Irving is expected to miss an additional one to two weeks
Just as the Mavericks welcome back Naji Marshall from a four-game suspension, they lose Kyrie Irving for additional time. As per Shams Charania of ESPN, Irving has a bulging disc in his back and will be out of action for at least one to two weeks.
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a bulging disc in his back and is expected to miss at least 1 to 2 weeks, sources tell me and @espn_macmahon. There is optimism that treatment over the coming days will provide a return to play target date. pic.twitter.com/HuNjAadyMi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2025
Is it possible this is a shrewdly calculated move by the Mavericks? I certainly believe Kyrie has a legit diagnosis, but perhaps the Mavs are choosing the better part of discretion here. Maybe Kyrie could go, but the Mavs are electing not to run him into the ground while Luka is also out. They could instead rest him while providing important reps to players that would otherwise not see action.
In this supremely optimistic, but purely speculative take, Kyrie’s return coincides with Luka’s and the two come back like Batman and Superman arriving on scene together to get the Mavs back on consistently winning ways. On the other hand, it may just be one of those utterly bizarre seasons where a litany of injuries, illnesses and even suspensions result in a staggering number of missed games across the team.
Whatever the grand scheme ultimately reveals, the Mavs are set to take on the Grizzlies tonight in Memphis and will be playing the cards they have been dealt. As Mavs Moneyball’s own Jason Worley wrote, players like Quentin Grimes, Klay Thompson and the returning Naji Marshall can leave their mark on tonight’s game while hopefully ending the team’s four-game losing streak.