Rick Carlisle typically refrains from comparing players, but he couldn’t resist when analyzing Jared Cunningham, who the Mavericks selected with the 17th pick in the draft. “Athletically, he’s similar to a (Russell) Westbrook,” Carlisle said. “That’s a lot to put on a kid, but you got to have guys with that kind of speed and quickness to compete with the perimeter players in this league. We’re excited about it.” Carlisle feels Cunningham is capable of creating offense at the pro level. “The way the game is being played now, I thought Dirk addressed it after Game 4 (against Oklahoma City), you got to have dynamic playmakers,” Carlisle said. “Cunningham was up at Oregon State. The Pac-12 doesn’t get a lot of coverage in the central and eastern time zones. We feel he’s good and has a chance to be exceptionally good. He plays above the rim and is an athletic defender. He was one of the guys we liked from about a month ago on.’’ Read more: http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/06/big-draft-night-leaves-the-mavericks-smiling.html/
