Mavs Donuts: Latest On Luka Doncic Injury; Fallout of Failed Lakers Season

The start of the Dallas Mavericks' first-round series against the Utah Jazz is still days away. For now, the focus remains on the recovery of Luka Doncic, as he deals with a calf strain. More information on that should be made available as the week progresses.

On today's Mavs Donuts, we focus on the ongoing Doncic injury saga, the start of the NBA Play-In Tournament, the fallout of the Los Angels Lakers' failed season, and much, much more.

Donut 1: Luka Doncic MRI Results

Doncic underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his calf injury, and the results confirmed a strain. He has yet to be ruled out for Game 1 of the series, but again, uncertainty remains for now.

Donut 2: Walking Boot Uproar

While many were waiting for a more concrete update about Luka Doncic's injury status on Monday, he was seen walking with a boot on his way to his MRI.

I'm looking at this #LukaDoncic photo and ... he's not the only one grimacing. :( MRI results to come ... lock in to https://t.co/NVriu87nsW #MAVS #MFFL https://t.co/72IPKO0eRV
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) April 11, 2022

Donut 3: Can Dallas Still Win Without Doncic?

The Dallas Mavericks finished out the regular season on Sunday night with a 52-30 record and a sweep of the San Antonio Spurs – something they hadn't previously done in franchise history. Although Dallas wasn't able to overtake the Golden State Warriors for the third seed in the Western Conference, the team will still host a first-round series against the Utah Jazz. This is the first time the Mavs have hosted a playoff series since 2011.

The biggest question, though, is whether or not superstar Luka Doncic will be able to participate in the series opener, which is set for Saturday at 12 p.m. CT. During the third quarter of the Mavs' 130-120 win over the Spurs, Doncic strained his left calf and had to leave for the rest of the game. He finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists in under 30 minutes of action.

Donut 4: ESPN Ranks Doncic No. 1 on Top 25 Under 25

When ranking the top 25 players under the age of 25 in the NBA, ESPN ranked Luka Doncic atop the list. He held the No. 1 spot on last year's list, but among the major chances was Jayson Tatum – jumping from No. 5 to No. 2. The rest of the top five is rounded out by Ja Morant, Trae Young, and LaMelo Ball.

"For the third consecutive year, Doncic tops our list, albeit not unanimously this time around. At 23, Luka still has another season of eligibility here before aging out. He has taken another step in his precocious development during Year 4 in the NBA, leading the Mavericks to 50-plus wins for the first time since 2014-15 behind a career-high 37% usage rate."

Donut 5: Doncic Named Final West Player of Week

The NBA announced the recipients of the final Player of the Week award (April 4-11) for the Eastern and Western Conferences: Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks along with Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Donut 6: Should Mavericks Pursue Nurkic?

After the Kristaps Porzingis trade, the Dallas Mavericks found themselves with a hole in the middle of their lineup. Getting a new upgrade at starting center should be one of the top goals for Dallas in free agency, despite the amazing season that Dwight Powell is having alongside superstar Luka Doncic.

Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic could be a good (and potentially affordable) option for the Mavs because of his size and rebounding. The center averaged 15 points and a career-high 11.1 rebounds in 56 appearances this season.

Donut 7: Lakers Fire Frank Vogel; Russell Westbrook Takes Jab

The Los Angeles Lakers were widely expected to fire Vogel after their disappointing season. They officially made the move on Monday by parting ways with him. However, it was not free from controversy as reporting of the move surfaced before he even left the court for the team's final game.

After his exit interview on Monday, Westbrook didn't hold back when talking about what went wrong for him playing under Vogel.

“I think it’s unfortunate, to be honest, because I’ve never had an issue with any of my coaches before,” Westbrook said. “I’m not sure what his issue was with me or I’m not sure why, but I can’t really give you an answer to why we really never connected.”

Donut 8: Westbrook Unsure About Future

Westbrook faces a $47.1 million player option this offseason that he's widely expected to exercise. He's set to be the third-highest-paid player in the NBA next season — trailing only Stephen Curry and John Wall.

"I mean, obviously it's going to be a lot of different changes based on who the coach is and how our style of play and what we play like," he said. "So, that question is kind of up in the air. But once that decision is made then we'll kind of go from there."

Donut 9: NBA Play-In Tournament to Begin

With two matchups scheduled for Tuesday, the NBA play-in tournament is set to begin. It will be the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets facing off first followed by the LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

There's been a lot of intrigue surrounding how the Nets, in particular, will react in a single-elimination environment. With two dynamic scorers in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they are expected to put on a show against a struggling Cavs team.

Donut 10: Ben Simmons Return Not Ruled Out

Ben Simmons has yet to appear in a single game for the Brooklyn Nets. Despite that, they are not afraid to work through the process of bringing him back even though it's already the playoffs. This is the most optimistic injury update surrounding his status after a previously bleak outlook.

"Another challenge, but one that we'd welcome, clearly," Nets coach Steve Nash said on Monday. "So we'll see -- if he's able to play at some point it would be great to incorporate him and to try and learn as we go and see how he can help our team without having much history, or any history, with our group."

Donut 11: Quin Snyder Less Interested in Lakers Job

The Lakers have had their eyes on a variety of different intriguing coaching candidates ahead of firing Vogel. One of the more frequently mentioned options has been Jazz coach Quin Snyder. After the way the Lakers handed the Vogel firing, LA Times' Broderick Turner is reporting Snyder is less interested in the opportunity.

"Not only is Snyder under contract with the Jazz for at least one more season, people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said he has become less interested in the Lakers’ job because of how the Vogel firing was handled."

Donut 12: Warriors Would Have Interest in Rudy Gobert

With pressure mounting for the Jazz, there's been speculation about where their star players could play next if there was an opportunity for a trade. One NBA executive recommends the Golden State Warriors make a move.

“If Rudy Gobert becomes available this summer, I think you’d find a lot of those veterans with the Warriors might want the team to make a run at him.”

There will be no shortage of interested potential suitors for Gobert if the Jazz were to decide it's time to break things up. The Mavericks have been among the teams thought of as a potential suitor linked in recent reports.

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