The Mavericks will need to play the rest of the season without the players that general manager Nico Harrison described as the “heart and soul” of their team.
Harrison was part of a statement released Tuesday night in response to news that Kyrie Irving will be appearing for the rest of the season after suffering a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in his loss to the King to King on Monday night.
“There is no word to fully explain who Kyrie Irving is for this team or what he means to us as an organization,” Harrison said in a statement. Kylie is the heart and soul of this team, and he has embraced the city of Dallas as his home and our fans as an extension of his family,” general manager Nico Harrison said in a statement. “His work ethic and absolute dedication to his skills, it is cut out from the fabric of a great man. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferociousness and passion as he saw in Kobe.”
“All my thoughts and the thoughts of our staff are with Kylie and his family. I'm sure he'll come back stronger than ever, as usual.”
Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this year before getting injured.
The Mavericks star was injured on Instagram live Tuesday night.
“I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm fine and it's okay to move forward,” Irving said. “It sucks. Lots. I'm not going to lie to you guys. This certainly stabs me.”
The injury is another blow to the Mavericks that they had to deal with in recent days.
The list already included Anthony Davis (Adcaster Co.). He had to finish his first game after a huge hit trade.
