It seems like the Dallas Mavericks’ happy days have been cut short. After a successful playoff run that saw them reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, the Mavs followed it up with the acquisition of veteran sharpshooter and Warriors legend, Klay Thompson. However, the latest news about the franchise star guard, Kyrie Irving, is not too pleasing. Shams Charania of The Athletic dropped the breaking news of Kai’s hand injury on his Instagram.

As per Charania, “Mavericks say Kyrie has undergone surgery to repair a broken left hand. He sustained the injury earlier this month while training.” ESPN’s Tim McMahon followed it up with the good news that “a team source expressed optimism that Kyrie Irving would recover in time to participate in training camp.” Irving’s arrival in Dallas was considered to be another fluke waiting to happen. There were concerns as to how he would pair alongside the franchise superstar, Luka Doncic.

However, the veteran guard thwarted all such notions with spectacular performances and results. Now admired by his home fanbase, the 32-year-old took to X to address them. “Tribe, Thank you for all the messages and prayers. GOD truly knew that I needed to take a break from Basketball after the long season and give myself some time to heal. I am in love with getting better at my craft, but now I must rest and recover. Hélà 🤞🏾♾️ 🪶“.

This injury report came in the wake of the news about Thompson‘s addition to the gang. Klay and Steph were renowned as one of the best backcourt duos in the history of the NBA. With 4 rings, 5 All-Star, 6 Finals appearances, and more than 11 years’ worth of experience restoring a dynasty to its former glory, Dallas pretty much struck gold with the Bay Area veteran.

Of course, his latest performance slump is a cause for concern. But the reasons have been dissected and analyzed from every possible angle by now. Anyway, with the Splash Brothers’ once-strong chemistry declining, Doncic and Irving had emerged as the latest lethal backcourt duo. And with a new character now joining this pair, it would be really interesting to see how the whole thing will shape out. But it seems like at least a few fans on Instagram have doubts about the Mavs’ upcoming season.

Kyrie Irving’s injury update receives mixed opinions on social media

“Dallas downfall begins,” was an eerie comment of one user under Charania’s post. There is no doubt that Irving has been nothing short of brilliant in his time with the Mavs. ‘Uncle Drew’ was positively stunning in the postseason, averaging  22.1 points and 5.1 assists in 22 games while shooting 46.7% from the field and 39% from downtown.

Of course, eventual champions, Boston, beat the Mavs in five games in the Finals, but the 8x All-Star’s hand in the team’s success up until that point cannot be dismissed. Hence, this individual’s super-extreme reaction to the injury report, in a way, can be understandable. There were a few fans who had a similar line of thought. “Dallas might be cooked,” said the next fan. “Welp there goes they season 😂😂😂,” said another. We can only hope those tears were the painful ones.

Hilariously, one of the fans had quite a creative take. “Basketball gods saw that lefty game winner and knew they had to put a stop to this.” Everybody, even the anti-fans, can relate to this. No one would or could contest the effectiveness when Irving goes for one of his incredible left-handed game-winning shots. After all, there will be never too many instances of those.

And finally, this fan had a simple message for Kyrie. “quick recovery Kai.”

Considering McMahon’s tweet, Irving will be back on the floor before you know it.

Before you go, though, be sure to check this video of Leonard Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe. Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our ES Fancast!