Kyrie Irving tore his ACL last March and had surgery a few weeks later. His recovery has been going well by all accounts with former Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison previously saying he was "ahead of schedule,' which was great news considering Dallas gave Irving a three-year contract extension in June.
Irving was back on the court by the end of August and earlier this season Jason Kidd said he hoped Irving would be back by the end of the year. Not the season. The year.
That now does not seem like the case. Not only is Irving nowhere near a return, there's a possibility he's played his last game for the Mavericks. ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who also published a lengthy piece about the power struggle in Dallas this week, said on the latest episode of The Hoop Collective that Irving probably won't play this season and that might not have anything to do with his recovery.
"Kyrie is making great progress in his recovery," said MacMahon. "I would say his return this season is very much in question for... other reasons."
With Kyrie you have to wonder if there's something weird or nefarious going on behind the scenes based on the way MacMahon delivered that line, but if you go back to last week's episode of The Hoop Collective, MacMahon probably already explained himself.
"Kyrie Irving is not on the verge of returning," said MacMahon. "He's making great progress. He's going to continue working to get healthy. Once Kyrie Irving gets healthy, there will be—and perhaps leading up to it—but there will be discussions. There will be discussions with Kyrie, you know, with his stepmom/agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, with his medical staff, the Mavericks medical staff, the front office, Patrick Dumont, what is in everybody's best interest, and they might be aligned. The best interest for Kyrie and the franchise might be, hey, let's rest the rest of the season and make sure when you're back next year, it's truly 100%."
Whether that's to ensure the tank or just keep him healthy for a trade, MacMahon isn't sure. He did say that if the Mavericks were going to trade him, it would more likely be next summer, while an Anthony Davis trade seems more likely in-season.
Either way, it is starting to sound unlikely that Irving plays this season even if he does make a miraculous recovery. And there could be a real chance he has played his last game in Dallas.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Insider Offers Ominous Update on Kyrie Irving’s Injury Timeline.
