Where does Devin Harris fit in a Dallas backcourt that has Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis starting at the one and the two, plus a lot of interesting young prospects such as Gal Mekel, Wayne Ellington, Shake Larkin, and Ricky Ledo?
A little at the one, a little at the two.
Once Harris gets back from the foot surgery that forced his first contract to be changed, Harris is going to be a combo guard off the bench. Both coach Rick Carlisle and Harris himself said as much speaking with Mavs.com.
“Devin Harris is a very good all-around player and a two-position player. He’s got an issue with his toe, and he had to have surgery, but in two or three months he’ll be getting back into the fold, and by December or January he’s going to be a multi-position player who’s going to bring a lot of speed to our team,” Carlisle explained.
“Honestly, my main focus right now is to get healthy,” Harris added. “I’m pretty sure I’ll fit in at some point — play some 1, play some 2. That’s never been a problem for me to get on the court, but I think my main focus is just to get healthy.”
The younger guards on this team will get a chance to establish themselves as backups, but Carlisle likes veterans and will likely lean on Harris more as the season wears on.
That is especially true if Dallas is in the playoff mix, as they expect to be (they missed the postseason for the first time in 12 years last year due in most part to Dirk Nowitzki being out a chunk of the season after knee surgery). The West has six pretty much lock playoff teams (Thunder, Spurs, Clippers, Rockets, Warriors, Grizzlies) and a lot of good teams like the Mavericks, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Lakers and even Pelicans fighting for those last two spots. Dallas is going to need Harris to make the run they want to.
