NBA Insider proposes shutting down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for rest of season

Despite having Kyrie Irving and Luca Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have lost three straight games and won only three of their last ten.

NBA Insider Shams Charania reckons the Mavericks should consider putting their two All-Stars - Doncic and Irving - on the bench for the rest of the season. Charania said on FanDuel TV:

"I think the Mavericks have to seriously look at whether you shut down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving these last 3 games of the regular season," Charania said.

The LA Lakers (40-38) are in seventh spot, New Orleans Pelicans (40-38) in eighth, Minnesota Timberwolves (39-40) in ninth and the OKC Thunder (38-41) in tenth. So the Dallas Mavericks (37-42) find themselves in a hole too deep to climb up the Western Conference.

---

How have Dallas Mavericks fared after Kyrie Irving acquisition?

For consecutive seasons, Dallas Mavericks fans have clamored for owner Mark Cuban to make things happen and acquire an All-Star to pair next to Luka Doncic.

That was made even more evident during last year's Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. The eventual champions clamped down on Doncic, as there was no other player on the roster to divert their attention to.

However, with the Mavericks' acquisition of Irving on Feb. 6, some were a bit skeptical on how the trade would pan out for the Mavericks. That's because they had traded away Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick (unprotected) and second-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Brooklyn Nets.

It looks as if the Mavericks didn't get what they had asked for, with the team not in play-in reckoning despite Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the roster. That's disappointing after they made the Western Conference Finals a year ago and were fourth on February 8 after beating the LA Clippers.