Mark Cuban is a great businessman. Great owner. Enthusiastic fan. Interesting personality, with generally good insights into the world of business. But what really bothers me about him is that he has no business being in the basketball spotlight. It irritates me that when I see ads for the Finals, I see Nowitski, Shaq, Wade, Riley, and Avery Johnson - and then Cuban. Everybody except Cuban are recognized for their talents in the game of basketball- whether it be through coaching or playing (and both Riley and Avery were decent players in their time). I don't care about individuals receiving publicity for what they do well- for their area of expertise- for their talent- but why the hell do we have to see or read about Cuban in the sports pages? It's like: Eddie Murphy singing "Party All The Time" Shaquille O'Neal in "Kazaam" Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover of Cosmopolitan (as opposed to a model) That's the main reason I want to see Dallas lose- because if they win, the camera won't be on Dirk, or Howard, or Terry, or even Avery (all of whom I could at least tolerate because their fame is due to their talent in the sport of basketball)- it will be on Cuban because America wants to glorify the role of the idiot. Sad.
I agree, I cant stand seeing him in all these playoff commercials and the consistent whining about the refs every time it gets to be somewhat aggresive. He has basically bought the league and has the refs all jumpy and brownnosing every time they are in Dallas.
he's an attention w****. oh well. the maloofs are also owners that get a lot of facetime.. why? because cuban and the maloofs are almost the ONLY sports franchise owners in america who arent stuff old white guys with about as much personality as a doorknob.
I don't like the fact that he stands in on the huddles, why? Patrick Ewing doesn't even sit in on our huddles He needs to take his seat and let the players play......but its his money and he can do what he wants. No one will question him.
While I agree with some of your points, I have to disagree that he doesn't deserve at least some of the media attention. Before he came along, the Mavs were a joke in the NBA. Their success can be attributed to one person: Mark Cuban. All the players who are in the position to win this championship are there because of him. Without his efforts to rejuvinate this franchise, they'd still be in the cellar with the Hawks. I think that deserves some credit and attention. Maybe he gets too much, but that's really as much the doing of the media as it is Cuban. Interesting owners make for a profitable league and increased viwership (Don't believe it? Ask Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner).
He probably likes the attention. But. How was Dallas before he came along? How happy were dallas players? Their fans? How recognizable was the franchise as a whole? Cuban doesn't do anything on the court, but he's played a big role in bringing the Mavericks to the point they are now at. Not too mention he is a personality and good for a sound byte now and then. If they win (which I hope they don't), the attention will not be on Cuban and no one else. But he will be a part of it. Somehow, I don't think Dallas fans will mind much.
You're right- as a "personality," he's going to get media attention. I guess I just have a problem with people who are associated with fields that should not be their "claim to fame"- guy has no business whatsoever being involved in team huddles. Oh, well, I sound like an old fart- I don't mind Steinbrenner or Jerry Jones because I just don't care about those sports as much as basketball. At least the Maloofs somewhat keep their distance.
I admit Cuban can be irritating, but he's also a huge reason for the Mavs success. The guy has created an amazing environment for his players. No other owner goes to the lengths he does to make sure his team has only to worry about playing basketball. He's a huge reason as to why the Mavs have been so successful in recent years.
i'll take a owner like cuban any day of the week as the rockets' owner, along with all the things irritate fans (you and me), official, and stern. lets face it, there is no mav's success without cuban.
have you ever watched a maloof brother being interviewed? i'd say they have maybe slightly more personality than a doorknob. it's extremely uncomfortable watching those guys in an interview. something about those guys is strange as hell to me. ironically, they did offer up one of the greater quotes i've heard...when their dad was owner of the rockets, he was on his death bed and the rockets had played a game that night....his final, dying words (no joke): "How many did Moses score tonight?"
I wish I was Cuban. He has every fan's dream job. He acts like a kid who happens to access to everything Mavericks Basketball. He is a true fan of the game which is why he is so outspoken. He is like a member of the bbs who happens to own the team he roots for. If I owned the rockets, I would be exactly like him.
Cuban had the money to spend and he did- the credit goes to him. The kind of contracts he took on were insane- that is what happens if you have a billionaire- you write off these things as expenses. He Bought the team for about 230 Million - and even if he "lost" 100 million for all the extravaganza - the team will be worth close to 400 million if he sells- that is not a bad deal. I really feel it silly when the TV cameras pan on the Personalization of the locker rooms with DVD players, Video games etc - think about it for a minute my 8 year old nephew has the same stuff!!!!!! Most of these guys are making in the millions- and to say that these things somehow make them feel excited to go to Dallas- is just plain silly. People like Mark buy teams not because of anything else but the visibility it gives them. That is how they make themselves known for deals to drop into their laps. And to think that broadcast.com would have made him all this money- is just so insane and unreal. But you have to give it to him- he has changed the way the "old Guard" works- infact I want it to be mandatory that A Owner needs to be a Sports Fan first and should have the passion- not a 70 year old who is using that as a part of estate planning. We need more Dan Snyder's and Mark Cuban's! Yes it is annoying when he gets interviewed on strategy etc- but heck it is his business.
It's ok for him to be visible but not to the extect where he sort of *bribes* the refs in some way... that's not acceptable. there's something going on there...
yeah, I always thought what's the big deal about plasma screen tvs in the locker room. all nba players can afford that crap no problem.
he knows a lot about basketball too. thx to cuban, mavs got terry, harris, howard and bunch of other good guys. look at our owner, all we got were scrubs.
It wasn't his idea. He just signs the checks. So he's a risk taker...doesn't mean he *knows* basketball. We're talking about the guy who thinks his team ALWAYS gets fouled and then shuts up when his team gets away with so many calls. If you're going to argue that the refs are fair in the league, don't make it THAT one-sided.
