It was recently announced that Kyrie Irving would miss the rest of the Mavericks‘ season. According to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, the decision was the right one, both for his own health and the team’s long-term success.
Curtis notes that by the time Irving returns to play, nearly 600 days will have elapsed from the time of his last on-court action. While that time off will make it difficult to immediately return to his previous form, it should give him ample time to make sure that his knee is fully healthy before diving into the next era of Mavericks basketball.
Irving has had multiple surgeries on his left knee over the year, and given his age and the mileage a 15-year career has taken, there’s additional concern about the possibility of re-injuring the knee should he return too soon.
The Mavs will also be looking to maximize their draft position this summer to add another high-end talent to the duo of Irving and star rookie Cooper Flagg.
Curtis notes that it would have been useful for the team’s two cornerstones to get some time to start building their chemistry, but playing things safe on the injury and lottery fronts should yield even higher benefits.
“I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season,” Irving said. “The belief and drive I have inside only grows.”
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Victor Wembanyama had an outsized impact on the All-Star game this year, adding a sense of intensity and competitiveness to what is often a less-than-enthusiastic affair. Next, the Spurs‘ star may have his sights set on another event: the Slam Dunk Contest. “I’ll be in the dunk contest one day,” he said after a recent win in which he unleashed a two-handed windmill dunk (Twitter video link).
- DeAndre Jordan hadn’t played for the Pelicans since October 29 heading into Saturday’s contest against the Sixers. Against Philadelphia, he played over 31 minutes in the start, recording 15 rebounds, five of them offensive, as well as four blocks. In an article for NOLA.com, Rod Walker called it a “turn back the clock” performance. The blocks total was the highest Jordan has recorded since the 2020/21 season. “I was extremely excited,” Jordan said. “Anytime you can go out there and compete in this league, it’s a gift. It was cool to be able to go out there and be able to play.” After the game, Jordan said he was craving two things: wine and ice.
- Khris Middleton had his best scoring game of the season tonight for the Mavs, putting up 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting while adding seven rebounds and seven assists in a five-point victory over the Pacers. After the game, coach Jason Kidd spoke effusively about the veteran wing. “A lot of times, you don’t understand how tall he is so he can create space with his height, and midrange game,” Kidd said, per Curtis (Twitter link). “He can always get his shot off. His ability to playmate, being able to run an offense with him. We got guys layups and wide open shots. He was really good tonight.” Middleton has stepped up with Flagg out, scoring 18 points in Friday’s loss to the Wolves.
He will be 34 years old and he’s a guy who relied on his quickness…yeah I can see Kyrie being cooked in this league. He has the BBIQ to survive as a rotation piece but he’s going to be Klay Thompson all over again.