Pretty funny stuff. Check it out. Mark Cuban gets thrown through a table by the WWE’s Seamus O’Shaunessy.
Listening to 103.3FM ESPN this morning, the ESPN SportsCenter update tells us that Mark Cuban has officially said that the Mavericks will NOT be pursuing Kobe Bryant any further. According to ESPN, Cuban said “The price is too high.” One can only assume that Cuban’s referring to the number and quality of players the Mavericks would have to part with in order to gain the superstar.
Sadly, this means that no national media attention will be focused on the Mavericks until the end of regular season play. Yet another disappointment, after the Dallas Cowboys lost to New England a few weeks ago and thus the national hype over the team died down to a dull murmur.
In a normal year, I would be satisfied with the Mavs’ stellar talent and offseason acquisitions (Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones, Brandon Bass, etc). But this year is unique in that Kobe Bryant, the famous and infamous, wants out of Los Angeles. Any other year, I’d be satisfied with what we have. But the grass is ALWAYS greener, and Kobe looks pretty good to a team that folded in the playoffs two years in a row.
Could Mark Cuban’s statement be a ploy to see how Jerry Buss might adjust his demands? Anything’s possible. But likely? Not even close. The Mavs do like the team they’ve assembled, and they’d have to get a good deal on Kobe to switch it up during the season.
So grieve the loss if you must, as I will, and get ready to watch the season with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. On the bright side of things, the Mavs do look stronger than they have the last two season openers. This is a team with a deep bench, and some serious improvements are expected from Devin Harris, Josh Howard, and Gana Diop.
Take your time dealing with disappointment. Kobe would have been fun. Someone should write a song about the trade falling through and send it in to Randy (Galloway on ESPN radio). He does love him some sports ballad!
The Mavericks front office is an intriguing one, starting with owner Mark Cuban, who is probably one of the best owners in professional sports. At times, he can be annoying with his slighted remarks and condescending attitude, along with his desperate need for stardom and media attention. I heard a rumor on the radio today that he might be on the hit reality show, Dancing with the Stars. I am going to watch and set the DVR so that when I have a bad day, I can turn it on and laugh my ass off.
And the there is Donnie Nelson – general manager and son of the great Nellie. What makes this all so interesting especially this year is the “six degrees of separation.” First, there is the whole Nellie suing Cuban issue over some kind of deferred money, and then Cuban suing Nellie for utilizing “inside information” in the Golden State play off series.
Now this should be Cubans dilemma: the players and coaching staff should start evaluating their careers and reputation. I wonder if Donnie was chuckling just a little bit inside, watching that series? Although I don’t think there is any validity to the frivolous accusations of “inside information,” I am not a multi-billionaire “blogmaverick,” but common sense tells me that if a coach drafted and mentored a certain key player and then coached him throughout the first half of his career, he is going to know a few soft spots. Not to mention Nellie brought in and mentored Avery. Then there is Donnie and the obvious connection there.
Nellie knows the type of players Donnie is going to draft, scout, trade for, etc. It’s an obvious advantage, but it works the other way, too. And Del Harris is gone now – is this a good thing? Yes it is. There is going to be an inevitable sense of loyalty with most of these guys – some deeper than others.
Do you really believe Del is going to retire for good? He will probably end up on the Golden State bench, but definitely not back with the Mavs. Maybe he will pursue a head coaching position if one opens up. Though Donnie says there is not any thing weird about the whole Nelly / Cuban feud, that’s just a typical business stance, isn’t it? Or does business really override the father / son loyalty card?
Is it really not a source of contention? I bet it is. I like the Nelsons and Del Harris and what they have done for Dallas basketball. The connections between the coaches and GMs is obvious. Poppovich served as an assistant with Nellie in Golden State and then went on to the Spurs, where Avery played for Pop and then later Nellie. Donnie was in the mix the whole time.
I think it’s time for new management to start fresh. Aside from Avery, I think all the other Nelly connections should go. Since Del is gone, that would include Donnie and any of the other assistants remaining from the Nellie era. Why? Why not?
The team has had a drastic change in persona, now that it is led by the hard-nosed Johnson. Why not capitalize off the hard nose concept starting at the top? Why not sever ties that could be detrimental to the growth and decisions of this Mavericks team?
Even if there isn’t contention between Donnie and Mark, why not overhaul it and eliminate any potential suspicion and misguided direction? It’s essentially the same concept and identity with Nelly and Donnie.
They have already brought in Paul Westphal, which is a good move. They should bring in a different defensive minded assistant, like Scottie Pippen. They should try to woo an ex-NBA point guard star to help with the development of Devin Harris. What about the idea of Mark Price or Kevin Johnson?
Maybe another ex-NBA center like Ewing. He might be available, now that Van Gundy is out of the picture in Houston. Ewing could coach Diop and Damp. Speaking of Van Gundy, he might be a good fit for the general manager role. How about Larry Brown as GM? All of these might seem far fetched, but Mark’s got the money. He could make it happen.
103.3FM ESPN Radio hosts discussed yesterday the great debate: who is our favorite DFW pro sports team owner? Tom Hicks is automatically disqualified for putting such a pathetic Rangers team out on the field year after year after year. The Stars won the Stanley Cup once upon a time. Big deal. At least they love him in Liverpool. Good for him.
But here in Dallas, Hicks is one of those people you love to ignore. Maybe that’s giving him too much credit. He’s just irrelevant to Dallas sports.
Which leaves the twin giants: Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones. Cuban gets credit for building one of the best teams in the NBA and a model franchise for other teams to emulate. He is widely celebrated for his fan-like attitude and love for the game. He treats his players and coaches well and isn’t stingy with the pocket book.
Jerry Jones gets credit for building the new Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington. This monolith will definitely set the bar for future stadiums. He also got the Super Bowl for 2011. With Tony Romo as a promising new quarterback and fresh blood in at the head coaching spot, everyone has every reason to be pro Jerry.
The downside to both owners is that they are too involved. Jerry is both owner and GM of the Cowboys. He has a reputation for being the man who chased the great Jimmy Johnson out of town, thus issuing in the decade of despair. Cuban sits on the sidelines, joins team huddles, and gets fined for arguing with the referees. His antics were arguably involved in the Mavericks’ championship loss to the Miami Heat in 2006.
As recently as March or April of 2006, Mark Cuban would have been a shoe-in for favorite DFW owner. The Mavericks were on a run for the title, and the Mavericks were the best ticket in town. Oh, how the winds have changed.
We haven’t given up on the Mavericks, per se. We’re just disillusioned by two horrible endings two years in a row. We have hope, but the expectation is lost.
Jerry’s Cowboys, on the other hand, are on the rise. They may not be championship material this year, but they’re awfully close. We could be cheering another Super Bowl victory in Dallas as soon as 2009.
Of course, everything falls apart if Romo doesn’t live up to expectations. But if he’s as good as we saw last year, we’re in for a treat. Jones needs to bite the bullet and give Romo a better contract w/signing bonus so he can lead the Cowboys without a chip on his shoulder. There’s nothing like an underpaid, undervalued, underappreciated employee.
With a disappointingly uneventful off-season thus far for the Mavericks, it’s doubtful whether Cuban has a shot at regaining the title of Owner Supreme any time soon.
Time will tell.