ellis.

Gal Mekel started at PG in his absence this weekend, handing out seven assists while shooting 3-of-12 from the field. Shane Larkin only had one assist in 17 minutes off the bench while Monta Ellis (26 points, six rebounds, six assists) assumed more playmaking duties. With luck we’ll get a definitive update after the Mavs’ shootaround.

“I’m hoping for an early Christmas present, not a New Year’s resolution,” Harris told reporters on Tuesday. He’ll crush any value Gal Mekel and Shane Larkin may have in deep leagues, but isn’t likely to play enough to help fantasy owners while Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis are healthy.

Mekel underwent a successful practice with the team, but the Mavs want to see how Mekel’s surgically repaired knee holds up in game conditions before deciding on next steps. The rookie has only averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 assists in 9.6 minutes per game this season, so fantasy owners can feel free to push his name into the back of their minds until next season.