Jason Kidd calls Kyrie Irving injury ‘freak accident,’ while Irving says ‘I will be OK moving forward’

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While some of the Dallas Mavericks’ wounds are self-inflicted — trading away Luka Doncic, let alone doing it for pennies on the dollar; or raising season ticket prices not long after — they also have been incredibly unlucky. In his first game as a Maverick, Anthony Davis strained his adductor (groin), and his return timeline is unclear. That was on top of their other centers, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford missing extended time with injuries.

Kyrie Irving suffering a torn ACL was worse. Losing the team’s primary shot creator not only ended any dreams of a deep playoff run, but it’s also an injury that will bleed into next season. It has left the Mavericks at a crossroads.

Irving, for his part, said he is doing okay and moving forward during a session on Instagram Live (quotes via The Dallas Morning News).

“It hasn’t been 48 hours since I tore my ACL, but the recovery process already started mentally, spiritually, emotionally. So just wanted to let you guys know I’m OK and I will be OK moving forward. It does suck a lot. I ain’t gonna lie to you guys. This one stings for sure, but I have a great support system around me. I have incredible family members and friends, and I know I’m supported not just here in America, but internationally. And I’m not on this journey alone…

“When you fall down nine times, you get up 10. I don’t know any other strategy,” he continued. “It’s just when you fall down, you get back up, and there’s no time to feel bad for yourself or feel sorry, feel the emotions, but this is part of it.”

There has been speculation about how much Irving’s workload and increased minutes in the wake of the stunning Doncic trade might have worn him down and led to this injury — he was playing more than 39 minutes a night. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd tried to dispel that narrative, calling the injury a “freak accident,” via 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…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/jason-kidd-calls-kyrie-irving-174938729.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2025-03-06 17:49:00

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