The Dallas Mavericks turned some heads ahead of the trade deadline, when they landed Kyrie Irving in blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets. On February 5, the Mavs agreed to send Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, and multiple seconds to Brooklyn in exchange for Irving.
Many instantly labeled Dallas as contenders to emerge from the Western Conference this spring.
However, the Mavericks have experience some growing pains, to say the very least.
Since pairing Irving with Luka Doncic, Dallas has a record of just 1-4 when both stars take the floor.
Former NBA executive and current NBA Senior Writer for The Athletic, John Hollinger recently published a piece that broke down which teams are real contenders and which are not.
“Dallas made the conference finals last year, has a 24-year-old superstar, and yet … looks just as desperate as everyone else, especially in the wake of Sunday’s collapse against the Lakers and Jason Kidd’s weird press conference afterward,” Hollinger wrote.
He went on to highlight Dallas’ move for Irving, calling it a “quasi-reckless gamble.”
“The Mavs have a familiar litany of issues for a team on this list. They’re already in next year’s tax, out of future draft picks and trying to hit on a quasi-reckless gamble (Kyrie Irving) after painting themselves into a corner with bad contracts and the needless own goal of Jalen Brunson’s departure,” he continued. “The Mavs also got bonus desperation points for starting a buyout guy (Justin Holiday, who couldn’t get minutes in Atlanta even as the Hawks were desperate for reliable wing play).”
Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Shares Message From Dad After Tough Loss
Dallas’ most recent loss came at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. The Mavericks had the ball with seven seconds to play and a chance to win the game. Irving worked to create a shot for himself, before eventually missing the game-winning 3-pointer.
Kyrie had a shot to win it vs. Indiana in the final seconds.
Irving’s game as a whole left plenty to be desired. He totaled just 16 points on 7-19 shooting in the loss to Indy.
During his postgame press conference, he discussed the message that his father texted him, after the rough night.
“I’m human,” Irving told Sports Illustrated’s Dalton Trigg. “I would love to play well, every single night. I was just texting with my dad — my biggest fan, one of my harshest critics. But he’s always gonna keep it honest, and I appreciate that. He’s been watching me play for a long time, and he just told me to stay aggressive, and he said it looked like I was overthinking out there. And I was just telling him that we have new lineups. I’m playing with new guys out there. It’s an adjustment period. As much as I would love to play well, it doesn’t happen as often as you would like. But I think moving forward, when I can ease my own burdens or overthinking, I think things will naturally flow.”
Rick Carlisle Believes in Mavs’ Star Duo
Rick Carlisle, who coached the Mavs to the 2011 NBA Championship, is now at the helm for the Pacers.
He caught up with reporters before tip off, chatting about his former team’s new tandem.
“Nobody’s going to want to play these guys. Nobody,” Carlisle told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon ahead of Tuesdy’s game.
Rick Carlisle on the Luka Doncic/Kyrie Irving combo: “Nobody’s going to want to play these guys. Nobody.”
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Former NBA Exec. Rips ‘Desperate’ Mavs After Kyrie Irving Trade