Just days ago, the Dallas Mavericks suffered a major blow when Kyrie Irving tore the ACL in his left knee during a matchup against the Sacramento Kings. The injury will sideline him for the remainder of the season. In the wake of this devastating news, head coach Jason Kidd spoke out to set the record straight about the nature of Irving’s injury.
Initially, some reports suggested that Irving’s injury was linked to the heavy minutes he had logged throughout the season. From January until his injury, Irving ranked among the league leaders in minutes played.
However, Kidd was quick to shut down those claims, calling the injury a “freak accident,” according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “The load didn’t have anything to do with the injury,” Kidd explained. “We’re talking about one play. It’s a freak accident. That’s how it should be reported, but we’re not reporting it right. We’re reporting on conspiracy theories”.
“We want our stars to play as many minutes [as possible]. This isn’t supposed to be a ‘rest’ league. Kai is our leader. Kai was playing [high] minutes,” he continued. “He also was playing at a high level, maybe some of the best basketball that he’s played in his career. And it’s all right to play 40 minutes. We can’t talk from both sides and say that our stars don’t play enough minutes or guys don’t play enough”.
Kendrick Perkins exposes harsh reality for Mavericks
With their hopes already pinned on Anthony Davis’s eventual return—after he played just one game for the Mavericks—the news of Irving’s season-ending injury dealt a devastating blow.
Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins weighed in on the Mavericks’ increasingly dire situation during a segment of Speak on Fox Sports. “When you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it just got worse,” Perkins said. “[The Mavs] might not even make the playoffs… I’m extremely sad for Kyrie”.
Mavericks’ season plagued by injuries
The 2023-24 season has been nothing short of brutal for the Mavericks when it comes to injuries. Before the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers, Doncic himself missed over a month due to a calf injury, leaving a massive void in the lineup.
Additionally, injuries to key players like rookie Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford further complicated matters. Even Anthony Davis, brought in as a high-profile reinforcement, managed to play just one game before being sidelined again.