The Dallas Mavericks have seen any hopes of winning the Larry O’Brien trophy this season evaporate within a month. It started with the horrendous decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers, and recently got worse with Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL.
GM Nico Harrison, the public enemy number one for Mavericks fans, decided to release a statement about Kyrie’s injury.
“There aren’t words to fully describe who Kyrie Irving is to this team or what he means to us as an organization.
“Kyrie is the heart and soul of this team, and he has embraced the city of Dallas as his home and our fans as an extension of his own family. I’ve been fortunate to have witnessed his journey, his continued evolution and growth over the years, and am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to see him approach the game of basketball with the same energy and fierce passion for the game that he did as a young man on the verge of his career. His work ethic and absolute dedication to his craft, it’s cut from the cloth of greats. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferocity and passion in him that I saw in Kobe.”
“All my thoughts and that of our staff are with Kyrie and his family, and we are confident that he will come back from this stronger than ever just like he always has.”
This was a moving message for someone like Kyrie, who has given his all to keep the Mavericks competitive in recent weeks. He didn’t want to see Luka go, but he tried to make the best of the situation by leading his teammates and the Mavs to a competitive season.
Once everyone is healthy, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that Irving would lead the Mavs to a title alongside Anthony Davis. However, Irving’s health won’t be guaranteed until the end of next year’s regular season, completely nuking the ‘two-year’ window the Mavs assumed they were in when they acquired Davis.
It’s admirable that Harrison felt the need to address a fanbase that’s regularly calling for his removal right now. However, his statement seems to have angered fans given the physical toll the Doncic trade has been taking on Kyrie. Many believed an injury was inevitable, and they’ve been proven right.
Also, someone needs to check on Harrison’s obsession with Kobe Bryant. We saw Kobe mention being thrown in when they decided to trade Doncic away as well. Kobe is a once-in-a-lifetime talent both on the court and mentally. Stop looking for the next Kobe and just execute your job to the best abilities.
The Mavs organization seems to have lost the plot about building a winning team and is more focused on pointless intangibles.
Irving was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists this season, putting himself in contention for an All-NBA selection and potentially increasing his contract to a supermax deal.
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