With the playoffs right around the corner, the Dallas Mavericks have been making moves to strengthen their squad. Most recently, Dallas signed veteran forward Justin Holiday for the remainder of the season.
Holiday is eager to get out on the floor with his new Mavericks teammates. He spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth about how he sees himself fitting alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“Obviously, I know what to do from being on other teams,” Holiday told Afseth. “But once I get to play with them and see what they like, I’ll just do the little things to try to help those two guys (Doncic and Irving) out.
The 33-year-old’s confidence in his new team, couldn’t be much higher.
“But then again, this team is very, very exciting. I know I’m going to see a lot of amazing things with these two guys on this team… The two-headed snake that we have,” Holiday said, “it’s going to be really tough for teams to beat us.”
In 28 games with the Atlanta Hawks this season, Holiday averaged 4.5 points and 14.7 minutes per game. His shooting has been below his career average, as he’s only knocked down 34.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Despite the shooting struggles, Holiday is prepared to give the Mavs all he’s got on the defensive end.
“I’m a vet, so I know coverages, I know what other teams are going to do, I know what players are going to do,” he explained. “So I just think I can come in and help the team as much as I can, because this team is an amazing team.”
Shaquille O’Neal Blames Mavs’ Kyrie Irving for Nets’ Failure
Dallas’ other recent acquisition, Kyrie Irving, was somewhat under fire recently. NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal discussed Irving’s time with the Brooklyn Nets, blaming the star guard for the team’s shortcomings.
“Sometimes you have to look at yourself,” O’Neal said via Ben Golliver. “KD was no problem in Brooklyn, so let’s exclude him. Mr. Irving had a lot of stuff going on. James, I don’t know him. So, sometimes you have to look at yourself. I did a lot of crazy stuff. But, at the end of it all I knew my mother was watching, so I tried to keep it professional… But, sometimes you just have to look in the mirror. When you ask to go somewhere and it don’t work out, it’s not always somebody else’s fault. See, I was raised different. Like, my father didn’t play the excuses thing. When I went and we didn’t win, it’s your fault.”
TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal on three Nets stars requesting trades: “I did a lot of crazy stuff but at the end of it all, I knew my mother was watching. … When you ask to go somewhere and it don’t work out, it’s not always somebody else’s fault. I was raised different.”
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving Discusses KD’s Exit From Nets
While Shaq may believe that Irving was to blame for Brooklyn’s issues, the Mavericks guard doesn’t seem to feel as if that’s the case. He has been painting the Nets organization as the villain in the situation since his exit.
Shortly after Uncle Drew’s trade to Dallas, his former teammate, Kevin Durant, was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Irving first discussed the news following his Mavericks debut on February 8, saying he’s happy that Durant “got out of there.”
“You know, I’m just praying for his happiness, praying for his well being. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures were going to look like, there was still a level of uncertainty,” Irving said via Brad Townsend. “But, we just cared about seeing each other be places where we can thrive, and whether that be together or whether that be apart, there’s never been one moment where I’ve felt like he’s been angry at me for the decisions I’ve made, or I’ve been angry at him. We’ve just tried to understand each other a lot better and grow as human beings, grow as brothers. This business changes so quickly. He’s getting a little bit older, I’m getting a little bit older. I just love the competition now that we can be in the same conference and I welcome all of that. I’ll get to see him a little bit more, probably playing against Phoenix a lot more. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Everything else in between, I’m just glad he got out of there.”
Apologies, shot several Irving videos, THIS is his reaction to the Durant trade.
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Justin Holiday Issues Statement on Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving After Joining Mavs