Only because of Jason Kidd's past must one entertain the absurd notion that this Dallas Mavericks drama is the cleverest misdirect since Houdini escaped from a milk container.
Mavs nation has been aflutter since Luka Doncic left the regular-season finale on Sunday with a strained calf, which the club confirmed with a statement on Tuesday morning.
The team said Luka is undergoing treatment, and "updates will be provided as available."
The next reliable statement that will be "available" will be about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. That's 90 minutes before the Mavericks host the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series at the American Airlines Center.
Only Luka and the Mavs know if this strained calf is mild or all-hope-is-lost bad.
When researching the severity of a player's injury, forget WebMD, Dr. Google, or Dr. YouTube. Check Dr. Vegas.
No one knows the specifics about the severity of a top player's injury more than the good people who run sports books.
The Jazz are 4.5-point favorites in Game 1 for one reason, and it's not because Jazz players Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will soon co-star in the new Netflix drama, "How To Win NBA Games When You Hate Your Teammates."
Vegas oddsmakers don't think Doncic is playing or will be at his MVP-caliber self.
If this strained calf is akin to the strained calf Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered in Week 6 of the 2021 season, Vegas is right and we should all head to the liquor store and load up on mixers and whatever else we "needed" during quarantine.
Prescott downplayed the severity of the injury, but he essentially missed the next two weeks after the strained calf. One week was the bye, and the next he was on the bench for the Cowboys' game in Minnesota.
When he did come back, he was never close to matching the production he established in the first six games when he played like an MVP candidate.
Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it was the calf.
We won't know the truth about Doncic's calf until the first quarter of Game 1.
"It's a strained calf, and that's what it is," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Tuesday after practice. "He's in great spirits today, and we'll see how he does tomorrow. We'll prepare with him, and prepare without him.
"If he's able to go, he will."
Other than the San Antonio Spurs, the New England Patriots, and maybe the CIA, no organization likes to keep secrets about the status of its players more than the Dallas Mavericks.
Don't expect Doncic to discuss his status until he's played a game.
Don't expect much more from the Mavericks on this topic.
There is one fun and absurd theory floating around the land of Google: that Kidd and the Mavs created this Doncic injury merely to throw off the Jazz.
Kidd is not above such theatrics, and boss man Mark Cuban would love it.
When Kidd was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, he once had his own player deliberately bump into him on the sidelines, which caused him to "spill" a drink on the floor. The spill resulted in a timeout.
It's doubtful this Doncic situation is another soda spill, but a good conspiracy should always be considered.
Don't consider the scenario of the Mavericks winning this series if this injury wrecks Luka.
The addition of Spencer Dinwiddie is nice, but he and Jalen Brunson are not leading the Mavs to a series win over the Jazz.
Saturday will be the first time since May 17, 2011, that the Mavericks will host a Game 1 of an NBA playoff series. That year is the last time the Mavericks won a playoff series, when they won the NBA Finals.
As the four seed, the Mavericks are the favorites. Without Doncic, they're the 'dogs.
If you want to check updates about his injury, don't bother looking at the team doctor of the Dallas Mavericks.
Check Dr. Vegas.
