The Dallas Mavericks are currently in the midst of their longest losing streak since before the calendar turned over to a new century. Having dropped nine straight games entering the All-Star break, Dallas is currently much better positioned for a high draft pick than they are for a Play In bid, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to not find value in securing another young prospect come June.
Last month, Mavs’ head coach Jason Kidd indicated that the team’s position in the standings would have no bearing on when Kyrie Irving would return to action. Kidd was quoted as saying “It will probably be after the All-Star break but there’s also other plans that could come into play here, too. Being able to get on the floor and play in an NBA game might be just a little bit different than practice.”
Since that time, Irving has himself echoed the same sentiment. On Saturday during a Twitch livestream, he said an update would be coming post-All-Star break.
It is unclear exactly why the update has consistently been targeted for after the All-Star game. Perhaps not wanting to distract from an important weekend for the league at large? Maybe an additional medical clearance is already scheduled for this timeframe? It might just be convenient timing relative to the unofficial second-half of the NBA season. Whatever the case, Irving afforded us some further insight and it may just be a spoiler for the answers we’ve been waiting for.
While Irving doesn’t give a day and date for his return, he specifically says “whenever I’m 150% healthy, I’ll be back.” It doesn’t take much searching online to find plenty of evidence that Irving is on the practice court, although not necessarily in five-on-five competitive scenarios. That, along with the “150%” desired level of recovery should give us pause that his return is not imminent, and possibly will not be this season.
As disappointing as this may be, it probably is for the best. Irving has always been in tune with his body and his overall game, and no one can question his dedication to the craft. The fact he wants to be better than he was should be music to Mavs’ fans’ ears. If we have to wait until Cooper Flagg’s sophomore season to see him paired with Irving, some measure of disappointment is warranted. However, the idea of Irving getting an entire second offseason of rehab before spooling back up in training camp and preseason has major appeal. The Mavericks’ shot at any post season play is slim at this point, so there is really no reason to get Irving back on the court with any immediacy.
With All-Star weekend having officially come to a close, we shouldn’t have to wait much longer for definitive answers.
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