Kyrie Irving Rumors

Cavs Notes: Today is @Donovan Mitchell’s 13th time with 30+ PTS in a playoff game with the @cavs, moving him into 2nd-most all-time in franchise history. 1. LeBron James: 77; 2. DONOVAN MITCHELL: 13***; 3. Kyrie Irving: 12

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He also has Darius Garland, a new, in-his-prime point guard to build with, not just manage. “Having a young point guard under my tutelage is the first time I’ve really had it since Kyrie (Irving),” Lue said. “It’s gonna be fun.” That distinction matters most with Garland. After Tyronn Lue was fired by the Cavaliers in 2018, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul introduced him to Garland, then just 19 and newly drafted. They crossed paths again months later at a Las Vegas comedy show during Garland’s first NBA Summer League. “We went to the Dave Chappelle show in Vegas, and we just hit it off right there,” Garland told The Athletic. “It just happened naturally, really.”

New York Times

Kellan Olson: Cooper Flagg is probable for the Mavs with a left wrist sprain. Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) remain out.

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Irving’s mentorship is currency. And he has no problem spending it. The resounding response to Irving’s leadership this season has been one of gratitude, for his vocal communication during games and his encouraging one-liners. From Max Christie: “Just take one step forward and continue to put one foot in front of the other.” AJ Johnson: “Embrace the journey. Treat it as a gift.” Moussa Cisse: “Stick together.” “He sees when guys are in their heads,” said Daniel Gafford, one of the more veteran players who spoke about Irving. “He’s taking all of his experience, all of his game knowledge and he’s giving it to the younger generation.”

Dallas Morning News

Handy says fatherhood has played a pivotal role in Irving’s development as a leader. "Being a father instantly changes your life in terms of how you lead and how you show up. How you think about others," Handy said. "A completely different individual than what I saw years ago. But even then, he's always been a great human being." Handy said Irving has even played on the scout team during practices, often representing the best player on the opposing team. "It puts them in a different mindset when they see Kyrie on the floor. He's been everybody. SGA. Ant. He even tried to be Wemby,” Handy said with a laugh.

Dallas Morning News

Handy has seen Irving's imprint throughout the roster, from lending his ball-handling and finishing knowledge to Brandon Williams to helping Naji Marshall improve his footwork and balance. "He's been an open book," Handy said, acknowledging a change from Irving’s days in Cleveland. "Not that he wouldn't talk to his teammates, but he was really trying to figure out his own process. So now, Kyrie knows who he is as a player and he knows who he is as a man, so it's a lot easier for him to share and give insight into things that he's done and that he's used to be successful in different parts of the game."

Dallas Morning News

Grant Afseth: Dallas Mavericks Injury Report vs. Los Angeles Clippers: PROBABLE: Moussa Cissé: Probable (G League Two-Way) John Poulakidas: Probable (G League Two-Way) Tyler Smith: Probable (G League Two-Way) QUESTIONABLE: Marvin Bagley III: Questionable (Left Shoulder Impingement) Brandon Williams: Questionable (Illness) DOUBTFUL: Daniel Gafford: Doubtful (Right Shoulder Impingement) Caleb Martin: Doubtful (Right Plantar Fascia Strain) OUT: Kyrie Irving: Out (Left Knee Surgery) Dereck Lively II: Out (Right Foot Surgery)

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Jarrett Allen needs your help. The Cleveland Cavaliers center — his perfectly curated afro kept neat inside a headband, looking like a blast from basketball’s past — came into the NBA in 2017 after being drafted by the Brooklyn Nets. With him, Allen brought the Kyrie 3, the third installment of Kyrie Irving’s signature Nike shoe released in 2016. The specific pair Allen wears is black and white. Clean. Professional. The shoes and Allen have never separated. It’s a marriage rooted in, as Allen says, comfort and stubbornness. To this day, 620 career games later, including his lone All-Star appearance in 2022, you’ve never seen Allen without those Kyrie 3s, officially named “Nike Kyrie 3 TB Black White.” The kicks are part of his work attire, just like the afro and headband.

New York Times

However, a divorce might come soon, but not because Allen wants something different. “I’m on my last pair,” Allen, with sadness in his voice, told The Athletic. “As I find them online, I buy them as soon as I can, but I haven’t found a new pair in the last 1 1/2 years. So, the run might be over with those.”

New York Times

Allen is an anomaly. He’s as rare as some of the Kobe Bryant signature shoes New York’s Jalen Brunson wears or the player-exclusive (PE) Jordans P.J. Tucker would rock. Basketball and sneakers go together like Prodigy and Havoc. One without the other doesn’t feel right. Players have personal relationships with the shoes they sport, which is why you might see your favorite player wear a different sneaker every night or another favorite wearing the same shoe game after game. It’s why Allen is desperate to find another pair.

New York Times

To be clear, he hasn’t worn the same pair of shoes since his first NBA game. Even he understands that would be malpractice, given how important functional shoes are to his profession. It makes sense, though, why Allen’s run with the Nike Kyrie 3 TB Black White might be coming to an end. Allen wears a size 17. The Kyrie 3 colorway Allen loves was released in 2017 and hasn’t been re-released. Nike doesn’t make as many pairs of general release shoes for the feet of giants as they do for us mortals because, well, there are more of us than there are of them. Naturally, there was always going to be an expiration date on Allen’s relationship with that specific sneaker.

New York Times

Yet Allen is holding out hope that someone out there has a pair stashed in his basement, garage or sneaker room and will soon post the shoes online so he can keep his streak alive. “I have more colors of the same pair, but it’s the black-and-white ones that really touch my soul,” Allen said. “I practice in Kyrie 8s or something like that, so that I can try to make these ones last as long as possible.”

New York Times

Kyrie Irving is one of the veterans who has offered support. Like Flagg, Irving was a teenager when he was selected No. 1 overall, also out of Duke. Becoming the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise at such a young age was a difficult adjustment. The Cavaliers went 21-45 in Irving’s rookie season. These Mavericks — at 23-48 — have a similar record with three weeks remaining in the regular season. “Kyrie has been someone who has been there for me a lot mentally,” Flagg said. “He went through a lot of the same things I’m going through. I’m trying to learn as much as I can from him and understand his perspective.”

New York Times

Kyrie Irving: Shoulda went for 85! lol

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