The Dallas Mavericks finally have the type of young core that could eventually vault them back into title contention.
Before the NBA world gets to watch Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis do their best impression of Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, though, the team's new star must regain a completely clean bill of health.
Here's coach Rick Carlisle on the possibility Porzingis is able to debut with the Mavericks before season's end.
Carlisle on Kristaps Porzingis: "Kristaps has got more rehab to go. The most important thing is his health and getting back to 100% and actually being better than 100%." @dallasmavs #Mavs pic.twitter.com/kaKrGaP3dj
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) February 2, 2019
Team owner Mark Cuban expressed even more caution on Friday, telling ESPN's Tim MacMahon Porzingis would “probably” not play for the season's remainder.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian is recovering from an ACL tear in his left knee suffered during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 6th of last year.
Dallas traded for him knowing full well that Porzingis still needed time to recover from his injury before returning to the floor, leading some to believe the team overpaid to acquire him.
The Mavericks feel different, obviously, enticed by the prospect of pairing Porzingis with Doncic, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year and one of the most deserving players in the league to be left out of the All-Star Game.
The Slovenian sensation is averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game as a 19 year old, surpassing even the most optimistic preseason expectations for his rookie campaign.
Dallas, just 6-9 in its last 15 games, sits at 23-28, four-and-a-half games back of the Los Angeles Clippers for eighth place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks play the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday evening.
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