Irving admits that fighting for the play-in is not what he expected when he arrived in Dallas
EL NUEVO DIARIO, DALLAS.- The day Kyrie Irving debuted with the Mavericks, the Texans placed fourth in the Western Conference with a record of 30-26. Almost two months later, things are quite different. Dallas has fallen precipitously in the standings and right now is even outside the play-in spots with 37 wins and 40 losses, a situation in which the point guard has admitted that he did not expect to find himself when he came to the team.
“Seeing at what point in the season we are and how other teams are doing, this seems like a disaster, to be honest,” he commented after last morning’s defeat at the Wells Fargo Center. “We are trying to sneak into the play-in, and I don’t think anyone in the dressing room had those expectations.”
It is true that there was a lot of skepticism regarding the arrival of Kyrie in Dallas, but this seemed to have more to do with the extra-sports component for the future and with the risk of having gone so boldly for a player whose continuity was not far from guaranteed past summer. On a sporting level, there were reasons to believe in the movement in the short term, although it is true that problems such as potential defensive gaps were pointed out. However, not even the most pessimistic could expect such a drastic change.
«I did not expect to ask for the transfer this year and a priori I wanted to finish the course in Brooklyn, so some of the objectives I had for this season have had to change. That’s why I have to be more flexible and live with the results, whether we’re in the playoffs or not. I have to be at peace with where I am and trust the comrades I go to war with every day. I appreciate the opportunity that has been given to me. Everything here has been great except the losses, obviously. We would have liked to win every game.”
We’ll see if Irving reacts as calmly if the Mavericks end up sitting in 11th place when the regular season ends and he gets his pick in free agency. Everything indicated that this contact with the Texan franchise could be decisive for his future election and at the moment, at the level of results, things are being quite improvable.
