The Dallas Mavericks have been hit by the nastiest injury bug. Every time they seem to be getting healthier, one or more players get hurt. Right now, they are the definition of one step forward and two steps back. But is it really bad luck, or is the Mavericks medical staff not up to the task?
3 Reasons The Mavericks Should Fire Their Medical Staff
The medical staff always has good intentions and tries their best. But the Mavericks are in the same category this year with the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans. Injuries have hit all of them. Are there more factors that cause players to get injured?
This summer, the Mavericks fired well-respected head athletic trainer Casey Smith. He is famous around the NBA circle and regarded as one of the best in the department. He left Dallas and joined the New York Knicks in the summer. With that in mind, here are three reasons why the Mavericks medical staff is not up to the task this season.
PJ Washington Injures Same Ankle
This weekend, starting forward P.J. Washington exited the game in the second half in the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The irony is that he returned from an ankle issue and reinjured it. The team called it right ankle soreness. He has been dealing with it since early February. Now, he is out again with the same problem that has bothered him for a while.
After the second injury, Washington said, “It probably was too early but I feel like I’ll get better. I’m not really worried about it at all. Just gotta get it re-evaluated and go from there.”
Dallas definitely needs some size, given that Anthony Davis is also out. They hoped Dwight Powell could contribute some minutes, but he got hurt too. They hope that Washington can return to action sooner rather than later.
Kyrie Irving: How Many Minutes Is Too Much?
Head coach Jason Kidd has downplayed Kyrie Irving’s latest injury. But the writing was on the wall for the last few games. After the All-Star break, Irving was going through a stretch of playing almost 40 minutes per game. That is not a wise decision for a 32-year-old who has had multiple injuries in his career. The Mavericks medical staff should have raised the alarm and tried to get him some rest.
In a league where load management is almost every team’s go-to move, Dallas pushed too far. With Davis injured and Luka Doncic traded to the Lakers, the team had to lean on Irving more than ever. Now, when the narrative is that he played too many minutes, it paints a bad picture of the organization and its medical staff.
Risking Anthony Davis
When the Mavericks traded for Davis, they called it a win-now move. He was injured when he got traded to Dallas and was diagnosed with an abdominal strain on January 29th.
In his first game with the Mavericks, Davis had a great first half before going down with an injury. Maybe it was a freak injury from being hit in the same area earlier in the game. But the big man fell to the hardwood in the third quarter. There was no contact, and after the game, Davis downplayed it. He said the injury was in the groin/quad area. Again, maybe he got back too soon. Or perhaps it was a freak injury. Either way, the Mavericks medical staff has shown they haven’t been up to the task this season.
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