Ohio State PF Jared Sullinger, whose draft stock has been sliding precipitously over the last week, has been linked to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 17.
Now, another mock draft this, this time from RealGM, has Dallas stopping Sullinger's slide:
17. Dallas Mavericks: Jared Sullinger
I had Sullinger in the second half of the first round in terms of true talent, and it will be interesting to see if the back issues take his stock to that place anyways. For a team like the Mavericks, an immediate contributing impact is worth more than longevity concerns.
For a variety of reasons, Sullinger would be an absolutely terrible fit with the Mavericks, even more so than UNC PG Kendall Marshall.
The problem starts on the defensive end: Sullinger, a lumbering 6'9 260 post player, won't be big enough to defend centers or quick enough to defend small forwards. As a result, he can only play at the power forward position, and Dallas already has an offensive-minded 4 who needs to be hid defensively.
So if Dirk Nowitzki is playing 35 minutes a night, that only leaves 13 for Sullinger. With the wide variety of high-impact players that should be available to Dallas at No. 17, that would be a disastrous return on investment.
For more on the Mavericks draft plans, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas storystream as well as Mavs Moneyball.