These Ben Simmons memes are stupid for Luka considering he just led the league in scoring, made all NBA 1st team again and took a team all the way to the NBA finals that everyone assumed was a play-in team, or a 1st round exit at best. Yeah, losing to the deepest team in the league sucks but they would've beaten anyone else, too.
I feel like he uses all his energy on offense or saves it for offense. Obviously the solution would be to improve his conditioning which I am sure he knows so it's all up to how much he wants to work on that. Everyone knows this which is why we feel frustrated by it.
Teams win championships woth PG's they have to hide on defense all the time lol.
You don't even need to hide Luka, he needs more help on offense to be able to expend more energy on defense.
Mavs didn't lose because of Luka's defense, their "all world" "super star" guard averaged 14 ppg on abysmal shooting while also being a liability on defense lol.
He will get fouled out in a quarter if he starts playing defense that's how NBA is now for a lot of players. They need him he can't afford the contest shots. That being said this dude is playing offseason and people say he's out of shape when other players barely play it half of the season. He will never be defensive play over there conversation. But that's all that Luca hate I've been watching basketball since the '90s and Luca is one of a kind. Just the fact that he got the bag and he still doesn't rest it wants to play for his country
If he could boost his cardio and keep up on defense more he'll have better chances in finals. He can't count on teammates for that with such high usage rates.
What im curious is how of it deliberate and how of it not. Like whats thoughts on Mavs camp/Luka from what should be his weight ? Personally for contidion/better off ball defense i would choose more skinny Luka (he already like every weapons out there) and that Luka would be better against Celtics (imo) but then against players like Dort, Mcdaniels with his weight he gets advantage pretty easy.
I think with Kyrie on the team faster but less powerful Luka would be better choice (imo Mavs really should have gameplan for offball Luka)
Anyway im curious how Mavs wiew all of this.
Edit: Btw im def not saying with skinny Luka (what a myth lol) we would beat Celtics etc. We might if he was on that insane hot streak period tho (yea he was injuried)
Seriously, dude has the highest usage rate among any players with actual minutes, he’s had to play more games deeper into the season than the majority of NBA players, his knees bleed every other game in the playoffs and he takes painkiller shots before games. Despite all this, he led the league in all stat categories in the playoffs. People base this entirely on Luka slowing down in the 2nd half of games. I think Luka gives it his all, takes on more than necessary when he realizes his team can’t make a bucket that day, and when the game starts to get out of reach he slows down because wtf is the point if you’re gonna be the only one trying
They want him to be skinny for repressed homo erotic reasons. The narcissism and obsession with another mans body is a dead giveaway. They should just be happy and gay it's 2024.
i think kyrie is scheduled to visit slovenia this summer. maybe he’ll be accompanied by some of the mavs staff. it’s likely nico will attend some games too
Yeah, I have really been rooting for Slovenian since Luka. It's fun to watch. It's also cool to see a different style of basketball. I get when ppl get upset about him playing but it's his country and honestly, it's one of the best ways to stay in shape.
For real. Mavs really need him to rest. I feel like this is just going to prolong the injury issues into next season or possibly even longer.
I get that playing for Slovenia is arguably more important to Luka than playing for the Mavs but I'm not super thrilled about this situation.
And I felt the same way then when Dirk was having health issues. It's not a knock on Luka as a player or person. I'm a mavericks fan first and I selfishly would rather him rest his knee, rehab, and workout than him risk a further or more permanent injury by playing for Slovenia.
I feel like the Luka first fans take simple, unemotional statements like "I wish Luka prioritized his health this off-season" as some kind of attack on Luka.
I'm not crying. I'm making basic statements in a discussion forum about the Mavericks.
Yeah, you think they would want the same thing. A 100% Luka that is healthy so he can dominate for years to come and not break down sooner than he should.
I'm sure he got a full physical evaluation and process for healing. If they don't think he's right enough to play basketball, he wouldn't be playing basketball.
I don’t think it has anything to do with coping lol. Luka entered the season (after playing international ball), with an injury that persisted throughout the season. We first heard about it in the preseason. The medical staff didn’t really have an answer for the lingering pain, and it never fully healed. It was something he dealt with the full year, and instead, his injuries only mounted by season’s end. So fans are rightfully concerned, because of the amount of basketball he’s played over the past few years, with minimal break in between.
However, the organization would never place any restrictions on him (even if they could). As Nico said in his presser, Luka was always going to play regardless - they understand how much it means to him. He’s on record speaking about the passion he has playing for the national team, so everyone knew he would suit up. That doesn’t mean fans can’t voice concerns, though. He’s the star player of the team, a superstar in the league, they have a right to, and it’s not like their opinion will affect Luka’s decision anyways.
National pride hits different for foreigners. Most US players don't feel like that because they're so used to their country dominating every time the Olympics come around, so there is no sense of "they need my help, I'm gonna do everything I can to help them reach the top" because the team is always loaded with talent. It's almost never an uphill battle for the US, but it's always an uphill battle for a country like Slovenia.
It’s not that we can’t cope with that, that’s obvious. What’s hard to cope with is the money he makes playing for us and constantly playing every summer makes him less ready for the league that is going to make him a billionaire. Not to mention Slovenia doesn’t stand a chance. At least with the Mavs he might accomplish something.
Playing for Slovenia doesn't stop him from winning a title with the Mavs wtf , what stopped him was bums teams for 6 years until this last trade and he went to the Finals relax
I think that 'dealing with it' and 'not being happy about it' aren't mutually exclusive. There's nothing wrong with expressing concern about how this will impact the Mavs next season.
Contrary to what a lot of the newcomers here think, this is r/mavericks, not r/luka. I fully understand Slovenia is more important to Luka than the Mavericks. As a Mavs fan first, that doesn't mean I can't express disappointment that he's risking extending a serious injury.
I don't know that anyone is really "up in arms" about it, but this is a Mavericks sub. I love Luka, but don't give two shits about the Slovenian national team, so as a fan I'd rather him be rested and healthy going into next season.
Comments like this piss me off and demonstrate how much this sub has devolved since 2018.
Coping? Wanting what's best for your team is coping? This is a Mavs subreddit, not a subreddit for Luka stans to make him out to be a Marvel superhero and worship the ground he walks on. Go to r/lukadoncic if that suits you better.
Walk us through the audacity to tell us how an international star should be acting, as if we hadn’t had one for 21 years prior to Luka joining. You want an example of what a leader looks like? Hard work looks like? Making the right decisions for long term health? Building yourself beyond just talent? Balancing your home country and your team? What a champion looks like?
Go look at Dirk. Luka has a lot of catching up to do.
The cherry on top is how Luka stans use his injury to justify his lapses, but at the same time say we should be supportive of his decisions that exacerbate his injury. What a joke.
It’s absolutely coping, same people hoping and praying that Luka would play through injury in the playoffs when he himself said if it was the regular season he’d be resting. You can’t have it both ways.
You can want what’s best for your team, that’s fine, but I’m going to call out hypocrisy when I see it. It’s hypocrisy at its finest to cry that Luka is playing through injury for the Olympics when our fans wanted him to do it just a few weeks ago. It’s hypocrisy to shit on a players decision to play for his NT just because he has an injury that he’s been playing through for months, including in the NBA finals.
I’ve been a Mavs fan for 30 years, this is how it has been since the early 2000s when FIBA and the NBA/NBAPA made an agreement that if a player is healthy enough to play for their organization then they can choose to represent their country at the Olympics or the FIBA World Cup if they desire to do so. But folks just want to have their cake and eat it to, and treat these players like they should have undying loyalty to the organizations that employ them.
Imagine telling someone to pick their fucking job over representing their country. It’s fucking wild.
>Imagine telling someone to pick their fucking job over representing their country. It’s fucking wild.
Is his country paying him $215 million dollars? If not, then pipe the fuck down.
If he loves his country that much, he can go serve in the army. Even Dirk planned to join the German army.
>It’s hypocrisy at its finest to cry that Luka is playing through injury for the Olympics when our fans wanted him to do it just a few weeks ago.
It's almost like playing in the NBA finals and playing the group stage of the Olympics where your team is likely to get knocked out *after* playing an already already grueling playoff stretch are completely different circumstances.
Crazy, right!
>But folks just want to have their cake and eat it to, and treat these players like they should have undying loyalty to the organizations that employ them.
Yes, people should have priority to the hand that feeds them and earns them a livelihood. Is that a foreign concept to you?
Brother, Luka took Slovenia to a top 4 world finish at the FIBA World Cup. He’s one of if not the best player in the world, if there’s anyone who can carry a mid country to an Olympic podium finish it’s him.
And quite honestly, what he’s paid is irrelevant. If the NBA wanted to stop players from playing internationally, they could. But instead they extend that right to the players. And they have for over 30 years, and outright for 24 years.
I'd wager that an Olympic medal would mean just as much as a championship to Luka as well. Americans don't really understand that for the rest of the world representing your country is the pinnacle, more important certainly than your club
Is it impossible for you recognize that there's a difference between playing for your country rationally and irrationally? Dirk is a player that did it the right way.
According to people like you however, Luka's injury is convenient scapegoat for his lack of effort, but at the same time we're supposed to blindly support that decision, no matter how stupid it is.
What a joke.
Well this rules out any possibility of the Mavs trading the 2025 1st, without some heavy protections.
Not that I ever expected him to actually sit the Olympics out, but it does worry me that he’s not giving his body the proper recovery time
He’s playing 3-4 games in the qualifying tournament and at max 6 games in the Olympics. He’s a basketball player, 10 games (max) and then a month and a half of rest won’t kill him
6 months? Opening night of NBA is mid-October. If Slovenia qualifies the group stage goes through first week of August. Mavs training camp starts probably a month after that
But it s the olympics, so i get it. Even USA sends out a strong team to the olympics, they are special. But i also don t think slovenia will play more than 6 games all together, IF they qualify. If they don t them it a more like 3 or 4 games. Anyway he will be off most of august and september, which should be enough to regenerate and prepare for the new season.
Sigh. This guy is going to stay forever injured
I do understand why he’s playing though. cant imagine the pressure to play when you’re top 3 player on earth
Hopefully Slovenia gets eliminated ASAP. Luka needs ample rest and recovery with all the injuries he racked up in the past several months. He needs an actual off-season before training camp starts
I guess after being top scorer in regular season and top all stats in the playoffs, he must've read some comments here on Reddit and so he realized he is actually fat and completely out of shape, so he better train and play some more during the summer.
I love Luka. Please understand yall. This is stupid. His health and priorities should be to the Mavs first.
Edit: Yall already downvoting this is pathetic. He's contracted to another team and he just had a year full of injuries. He's jeopardizing his longterm health and obligations doing this. ANY job would have a problem with this in a similar situation.
There will be other times for him to play for Slovenia IF he takes care of himself, and don't act like he's always been great at that.
the fact they are letting him play is the mismanagement. God forbid he like further damages his knee and is out for the whole year. Its not like slovenia have an easy group and getting a podium this year is already gonna be super difficult he should rest
they were, and he looked horrible during the finals. I mean Slovenia is prob gonna get bounced in the groups so hes gonna play minimal basketball this summer
He’s been cleared to play every game of the playoffs and will likely be cleared again. You’re a keyboard warrior- not a doctor, like the people who are actually clearing him to play ball.
so when luka says hes only gonna be able to get healthy in the offseason whens hes not playing, hes just lying. Yea team doctors have never understated players medical issues.
I remember when Dirk pushed for German team after his finals run… he was never the same after that. I know he was older but dude was in better shape than Luka too.
I really respect his passion for playing for his Country.
But I was really hoping that he took the time off to rest and heal.
This is a risk of aggravating his leg injury.
are we gonna get the yearly offseason picture about how lean he looks
Oh god league is fucked for the 4th season in a row
These Ben Simmons memes are stupid for Luka considering he just led the league in scoring, made all NBA 1st team again and took a team all the way to the NBA finals that everyone assumed was a play-in team, or a 1st round exit at best. Yeah, losing to the deepest team in the league sucks but they would've beaten anyone else, too.
nah he should stop playing overwatch and walk on a treadmill regularly so he will atleast be in a DPOY conversation next season
I feel like he uses all his energy on offense or saves it for offense. Obviously the solution would be to improve his conditioning which I am sure he knows so it's all up to how much he wants to work on that. Everyone knows this which is why we feel frustrated by it.
Or maybe the team just needs to be better, how about performs to the best of their role or this wouldn’t be a problem.
Can’t win like that . Lebron did it on both sides when he was young luka has to aswell if he wants to win
Steph wasn’t exactly known for defense when he won it all. You absolutely can win like that.
Teams win championships woth PG's they have to hide on defense all the time lol. You don't even need to hide Luka, he needs more help on offense to be able to expend more energy on defense. Mavs didn't lose because of Luka's defense, their "all world" "super star" guard averaged 14 ppg on abysmal shooting while also being a liability on defense lol.
He will get fouled out in a quarter if he starts playing defense that's how NBA is now for a lot of players. They need him he can't afford the contest shots. That being said this dude is playing offseason and people say he's out of shape when other players barely play it half of the season. He will never be defensive play over there conversation. But that's all that Luca hate I've been watching basketball since the '90s and Luca is one of a kind. Just the fact that he got the bag and he still doesn't rest it wants to play for his country
If he could boost his cardio and keep up on defense more he'll have better chances in finals. He can't count on teammates for that with such high usage rates.
Yeah, I need him to win MVP, DPOY, MIP, FMVP next season or he is completely washed.
What im curious is how of it deliberate and how of it not. Like whats thoughts on Mavs camp/Luka from what should be his weight ? Personally for contidion/better off ball defense i would choose more skinny Luka (he already like every weapons out there) and that Luka would be better against Celtics (imo) but then against players like Dort, Mcdaniels with his weight he gets advantage pretty easy. I think with Kyrie on the team faster but less powerful Luka would be better choice (imo Mavs really should have gameplan for offball Luka) Anyway im curious how Mavs wiew all of this. Edit: Btw im def not saying with skinny Luka (what a myth lol) we would beat Celtics etc. We might if he was on that insane hot streak period tho (yea he was injuried)
Smart point ppl overlook
Weight doesnt equal strength.
I legit saw someone calling Luka a mental midget in the nba sub lol
Hey man, at least this year he was looking awesome until his knee injury. Sigh then it was all about rest and management of the injury.
We got to the finals, that was true for every team but Boston
League was fked, he set the ALL TIME scoring record without free throws
Pisses me off when all the anti Luka takes in the media and r/NBA are all calling him fat and out of shape
It's ironic, because he is in better shape than all of them. xD
Seriously, dude has the highest usage rate among any players with actual minutes, he’s had to play more games deeper into the season than the majority of NBA players, his knees bleed every other game in the playoffs and he takes painkiller shots before games. Despite all this, he led the league in all stat categories in the playoffs. People base this entirely on Luka slowing down in the 2nd half of games. I think Luka gives it his all, takes on more than necessary when he realizes his team can’t make a bucket that day, and when the game starts to get out of reach he slows down because wtf is the point if you’re gonna be the only one trying
It's a valid criticism from people who know what fitness is required.
The people on that sub aren't being paid millions to stay in shape as part of their job lol
They want him to be skinny for repressed homo erotic reasons. The narcissism and obsession with another mans body is a dead giveaway. They should just be happy and gay it's 2024.
lol team subs are something else
The fuck is this?
https://preview.redd.it/r4ivgq2t6q8d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9f729b16a92f037e8cf247298a9032190867ac8
They want him to be skinny so he isn't walking around on defense for the first 3 games of a finals series i think?
He certainly looks it...
You guys are gonna be scary in a few years
Can we get the Slovenian team's marketing team to Dallas. Their jerseys and shirts are always 🔥🔥
i think kyrie is scheduled to visit slovenia this summer. maybe he’ll be accompanied by some of the mavs staff. it’s likely nico will attend some games too
This will be so cool. Love Luka and this team...
Yeah, I have really been rooting for Slovenian since Luka. It's fun to watch. It's also cool to see a different style of basketball. I get when ppl get upset about him playing but it's his country and honestly, it's one of the best ways to stay in shape.
That SLO branding couldn't delight me more.
The Slovenian team colors are sweet. Might have to pick up a jersey this year
Yeah they have some really nice colorways and designs. Been thinking of grabbing one myself for a while now.
Link any of the dope ones you find here! I’m interested as well - colors are too sweet.
I got one last year. Pretty pricey but it is a really nice jersey and I get a lot of compliments when I wear it.
I was going to but they're expensive af. I do want Luka to take the summer off this year but he loves his homecountry too much to do that
RIP knees
For real. Mavs really need him to rest. I feel like this is just going to prolong the injury issues into next season or possibly even longer. I get that playing for Slovenia is arguably more important to Luka than playing for the Mavs but I'm not super thrilled about this situation.
Not really only few games he will play that team is garbage
I see that you are getting down votes, but I do hope that is the case.
It was the same for Dirk for over a decade.
And I felt the same way then when Dirk was having health issues. It's not a knock on Luka as a player or person. I'm a mavericks fan first and I selfishly would rather him rest his knee, rehab, and workout than him risk a further or more permanent injury by playing for Slovenia.
Except Dirk was usually pretty healthy and didn't have any problems staying in shape. But yeah exactly the same other than that.
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Yeah, worrying about a superstars health + longevity is crying a river. Give me a break lol.
I feel like the Luka first fans take simple, unemotional statements like "I wish Luka prioritized his health this off-season" as some kind of attack on Luka. I'm not crying. I'm making basic statements in a discussion forum about the Mavericks.
Yeah, you think they would want the same thing. A 100% Luka that is healthy so he can dominate for years to come and not break down sooner than he should.
I'm sure he got a full physical evaluation and process for healing. If they don't think he's right enough to play basketball, he wouldn't be playing basketball.
Dude, I'm a red blooded American but deadass if Slovenia plays USA in the Olympics, I'm gonna be rooting for Luka/Slovenia. Fight me idc
You shoud come to Slovenia, you would love it. The only country with love in its name. And the name of the capital mean beloved.
I would love to visit Slovenia. I'll vow to make it there in the next 10 years!
You are very welcome
We love everyone! Except ourselves...
Fuck the USA team, they don’t even have Kyrie invited. Who wants to cheer for Lebron or KD or Booker?
especially lebron and kd , two guys that started that superteam shit
That SLO white boy. Hilarious. I do worry for his off season recovery, though.
https://preview.redd.it/we4szbidik8d1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c6bb3ec4ef30b6f22201840475258d9571b48c2
WTF is up with his knee bleeding all the damn time
Of course, he was always going to play. He loves Slovenia more than the Mavs, some Mavs fans have a hard time coping with that but it’s the truth.
I don’t think it has anything to do with coping lol. Luka entered the season (after playing international ball), with an injury that persisted throughout the season. We first heard about it in the preseason. The medical staff didn’t really have an answer for the lingering pain, and it never fully healed. It was something he dealt with the full year, and instead, his injuries only mounted by season’s end. So fans are rightfully concerned, because of the amount of basketball he’s played over the past few years, with minimal break in between. However, the organization would never place any restrictions on him (even if they could). As Nico said in his presser, Luka was always going to play regardless - they understand how much it means to him. He’s on record speaking about the passion he has playing for the national team, so everyone knew he would suit up. That doesn’t mean fans can’t voice concerns, though. He’s the star player of the team, a superstar in the league, they have a right to, and it’s not like their opinion will affect Luka’s decision anyways.
National pride hits different for foreigners. Most US players don't feel like that because they're so used to their country dominating every time the Olympics come around, so there is no sense of "they need my help, I'm gonna do everything I can to help them reach the top" because the team is always loaded with talent. It's almost never an uphill battle for the US, but it's always an uphill battle for a country like Slovenia.
idc mavs can hopefully be last next season and he can have prolonged rest during playoff
It’s not that we can’t cope with that, that’s obvious. What’s hard to cope with is the money he makes playing for us and constantly playing every summer makes him less ready for the league that is going to make him a billionaire. Not to mention Slovenia doesn’t stand a chance. At least with the Mavs he might accomplish something.
Playing for Slovenia doesn't stop him from winning a title with the Mavs wtf , what stopped him was bums teams for 6 years until this last trade and he went to the Finals relax
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It doesn’t bother me at all what Luka wants to do lmao, but if he was somehow not allowed to do this, I would be happier.
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I think that 'dealing with it' and 'not being happy about it' aren't mutually exclusive. There's nothing wrong with expressing concern about how this will impact the Mavs next season. Contrary to what a lot of the newcomers here think, this is r/mavericks, not r/luka. I fully understand Slovenia is more important to Luka than the Mavericks. As a Mavs fan first, that doesn't mean I can't express disappointment that he's risking extending a serious injury.
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I don't know that anyone is really "up in arms" about it, but this is a Mavericks sub. I love Luka, but don't give two shits about the Slovenian national team, so as a fan I'd rather him be rested and healthy going into next season.
Amen!
Comments like this piss me off and demonstrate how much this sub has devolved since 2018. Coping? Wanting what's best for your team is coping? This is a Mavs subreddit, not a subreddit for Luka stans to make him out to be a Marvel superhero and worship the ground he walks on. Go to r/lukadoncic if that suits you better. Walk us through the audacity to tell us how an international star should be acting, as if we hadn’t had one for 21 years prior to Luka joining. You want an example of what a leader looks like? Hard work looks like? Making the right decisions for long term health? Building yourself beyond just talent? Balancing your home country and your team? What a champion looks like? Go look at Dirk. Luka has a lot of catching up to do. The cherry on top is how Luka stans use his injury to justify his lapses, but at the same time say we should be supportive of his decisions that exacerbate his injury. What a joke.
It’s absolutely coping, same people hoping and praying that Luka would play through injury in the playoffs when he himself said if it was the regular season he’d be resting. You can’t have it both ways. You can want what’s best for your team, that’s fine, but I’m going to call out hypocrisy when I see it. It’s hypocrisy at its finest to cry that Luka is playing through injury for the Olympics when our fans wanted him to do it just a few weeks ago. It’s hypocrisy to shit on a players decision to play for his NT just because he has an injury that he’s been playing through for months, including in the NBA finals. I’ve been a Mavs fan for 30 years, this is how it has been since the early 2000s when FIBA and the NBA/NBAPA made an agreement that if a player is healthy enough to play for their organization then they can choose to represent their country at the Olympics or the FIBA World Cup if they desire to do so. But folks just want to have their cake and eat it to, and treat these players like they should have undying loyalty to the organizations that employ them. Imagine telling someone to pick their fucking job over representing their country. It’s fucking wild.
>Imagine telling someone to pick their fucking job over representing their country. It’s fucking wild. Is his country paying him $215 million dollars? If not, then pipe the fuck down. If he loves his country that much, he can go serve in the army. Even Dirk planned to join the German army. >It’s hypocrisy at its finest to cry that Luka is playing through injury for the Olympics when our fans wanted him to do it just a few weeks ago. It's almost like playing in the NBA finals and playing the group stage of the Olympics where your team is likely to get knocked out *after* playing an already already grueling playoff stretch are completely different circumstances. Crazy, right! >But folks just want to have their cake and eat it to, and treat these players like they should have undying loyalty to the organizations that employ them. Yes, people should have priority to the hand that feeds them and earns them a livelihood. Is that a foreign concept to you?
Brother, Luka took Slovenia to a top 4 world finish at the FIBA World Cup. He’s one of if not the best player in the world, if there’s anyone who can carry a mid country to an Olympic podium finish it’s him. And quite honestly, what he’s paid is irrelevant. If the NBA wanted to stop players from playing internationally, they could. But instead they extend that right to the players. And they have for over 30 years, and outright for 24 years.
I'd wager that an Olympic medal would mean just as much as a championship to Luka as well. Americans don't really understand that for the rest of the world representing your country is the pinnacle, more important certainly than your club
Is it impossible for you recognize that there's a difference between playing for your country rationally and irrationally? Dirk is a player that did it the right way. According to people like you however, Luka's injury is convenient scapegoat for his lack of effort, but at the same time we're supposed to blindly support that decision, no matter how stupid it is. What a joke.
People like me? You don’t know me dude. Extremely classy to stereotype someone because they have a different opinion than you.
....yes, people like you. you literally said those exact words. what is so confusing to you?
Why are you so angry dude, I can hit you with a therapists number if it would help
My god this was beautifully written!
There are 450 players in the nba, the greatest basketball league in the world and this guy is the best scorer of all of them.
That's a fact. Like that there are 9 million bicycles in Beijing.
Took the numbers out of my mouth.
Dude's a warrior but he needs a break. Hopefully he doesn't get cleared or Slovenia gets knocked out early to hasten his rest.
Half legged Luka will carry them to the final 💀
Wish my guy would rest. Peg leg Luka again next season…
He'll be ready. Just taking it SLO.
This group they are on is brutal. Even with a healthy Luka I don’t see this Slovenia roster making the Olympics
Small mercies
Good
we're bad bad fans lol, I concur
I mean, I guess. But we’re Mavs fans, not exclusively Luka fans. At least most of us I think
Even if someone was purely a Luka fan, it's just a matter of health now. I saw that lots of Slovenians wanted him to chill and get more rest too
Well this rules out any possibility of the Mavs trading the 2025 1st, without some heavy protections. Not that I ever expected him to actually sit the Olympics out, but it does worry me that he’s not giving his body the proper recovery time
He's not going to turn down an opportunity to represent his country, no matter how injured he is.
He'll always play, if he can. That's also the reason he played in the playoffs. Not every player would.
exactly. if he doesn’t do this, he’s not luka, & in that case we never would have made the finals this year
It's one of the things that make him so great. He will literally bleed for his team.
Bro. Next season is in late October lol
And the Olympics are all of July… so he basically gets August, September, and half of October
I wonder how many Mavs fans will turn into temporary Greece and Giannis fanboys hoping Slovenia gets knocked out so Luka can't play in the Olympics.
I feel bad for it, but I can't help but want Giannis to cook here
He’s playing 3-4 games in the qualifying tournament and at max 6 games in the Olympics. He’s a basketball player, 10 games (max) and then a month and a half of rest won’t kill him
He's got another 6 months after, it's going to be okay
6 months? Opening night of NBA is mid-October. If Slovenia qualifies the group stage goes through first week of August. Mavs training camp starts probably a month after that
What do you mean? If he plays in the Olympics he'll have 2 months off until preseason
I'm a bit dumb but my point is still there and they won't last the entire Olympics. So he's got lots of time
He won’t even have 3 months after, and that’s with assuming he doesn’t play in any preseason games
But it s the olympics, so i get it. Even USA sends out a strong team to the olympics, they are special. But i also don t think slovenia will play more than 6 games all together, IF they qualify. If they don t them it a more like 3 or 4 games. Anyway he will be off most of august and september, which should be enough to regenerate and prepare for the new season.
if they qualify they will play 3 group stage matches
Like it was ever in doubt
I hope he takes it easy. I don't want him to permanently damage his knee for any reason, even for an NBA ring. Rooting for you Luka and Team Slo.
The guy really doesn't want to rest
NEED that shirt
I hope whoever designs all of Slovenia's kits is paid really well. There hasn't been a bad jersey or shirt in the 6 years I've been following them.
The Michael Jordan of Yao Mings
I hope the pic is representative of the extent he is practicing. I'm fine with him just standing around.
Sigh. This guy is going to stay forever injured I do understand why he’s playing though. cant imagine the pressure to play when you’re top 3 player on earth
A real DAWG
Let’s hope they get knocked out early for his sake
Here’s to hoping they don’t qualify
He’s already lost like 30 lbs
Hopefully Slovenia gets eliminated ASAP. Luka needs ample rest and recovery with all the injuries he racked up in the past several months. He needs an actual off-season before training camp starts
Mavs logo take notes
Never getting my Panini Court Kings Legacy Portrait auto now.
It's only like two weeks of playing if they don't end up qualifying. Can they beat Greece if Giannis is playing?
He's gonna be upset hungry just lost finals Slovenia gonna be hard out top 3 maybe gold
yo why he start wearing the kyrie knee pads now?!
He slo
Lean Luka with a headband means business...hope that Luka comes back
Where can we watch these games? ESPN?
and so it begins again...
A picture is worth 1000 words...
Reminds me of that Silverchair song….”Fat boyyyyy….fat boyyeeeee!”
If Luka decided not to talk to refs but voice his complaints in trash talk form to the opponent he is guarding he would be DPOY.
Slovenia in 7! 🔥
I guess after being top scorer in regular season and top all stats in the playoffs, he must've read some comments here on Reddit and so he realized he is actually fat and completely out of shape, so he better train and play some more during the summer.
Go Luka!
I wish he would rest but let's be real; Luka is real one. He gonna play for his home country lol
I love Luka. Please understand yall. This is stupid. His health and priorities should be to the Mavs first. Edit: Yall already downvoting this is pathetic. He's contracted to another team and he just had a year full of injuries. He's jeopardizing his longterm health and obligations doing this. ANY job would have a problem with this in a similar situation. There will be other times for him to play for Slovenia IF he takes care of himself, and don't act like he's always been great at that.
my guess is him being allowed to play for his home country is in his contract
Those Luka Stans are attacking you.
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Dude is shortening his career by not resting. Slovenia NT is poorly mismanaging him.
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the fact they are letting him play is the mismanagement. God forbid he like further damages his knee and is out for the whole year. Its not like slovenia have an easy group and getting a podium this year is already gonna be super difficult he should rest
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they were, and he looked horrible during the finals. I mean Slovenia is prob gonna get bounced in the groups so hes gonna play minimal basketball this summer
He’s been cleared to play every game of the playoffs and will likely be cleared again. You’re a keyboard warrior- not a doctor, like the people who are actually clearing him to play ball.
so when luka says hes only gonna be able to get healthy in the offseason whens hes not playing, hes just lying. Yea team doctors have never understated players medical issues.
Can’t lie this is highly disappointing can only root against them at this point
I remember when Dirk pushed for German team after his finals run… he was never the same after that. I know he was older but dude was in better shape than Luka too.
 One day…
These dudes knees wont make it to 30, will they
On that Kawhi trajectory
It will be a quick tournament for Luka. He needs to rest.
This stresses me out so much omg. He’s just asking for a long term injury.
Gah dam He's never going to be 100%
I really respect his passion for playing for his Country. But I was really hoping that he took the time off to rest and heal. This is a risk of aggravating his leg injury.
C’mon man. Spend some time with your family and get some rehab massages every day. Take some rest.
thought he was hurt
he is
Need them to go 0-However many games until they are eliminated in order to save this guy from himself.
Does this mean the Luka was injured in the finals excuse is no longer valid? Everyone is ‘banged up’ but clearly he didn’t have anything significant
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That would be like football teams refusing to release players for the world cup. There's more to life than the NBA
NBA is WAY more important than World /country team stuff. It’s not even close.