"He’s walking kind of funny": Mavericks Fans Concerned After Video of Kyrie Irving Defending Cooper Flagg in Practice Surfaces

Kyrie Irving is not playing, but he has remained active behind the scenes for the Dallas Mavericks. The electric guard, who tore his left ACL in March, does not have a timetable for a return. Still, he has participated in some of the team’s workouts.

On Thursday, a clip of Irving training with rookie Cooper Flagg went viral.

Fans reacted to the video of the recovering All-Star defending the 6-foot-9 forward:

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"Man he’s walking kind of funny, I wonder how he’ll come back."

One fan said:

Another fan added:

One more fan continued:

Another fan commented:

Kyrie Irving said in October via his Twitch channel that there is no timeline for his return. However, he and the Mavericks are hoping he could suit up starting January or February.

Mavericks supporters can’t wait to see Uncle Drew back in action again, particularly with Anthony Davis dealing with a calf strain. Dallas dropped to 3-9 following a 123-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The Mavericks could stay near or at the bottom of the standings until they get their veteran stars back.

Cooper Flagg has been playing well, but he can’t carry the franchise on his own. He has also been forced to play point guard due to Irving’s absence, a decision that has had mixed results for the Mavericks.

Mavericks fans want Kyrie Irving to return, but he will only play once he is 100% ready to go.

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Jason Kidd denies rumors Mavericks will shut down Kyrie Irving

The firing of Nico Harrison, the Mavericks’ former president of basketball operations and general manager, has raised all sorts of speculations. One such rumor was the shutting down of Kyrie Irving to give the Mavericks even better odds of going back to the lottery.

After their practice on Thursday, coach Jason Kidd gave an update on Irving’s situation:

“Everybody's doing their part to get back. Everybody wants to play. Everyone who is hurt, the progress is good reports. At some point, hopefully, we’ll see Kai [Irving] in a uniform. He wants to play. He’s working extremely hard, mentally and physically, to get back to help us. … He’s antsy cause he wants to help.”

The Mavericks are much better with Kyrie Irving. He is easily their best playmaker and shot creator. If healthy, he, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg make the team a tough out in a playoff series.

Time will tell if the Mavericks can have all three on the floor this season.

Edited by Michael Macasero