Although not directed to me, I'll take a stab. I personally don't like Cuban's image or personality, but I think he makes a good owner. He publicly goes out of his way to defend his players and his team. He really cares about his team winning and even though a lot of it might come out as ego, it's really the passion that the Mavs fans appreciate in him. And as for ownership moves. That's about the GM to me. A good owner is someone who doesn't inhibit GMs from making basketball moves due to non-basketball reasons. The only cost-saving move Cuban has done in recent memory was the Finley cut, but then they had ample talent to replace him and make the NBA finals the following year. Cuban doesn't mind going into Luxury Tax land if he believes he can win. He has not done anything like Sarver or Shin (make terrible basketball moves purely for money). And while this is probably a combined Cuban/GM (Nelson and Nelson Jr.) thing, but I do give him credit for buying low and selling high (up until the Kidd trade). They kept adding more talent without regard to costs. I don't have all the facts in front of me and I'm not a Mavs fan so my I suggest a Mavs fan would be better suited to dealing with the specifics. But I do think Cuban has acquired players like Antoine Walker and then kept upgrading to like Jamison and then...I'm just not 100% sure of the history of it, but I do recall always having the feeling that he kept buying low/mid and selling high while accumulating costlier contracts as business costs of acquiring more talent.
I watched the game 7, 40 point playoff loss to the Mavs in Dallas with my brother and 2 sons and a high school chum (Johnny) of their's who lives in Dallas and is a devout Mavs and Cuban fan. Now when Johnny was chumming with my boys in high school; I loved, trusted and respected him. However, that night I reeeeeaaaaly wanted to shoot his a$$, because he was spouting the good things Cuban had done for the Mavs and the community. I can't remember details, but I guess the Mav inferstructure was a joke before Cuban got there. Cuban has poured money into the franchise and community and become a players owner. I can't stand his sideline antics,but the Mavs fans view it as visual team support from the owner and love it. Johnny helped me to understand Cuban a little more, but I still hate him & his team!!!!!!
You obviously didn't read the article. Stackhouse can be bought out for $2 mil, which would save about $5 million. Josh Howard has a one year deal with a team option and Dampier didn't reach the incentives that would guarantee his contract past one year. The Hornets would still have to pay most of the guys they acquire for one year, but they would save about $100 million in salaries and luxary tax over the lives of the contracts.
