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Did Kyrie Irving move to Dallas, Texas with some baggage? Surely he did, even if it is packed neatly into luxury Louis Vuitton. But does that baggage include doubts about his basketball talent? No it does not.
Did the Mavs highly entrepreneurial billionaire owner Mark Cuban let Kyrie’s extracurriculars trouble his decision to bring on the superstar and bolster his Luka Doncic-led franchise’s chances? Cuban certainly considered the Irving deal from all angles — he understands the effect of optics. Then Cuban made the decision that gives his Mavs the best possible chance to compete on the court.
One former NBA superstar, the power forward legend Kevin Garnett, is adamant that what Cuban has done is nothing less than giving the Mavs “the best two” in the Western Conference — and an automatic shot at an NBA title. Listen to Garnett tell former teammate Paul Pierce that the Mavs have the “best two” over and over, while Pierce struggles to name a better — or even comparable — tandem.
Double Alphas. Kyrie and Luka! Best duo in the West. @paulpierce34 ain’t goin for it tho. I’m standing on it…https://t.co/RUZzyKAVc4 pic.twitter.com/Dcytm8i1yO
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) February 12, 2023
Cuban, the Shark Tank star, likes to ask budding entrepreneurs to explain “the economics” of any business situation. Looking at the basketball “economics” of a Mavericks team with not just Doncic, but Irving too, means two superstars in their prime, both willing passers, and both constantly creating a series of unique problems for opposing defenses. The Cuban move makes Garnett shake his head in admiration.
