When Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2023 trade deadline, a lot of flak was thrown toward Mark Cuban and his front office. Kyrie was amid many controversies before his trade to the Mavericks, which led to questions about his reliability. One and a half seasons later, it seems like a genius move. The Dallas Mavericks are on a seven-game winning streak. The chemistry between Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic has fallen into place and they are looking like the most dangerous duo in the NBA.
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Recently, Mark Cuban appeared on ‘The Draymond Green Show’ and was asked about his decision to trade for Kyrie Irving by the Golden State Warriors forward.
“When you talked to people around him before we did the deal, nobody disliked him. Everybody loved him. When you talked to teammates, current and former, loved him. When you asked them what the issue was – ‘Well, Media'”.
Cuban talked about Nico Harrison having known Kyrie to be a loving and caring person, whom the media has often misunderstood. The minority owner of the team realized if that’s the only issue, he is more than capable of dealing with the press.
There have never been concerns about Irving’s ability to play basketball. It has always been regarding the off-the-court controversies that follow him. Whether it’s the anti-semitic comments on social media or his stand against the COVID-19 vaccine, the past few years have been full of turmoil for the 2016 NBA champion. However, these things did not bother the billionaire.
He showed love to his player and said, “Let me just tell you, I love Ky to death. The more I talk to him, he’s got a heart of gold. He cares about too many things.” The above statements by Mark Cuban garnered love from Hall of Famer – Isiah Thomas, who shared the video on his Instagram story.
Mark Cuban did not hold back on his praise and affection for the player. He talked about his willingness to protect him from the press and said he would take bullets for him as he has done for the Mavericks players. It looks like Irving is finally in a situation where he can cut out the noise and focus on playing basketball.
Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks season
The Dallas Mavericks had a disappointing 2023 season and did not make the Play-In spot in the Western Conference. This led to a lot of doubts about the co-existence of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. However, all those questions have been put to rest with their performance in 2024. The Mavericks started the season slow, trying to get their chemistry right. They also added some key pieces during the 2024 trade deadline. Since then, they have become a force to reckon with.
Mavericks have won 11 of their last 12 games and currently sit at the fifth spot in the Western Conference. They are two games behind the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. Luka Doncic has been playing MVP-caliber basketball and leading the league in scoring. On the other hand, Kyrie is playing the perfect Robin to Luka’s Batman. The tandem between the duo is visible on the court and teams would be hesitant to draw them during the NBA Playoffs.
