The Dallas Mavericks received devastating news on Tuesday after learning the full extent of Kyrie Irving’s knee injury. The nine-time All-Star has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee.
Initially diagnosed as a sprain following his exit from Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Irving’s injury has turned out to be far more severe.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis was also absent from the Kings matchup as he continues to recover from a left adductor strain, which has sidelined him for Dallas’ last nine games. Since his mid-season blockbuster trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, the 10-time All-Star has played in just one game for the Mavs, raising speculation that his season might already be over as well.
NBA legend and NBA on TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal has weighed in on the situation, advocating for Dallas to shut Davis down for the remainder of the season.
“I think the Dallas organization needs to go the Joel Embiid route (and) shut AD down also,” Shaq said, referring to how the struggling Philadelphia 76ers (21-39) recently ruled out Embiid for the rest of the year. “Get ready for next year.”
O’Neal firmly believes that risking Davis’ health without Irving in the lineup makes little sense.
“They have no shot of winning a championship without Kyrie and without a healthy AD, so if I was [general manager Nico Harrison] and those guys, I would just shut AD down,” Shaq added. “We’ll work him out hard in the summer and come back next year.”
Shaq’s stance isn’t entirely unfounded. On Tuesday, NBA insider Shams Charania also reported that Dallas is considering shutting Davis down in light of Irving’s season-ending injury.
With the Mavericks at a critical juncture, a major decision regarding Davis’ future could be imminent.
