On Friday, the Dallas Mavericks published medical updates concerning their three great injured men – Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Although all progress, none of them is close to a return and it is not clear if they will play again this season.
Davis, that the Mavericks acquired Los Angeles Lakers before the deadline for trade in exchange for Luka Doncic in an astonishing and controversial agreement, was injured at 31 minutes after his team debut against the Houston Rockets on February 8.
“A recent reassessment … said that Davis improves daily and was therefore erased for more dynamic movements on the ground,” said the Mavericks. Davis will be reassessed every week.
Anthony Davis played 31 minutes for the Mavericks and they probably already need to exchange it
Sam Quinn
After Kyrie Irving has torn her LCA earlier this week, Shams Charania reported that Davis may not come back this season.
“I think he, his representatives will snuggle up. I think they are going to have very difficult conversations,” said Charania said. “It is not out of the field of the possibility that a match is the last time that we have seen an announcement this season.”
At 32-31, the Mavericks occupied the 10th place of the Western Conference. They still have 2.5 games in 11th place Phoenix Suns for the place of the final tournament in the West, but it will be difficult for them to keep this place with all their injury problems. Even if they do, they will have no chance of running, with or without Davis.
The Mavericks have no choice but to tank the rest of the season (and perhaps next year too) after losing Kyrie Irving
Jasmine Wimbish
In fact, the Mavericks would be better at this stage to fully fall from the image of the playoffs and hoping for luck at the lottery. Holding Davis for the rest of the season would help guarantee that this happens. The same goes for lively and gaffording life.
Lively has not played since mid-January when he broke his ankle. He progressed to an activity on the ground and will be reassessed every week. Gafford, meanwhile, fell with a knee sprain on February 10, just days after Davis’ injury. The Mavericks said he would be reassessed in two weeks.
