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Jun 25, 2009 9:18 pm US/Central
Mavs Trade Pick To OKC For Guard & Future Pick
DALLAS (AP) ―
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Rodrigue Beaubois selected number twenty five overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder and later traded to the Dallas Mavericks poses for a portrait during the 2009 NBA Draft on June 25, 2009 at the WaMu Theatre in New York, New York.
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images
When the Dallas Mavericks' head honchos studied Rodrigue Beaubois, they could hardly believe what they were seeing.
A 6-foot-2 guard with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. A backcourt player whose vertical leap came within an inch of Blake Griffin, the big guy taken No. 1 overall, on the drill where they try touching the top of the backboard.
And then there was his foot speed, just a fraction of a second behind Devin Harris, one of the fastest guards in the NBA.
A native of the Caribbean island of Guadaloupe and seasoned with three years of pro ball in France, Beaubois is still a raw talent. But those physical tools -- size, youth, energy -- made him too good of a package to pass up. So the Mavs targeted him for the draft and got their guy Thursday, even after essentially trading down twice.
"The NBA is very kind to athletes and he's a big-time athlete," team president Donnie Nelson said. "He's a little bit of a sleeper. He's also a great, great kid. We're pretty fired up."
The Mavs figured they valued Beaubois more than others and were confident they could get him within a range of picks. Shrewdly, they did, also picking up several second-rounders.
The dealing started Wednesday when the No. 22 pick went to Portland for No. 24 and second-rounders this year and next. Then Dallas used No. 24 on Ohio State center B.J. Mullens, the guy Oklahoma City wanted. So the Thunder took Beaubois with the next pick and the teams swapped, with the Thunder throwing in a future second-rounder.
Dallas also ended up with forward Ahmad Nivins of St. Joseph's, the Atlantic 10 player of the year, and the rights to Florida guard Nick Calathes.
Calathes went 45th to Minnesota, then was acquired for a future second-rounder. Nelson called Calathes a first-round talent who slipped because he's already signed to play next season in Greece. That's just fine by Dallas, which didn't want two rookie guards anyway.
"He'll have a chance to go overseas and expand his game," Nelson said.
Beaubois was discovered by Orlando's Mickael Pietrus at a camp in their native island. He's played for Cholet in France since 2006-07, when he was 18, and has been on France's junior national team. He entered the NBA draft in '07 and '08, then pulled out.
Now he's ready, as evidenced by this description of his game: "I can run. I like to run the floor. I can finish at the basket or make a couple of assists. I'm a good passer for my teammates. I can shoot the ball. I can do a lot of things. I have long arms, so I can defend, I can do things on defensive boards. I will try to bring everything, you know."
Asked for someone his style could be compared to, he said, "Everybody says Rajon Rondo, but I think I am a better shooter than him."
Nelson said that if Beaubois can't earn time in the Mavericks' rotation, he'll get seasoning in the D-League.
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle is hoping Beaubois can quickly become a weapon in the battle against all the star point guards in the Western Conference.
"This is a younger player that is going now to be coming into a situation where he's going to learn an awful lot in a short period of time," Carlisle said. "Because of his physical abilities, he has a chance to make quantum leaps as time goes on. That's key."
The 21-year-old Beaubois said he's ready to take on Chris Paul, Deron Williams and such.
"I know it's a big challenge," Beaubois said from New York, where he attended the draft. "But I will play as hard as I can. I think I can do a couple of things on offense, too. I will try to play my game."
While comparisons with Tony Parker will be inevitable, the Mavs will be happy for Beaubois to break in as an understudy to Jason Kidd. The veteran star is a free agent, but Dallas is hopeful of re-signing him.
Beaubois hopes so, too.
"I think it will be very good for me," he said. "I can learn from this guy. I will be very happy to play with him."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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