Kyrie Irving had been taking on a larger workload since Luka Doncic was injured on Christmas Day and ultimately traded, so there was speculation that the increased stress on his body contributed to the season-ending ACL tear he suffered Monday night. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd strongly disagreed with that theory during a session with reporters prior to Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.
“The load didn’t have anything to do with the injury,” Kidd said. “We’re talking about one play. It’s a freak accident. That’s how it should be reported, but we’re not reporting it right. We’re reporting on conspiracy theories.
“We want our stars to play as many minutes [as possible],” Kidd continued. “This isn’t supposed to be a ‘rest’ league. Kai is our leader. Kai was playing [high] minutes. He also was playing at a high level, maybe some of the best basketball that he’s played in his career. And it’s all right to play 40 minutes. We can’t talk from both sides and say that our stars don’t play enough minutes or guys don’t play enough.”
The “freak accident” that Kidd referenced came in the first quarter of Monday’s game against Sacramento when Irving tried to split defenders DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas. He landed awkwardly on his left leg before falling to the ground and grabbing his knee. He was fouled on the play and managed to make two free throws before being helped to the locker room.
With only eight healthy players on the roster, Dallas lost by 30 points to the Bucks after falling by 24 points against the Kings. The Mavericks are now 32-31, and their hold on the West’s final play-in spot looks increasingly shaky.
Kidd added that Irving embraced the idea of taking on extra minutes in light of the injuries.
“He’s well conditioned and he invited that,” Kidd said. “He wanted that. Are we reporting that? No, we’re not reporting that. We’re reporting that we’re running someone into the ground. That’s not true. That’s his job, it’s to play. He loves to play. It’s all right to play 40 minutes at the age of 32 in a month’s span. This isn’t the whole season.”
Irving certainly seemed capable of handling the increased minutes, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 50 games this season. He made his ninth All-Star appearance last month and has rehabilitated his image after a series of controversial incidents in Brooklyn.
That was among the points Bucks coach Doc Rivers made in his pre-game press conference, Curtis adds in a separate story.
“Kyrie’s a massive loss,” Rivers said. “I feel awful about that. He’s done a lot for Dallas, the team. He has really changed the perception of him. He’s always been one of the more likable guys in the league. Always the first to talk to the other players. Just watching [the injury] was sad, watching him shoot free throws. … Just a tough blow.”