The Luka Doncic trade continues to be dissected, with the Kyrie Irving injury an added disaster for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks took an almighty swing when they traded Luka Doncic away. The move that shocked the league has gone onto electrify his new team, the LA Lakers, who are on a nine-game win streak, now ranking as the two-seed.
Meanwhile the Mavericks are struggling to stay afloat in 10th place in the Western Conference. Regardless of how well the Lakers are doing, what has unfolded in Dallas has been an unmitigated disaster.
Anthony Davis has played one game, before going down injured, and now Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL. It is an injury that will affect him into next season, and the team.
The Dallas Mavericks plan was high-risk, concentrated on a short-term gain. And now the short-term success has been wiped out.
Amid a sport where teams are always looking into the future with long-term plans, veteran reporter Rachel Nichols says she cannot recall a General Manager intentionally cutting the team’s window in similar circumstances like Nico Harrison did.
She told SI via YouTube: “They shortened their own window. He got up in the press conference and said, We have decided to shorten our own window, which is something I have never heard before in professional sports.
“They decided to shorten their own window by betting on two players over the age of 30 with significant injury histories. That is not a condition that just happened to them, that is not a bad luck of the draw. That was a decision.
“They had won the lottery with Luka Doncic, literally, and yet they decided we don’t need it.
“We want a shorter window with two players who are more injury prone, who are older, who if they do get injured, will have longer recovery times, less ability to bounce back again.
“I think it’s the most devastating month that I can remember in pro sports for a franchise, and it’s fanbase.”
Nichols had separately blasted the Mavericks for the extra stress they put on Kyrie Irving’s body, which will have impacted him prior to his season ending injury.
The Dallas Mavericks are on the slide after their March 7 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 111-122.
The Grizzlies had lost four consecutive games leading into the match-up, and were relieved to come up against a short-handed Mavs.
Dallas have now lost four straight games of their own, with the Grizzlies loss following defeats to the Bucks (twice) and the Kings.
The team now rank 32-32 for the season, although at .500 they are ahead of the .460 Suns in 11th.
