Getty Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
Things are starting to look very dim for the Dallas Mavericks with the postseason quickly approaching. Their April 2 loss to the Atlanta Hawks marked their seventh in the last eight games, essentially sealing their fate of a spring sitting on the couch.
In order to get into the Play-In Tournament, the Mavs will not only have to win all three of their remaining matchups, but they’ll also need some serious help. The 10-place Oklahoma City Thunder would have to lose two of their three remaining games or the 9th-place Minnesota Timberwolves would have to go winless for the rest of the season, for Dallas to have a chance to play postseason basketball.
Suns win. So here is the remaining play-in qualification scenarios/ways to get in for the Mavs in the final 3 games:
Mavs: 3-0
and
Thunder: 1-2
or
Timberwolves: 0-3
Shams Charania of The Athletic and FanDuel TV reported Monday that the organization may no longer be looking towards the playoffs, but instead is considering shutting down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic for the rest of the year.
“I’m told that the organization is seriously considering the possibility of shutting down [Irving and Doncic],” Charania said. “They have a top-10 protected pick. So, being out of the Play-In race, it behooves them not to try and keep their pick, and at that point, you have the flexibility of having that potentially top-10 pick, you have three first-round picks that you can trade this offseason to go get a star, and potentially more players in the marketplace. They’re going to be one of the more active teams.”
“I think the Mavericks have to seriously look at whether you shut down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving these last 3 games of the regular season” 😬
@ShamsCharania on the #Mavs mindset going into the final 3 games
While it’s certainly not what many fans envisioned when Dallas dealt for Irving mid-season, punting the remaining games might not actually be the worst thing.
If their draft pick doesn’t land in the top-10, then it will be conveyed to the New York Knicks as part of the trade that landed the Mavs Kristaps Porzingis.
Mavs Urged to Punt Remainder of the Season for Top Pick
Charania was the first to report that tanking could become a reality for the Mavs, but he wasn’t the first to pitch the idea.
Last week, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor published an article explaining why Dallas should just wave the white flag on the 2022-23 campaign.
“Dallas might’ve made the West finals just a year ago, but now the team has been surpassed by a number of Western contenders,” he wrote. “To make matters worse, Irving could walk out the door as an unrestricted free agent this summer. But even if he stays, he’s got a track record of burning bridges with his previous franchises. What makes Dallas think it’ll be the exception? Especially after this kind of start? With limited ways to bolster the roster, it’s crucial that this year’s pick turns into a real asset. If it moves into the top four, it could be the lifeline the Mavericks need, whether they keep a prized prospect or flip him in a bigger deal.”
Kyrie Irving Is ‘At Peace’ With Struggling Mavs’ Future-Plans
Irving recently discussed understanding that there are other things that need to happen, besides he and Doncic being teammates, before the Mavericks become real contenders.
“I think the realistic view is that when I came here, this was going to be a growing process,” Irving said via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth, after the March 28 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. “This was for the long term, and this was for something that’s bigger than ourselves, and we can’t just be a championship team overnight, especially me coming here. So I think I’ve wrapped my head around that aspect of it. I’m at peace with it. It doesn’t mean that I’m giving up on this season or any of my teammates are, but we know where we realistically are, and our destiny is in some other team’s hands losing games. So we just got to control what we can control and focus on the next few possessions that we have in these next games against some really good teams that want to position themselves for the playoffs. We’re fighting for a spot, so I look forward to the challenge. But again, in the last six minutes of the game, I felt like we could have been better clear, including myself.”
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving was asked if there’s enough time to build the necessary chemistry in the final few games, given the scramble the standings has caused.
“It’s been a scramble since I’ve been here. So, trying to fill in roles that kind of fill in from other people. And I…