The Dallas Mavericks will struggle with the loss of backup point guard J.J. Barea, who is expected to be sidelined for six weeks after suffering a tear in the muscle connecting his left calf to his Achilles tendon, according to an ESPN report.
The Mavs will also be without All-Star Dirk Nowitzki and starting point guard Deron Williams for the next two games, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
The loss of Barea is a huge hit that goes beyond the numbers, as his energy and pace really keep the second unit alive.
Nowitzki is healing from a sore achilles that is limiting his movement on the court, while Williams re-injured his strained calf, after choosing to play on Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics.
“He's making progress, but we're going to be cautious and we're going to be smart about it,” head coach Rick Carlisle told MacMahon about Nowitzki's injury. “He's played hurt a lot in his career. This situation is different, though. We're early in the year. There's something that has hung around that needs to be addressed and be expunged, so we're working on it.”
The point guard takeover is now all set up for young Seth Curry, who can find himself with the keys to the kingdom if he manages to put up the numbers and some wins to come with it.
New signing Jonathan Gibson will back up Curry, who is expected to play minutes in the 30s. Devin Harris (toe) is still out indefinitely after barely shedding out of his walking boot last week.
The injury-riddled Mavericks (2-8) will have a tall task ahead of them against the Memphis Grizzlies (6-5) on Friday night.
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