JJ Redick's stern warning shows Mavericks, Kyrie Irving face ticking time bomb

Dallas Mavericks fans' weeks got off to an awful start on Sunday, as Kyrie Irving was ruled out for their Monday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies with a lumbar back sprain, and this came as a major shock to fans considering that Irving missed the previous game with an illness.

Fans were expecting him to make his return to the hardwood on Monday night against Memphis, and fans got an undesirable update when it comes to Irving's injury before the game. It was reported that Irving's back injury was a bulging disk and that he would miss one to two weeks to recover.

Irving going down made Dallas' injury situation even worse considering that Luka Doncic is already out with a calf strain, and they have now dropped five games in a row ahead of tonight's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Things aren't poised to get easier for the Mavericks any time soon considering that they are entering their toughest stretch of the season, and the role players are going to have to work hard for them to stay above water over the next few weeks until the superstars return.

Redick's warning on back injuries shows Mavs must be careful with Irving

Initially, it looked like Doncic's injury was going to be the most serious since his return timetable was set for one month and he was spotted using a scooter last weekend, but Irving's back injury could end up being serious as well. Regardless of the short predicted potential time until he returns, back injuries are no joke. Lakers head coach JJ Redick happens to know that better than anyone.

Redick played in the NBA for 15 years before becoming the coach of the Lakers, and he dealt with his fair share of back injuries, including a bulging disk. Redick was dealing with back problems before he was even drafted by the Orlando Magic, and these back problems persisted into the later days of his career. Redick talked about the difficulties of dealing with back injuries before the Lakers took on the Mavs on Tuesday night, and his answer revealed the scary nature of this type of injury.

"It kinda limits your entire body," Redick said of back injuries. "When it kinda goes, it’s hard to get out of bed, much less try go try to compete in a basketball game. So that’s where sometimes you can play through things, cause it’s pain tolerance, and other times you just have no movement and you can’t play."

The first part of Redick's statement should frighten some Mavericks fans, as back injuries are more serious than anyone realizes. They limit any and all movement, and they aren't the type of injury that you should rush back from. Irving likely will need some time away and won't be able to get in much on-court work at first, and rest may be the recipe for him to begin the healing process on the right note.

Irving likely won't return until he is at 100 percent, and Dallas can't risk him getting reinjured. Dallas' depth is already paper-thin, and Irving rushing back from this injury and getting hurt again could be the type of thing that ends their season. These injuries are unpredictable, and any type of slight tweak can start the recovery process over.

In order for the Mavericks to return to the NBA Finals again, they are going to need both Doncic and Irving healthy. This team will go as far as they go, and as soon as they return from these injuries, Mavericks fans will be able to gauge exactly where this team is at and how deep of a run they can make once the playoffs hit.

Dallas has shown that they are a top team in te NBA when they're fully healthy, but that has been a struggle all season long. The Mavericks have a shot at snapping out of their five-game losing streak against the Lakers tonight, and Mavs fans better hope that Irving's experience with his back injury isn't anything like Redick had to go through.