Kidd denies that Kyrie Irving's injury was caused by excess minutes

Dallas Mavericks' coach, Jason Kidd, called Kyrie Irving's anterior cruciate ligament injury a "freak accident" and rejected any connection between the increased playing time for the guard and the serious injury he suffered.

In the ten games before Irving's injury, which happened on Monday against the Sacramento Kings, he was averaging 39.3 minutes on the court, an increase from the previous 35.9 minutes. Since Luka Doncic's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, no player in the NBA had accumulated more playing time in that span.

Before the Wednesday game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Kidd made his position clear by dismissing any link between the minutes load and the injury.

"We are talking about one play. Not several before that. It's a freak accident, that's how it should be reported," Kidd stated. "We are coming up with conspiracy theories. We want our stars to play. This league is not designed for resting players."

Irving had been the most consistent player for the Mavericks this season, with averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 36.1 minutes per game. Additionally, he played in 50 out of the team's 62 games and was selected for his ninth All-Star appearance in February.

"Kai is our leader," Kidd pointed out. "He was also playing at a very high level, perhaps the best of his career. We can't talk both ways and say our stars don't play enough minutes and that players rest too much, only to then say they play too much."

The Mavericks were already dealing with Anthony Davis' absence, who only played one game with the team before being sidelined due to a groin injury. This was compounded by the absences of Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Kai Jones.

Facing Milwaukee with only eight available players, Dallas ended up falling 137-107. What Kidd doesn't explain regarding Kyrie is that it's not just about the minutes with Luka out, it's also the impact on the game that surely leaves him more exhausted.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kidd niega que la lesión de Kyrie Irving se produjera por exceso de minutos