Getty Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving being guarded by Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks.
Time is running out for the Dallas Mavericks to find their footing. With just five regular season games remaining, the Mavs at facing a reality where they could be watching the postseason from the couch. Many have placed the blame for the team’s shortcomings on their trade for star guard Kyrie Irving, who has a history of destroying teams.
However, former NBA-star and Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford cited a different roster decision when discussing what went wrong for Dallas.
He explained that the team lost its identity when they let, now New York Knicks star, Jalen Brunson walk out the door last summer.
“The Mavericks’ problem started in the summer,” Crawford said via NBA on TNT. “When Jalen Brunson left that team they lost their identity. He was somebody who Luka (Doncic) respected, but he was also somebody who could get it done and play with him as well. So when they lost him they kind of lost their way. He was a winner in the fact that he could get Luka on track. ‘Yo, we gotta get some good possessions.’ He was the quarterback, he was the thinker. Shoutout to Jalen Brunson he’s been just as important for the Knicks. But, when the Mavs lost him, they haven’t been able to find their way (since). Obviously, Kyrie Irving is a special talent, he’s a special player. This isn’t Kyrie’s fault. You can’t throw these two together and say ‘hey figure it out’ with 20 games left.”
“The Mavericks’ problems started in the summer. When Jalen Brunson left that team, they lost their identity.”
@JCrossover on the Dallas Mavericks’ recent struggles
Like Crawford said, Brunson played a key role in Dallas’ success last season. On the team’s path to the Western Conference Finals, he averaged 21.6 points per game, while shooting 46.5% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc.
While Irving is extremely skilled, the team quite simply hasn’t had time to gel with both he and Doncic battling injuries. Not to mention they’re essentially playing with “the boys,” as Spencer Dinwiddie put it earlier this year.
Kyrie Irving ‘at Peace’ With Mavericks Future
Kyrie spoke about the rocky results he and Doncic have seen in their early days as a duo, after Dallas’ recent loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“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. “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…
Kyrie Irving Discusses Transition into Mavericks Environment
Irving also touched on the individual struggles he’s faced while adjusting to his new team.
“Just human nature, man,” Irving said of Dallas’ struggles and him fitting into a new situation via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’m getting traded to a new work environment, and it’s just a lot of newness. I’m trying to introduce myself to everybody, figure out, you know, who do guys go to on the team to confide in off the court? Who is our coaching staff as people? Upper management, who are they as people? What do they expect from me? The big question, why they traded for me? And, you know, what does it look like for the future? That’s the big question. What does our future look like? What does our future look like? I think that now, again, just where we are in the season, and where other teams are positioned already, it kind of looks like a bit of a clusterf***, to be honest with you, because we’re 37-40, and we’re trying to fight to get into the play-in game.”
This is Kyrie Irving’s very long (and thoughtful) answer to what its been like being traded midseason for the first time in his career, which is where the “it kind of looks like a little bit of a clusterfuck” quote came from.
