I used to like Mark Cuban once upon a time. He always spoke too much and got too much credit for the Mavs turnaround though Nelly pretty much put the core of that roster together. I was still OK with it because, after all, Cubes scratched the check for all those players and also probably had something to do with acquiring the role players who came aboard that roster later. But he really pissed me off during the NBA finals when he appeared on the Letterman show. Not sure if he was trying to be funny or what, but bascially said some stupid things about Steve Nash. Cuban likes to project himself as a great owner and employer. You don't become a great employer by just giving your players flat-screen TVs and bigger towels. You need to treat them with respect and be genuinely thankful for their efforts even when they move on with their lives and stop working for you. Especially someone like Nash who gave it all for the Mavs and was a major part of the turnaround in Dallas. On top of that, Nash is probably the classiest employee Cuban will ever have and his work in the Dallas community is still having a huge impact. For Cuban to call him out is plain dumb. Cuban seems to be the kind of owner who might trash Nowitzki when he retires or dump raw sewage on Josh Howard if and when he gets traded to another team and moves on from the Mavs. Thats not a good owner. In fact, if such behavior continues, Cuban might end up as one of the worst owners in professional sports. It's about time Mark Cuban shuts up. Thanks for making the Suns-Mavs rivarly even bigger. Time for Amare to come back in 06/07 and crush the Mavs and it's silly, juvenile, over-rated owner.
Here's an article from Dan Bickley echoing my sentiments.
Race for title is crass vs. class
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 24, 2006 12:00 AM
Now that Shaquille O'Neal has beaten Kobe Bryant back to the podium, the best race in basketball is in our own backyard.
It's Steve Nash vs. Mark Cuban, MVP against billionaire beastie boy, first one to the trophy wins.
And if there's any justice in the world . . .
After two games of the NBA Finals, Cuban was suddenly being mentioned among the best owners in sports.
His two controversial personnel moves - taking flyers on Nash and Michael Finley in successive off-seasons - were about to be validated with a NBA championship.
Long-suffering baseball fans in Chicago began e-mailing Cuban's very public account, pleading with him to purchase the Cubs. He was so hot that David Letterman, a fellow Hoosier, wanted him on the show.
And during that June 14 appearance on The Late Show, Cuban took a senseless, needless shot at Nash, a point guard who had worked very hard for his money.
Anyway, Cuban's comments were so outrageously offensive that . . .
Tilt. With great hubris, he went and tipped the scales of karma.
"Steve's a great guy, and I love him to death," Cuban told Letterman. "But why couldn't he play like an MVP for us? All's well that ends well, Jason Terry took his place and, hey, look where we are. And (Nash) is home watching."
Why couldn't he play like an MVP for us?
That's right from the Ozzie Guillen School of Sensitivity.
After that, the Mavericks would lose the next three games and the NBA Finals. Cuban's obsession with the officiating made him look silly and certainly hurt his and his team's image, if not the overall focus.
Now, Cuban is the guy at home watching, wondering whether his best shot at redemption went up in smoke.
After all, next season, we get to watch Amaré Stoudemire dunking on Erick Dampier all over again.
Cuban and Nash are both self-made men, both prefer wearing jeans to work and both rank among the great success stories in sports.
But after that, the differences are enormous.
While Nash is understated, Cuban's personal publicity campaign - a genius bit of self-branding dressed up in a martyr-like crusade against NBA officials - well, it makes Robert Sarver look like Dan Rooney.
Cuban has his own blog, where he exposes himself and defends himself in front of the world. Nash has great stories, but you have to search for them.
Like last weekend, when I accidentally discovered how Nash developed his ball-handling skills in college by dribbling tennis balls through campus at Santa Clara.
Tennis balls. Then he would often conclude interviews with San Jose Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy by asking a few questions of his own.
"There were five to six interviews over his four years there, and every time, he'd ask me if I thought he could make it in the NBA," Purdy said. "He said he'd do anything they wanted three times."
That's true grit. And unlike with the opinionated Cuban, you rarely hear a disparaging word from Nash.
During the Western Conference finals Nash was asked about all this furious emotion in Dallas, and how brainwashed Mavericks/Cuban backers had suddenly turned on him and Finley.
"I don't know," Nash said. "Fickle is a sports fan."
It was almost profound, yet you had to strain to hear it.
When this great sprint of a race is settled, let's hope the guy holding the trophy is the guy who holds a big lead in class.
