After Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending torn ACL earlier this week, many were quick to criticize the Dallas Mavericks for the increased workload they had placed on the 32-year-old guard following the Luka Dončić trade. But while Mavs head coach Jason Kidd dismissed such criticisms, referring to them as “conspiracy theories,” Bill Simmons believes that not only are they valid; they’re common sense.
“Did you see Kidd’s thing about — he took real offense that people thought it was the increased workload that hurt Kyrie’s knee,” The Ringer founder said on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. “And he was like, ‘It was a fluke injury.’ It was like, ‘Dude, we’ve been following the NBA our whole lives. Like this is Klay Thompson going down the 2019 Finals ’cause he was playing like crazy minutes and doing some crazy workload, and then all of a sudden his leg blew out.’ Like this is what happens in the league; the more you put on these guys, the more likely it is they’re gonna break down.”
Simmons punctuated his criticism of Kidd by referring to the Hall of Fame point guard as a “dumbass.”
Bill Simmons to Jason Kidd:
“The more you put on these guys, the more likely it is they break down, dumbass!” pic.twitter.com/wp7LzUoqWd
— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) March 8, 2025
Kidd’s comments came two days after Irving suffered his season-ending injury in the Mavericks’ loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. Asked about the theory that the 9-time All-Star’s increased workload played a role in the injury before Dallas’ blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the 1995 NBA co-Rookie of the Year quickly shot down such notions.
“The load didn’t have anything to do with the injury,” Kidd told reporters. “We’re talking about one play, not any other plays before that. He steps on [Jonas] Valančiūnas’ foot. It’s a freak accident. That’s how it should be reported, but we’re not reporting it right. We’re reporting on conspiracy theories.”
Despite Kidd’s insistence that Irving’s workload didn’t play a role in the injury, it’s noting that the month following the Dončić trade saw the 2011 No. 1 overall pick’s minutes played per game increase from 36.2 to 39.4, with his usage rate moving from 26.9 to 28.7. And while we may never know whether it was the heavier workload, a freak play or a combination of the two that caused Irving’s injury, to Simmons’ point, basketball history would suggest that the former certainly didn’t help.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.