May 25, 2006

CUBAN’S IGNORANCE, ARROGANCE MAY AFFECT MAVS PLAYOFF HOPES

      When does a deep pocketed and influential owner who is prone to fits of pique and cannot contain his childlike enthusiasm begin to become a major distraction to his professional sports club?  That is the question followers and fans of the Dallas Mavericks have to ask about the publicity seeking and attention craving Mark Cuban.  The Mavericks cannot attain any form of success without Cuban’s insipid mug splattered across every television screen.  The team also cannot endure any loss without having to deal with the antics of its official berating owner analyzing each moment of the game as if he were a teenager grieving over a romantic rejection only to hypothesize and pontificate over the result in his daily self-important cyber communiqué.  In reality the question is—can Cuban’s team win in spite of him? 

      Each game begins with the blatant and overwhelming knowledge that Cuban has hired several former NBA officials to monitor game telecasts and report to him any misdeeds or misgivings committed by the game officials.  Now ask yourself this question—how unbiased can a human being be knowing that one of the competitors in that game he officiates will report back to the league any and all issues he views as being unfavourable to his team?  And ask yourself how quick it would be to make any close call an unfavourable one for that owner’s team?  The present day NBA officials consider the former officials bought by Cuban as traitors and mercenaries.  Is it surprising at all that when Cuban’s childlike temper blows up and he publicly disparages any portion of the NBA and its officials that the league seeks retribution and slams Cuban with a monstrous and seemingly outrageous fine?  Think about those reasons when Commissioner Stern fines Cuban $200,000 for comments against league officials.

       When he first burst onto the NBA scene Cuban was classified as colorful, engaging and good for the league.  He spent money to improve his team, he spent money to ensure that the players on his team were taken care of, and he spent money to market his team.  His temper tantrums against league officials were also considered good for the league since game officials were usually a step behind the fast paced action of the NBA game.  The results were positive—game officials are now judged by their actions and their decisions on the court by their bosses at head office, and it is not uncommon for an official to be criticized and or fined (certainly in private) for errors committed on the court.  One official, Leroy Richardson, was suspended for three games a couple of seasons back for making the wrong call at the end of a particular basketball game.  That suspension however reeked of political arm-twisting as one of the more powerful and influential franchises in the league, the Lakers, were the victims (re…they lost the game) of that call.  Perhaps none of this would have come to fruition without someone like Cuban’s constant carping.

       So, how do basketball fans react when they find out that after game one of the Western Conference Finals Cuban immediately goes to the tape and views the last few game changing seconds.  And how do fans and league officials react when Cuban discovers the tape reveals that instead of having .5 seconds of play after Boris Diaw’s winning basket, the clock should show .8 seconds and he proceeds to tell the world of his findings, as if it made a world of difference in the outcome.  When does the “boy who cried wolf” scenario begin to engulf him?

       Whenever national media outlets want information from the Mavericks—insights into the team and its daily functions—the reporters rarely go to the players and coaches.  They know that those close to the game are going to be reticent about revealing any information that might give their opponent an upper hand, and they are loathe to pass out any interesting tidbit that might be taken out of context by the league and its officials.  Instead, the media seek out the publicity seeking Maverick owner knowing full well that there isn’t any kind of on/off switch between Cuban’s brain and Cuban’s mouth.  What goes into Cuban’s brain comes out of Cuban’s mouth.  Maverick players and coaches can always slough off those comments when confronted by opponents simply by saying “that’s Mark.”   Most team and league officials also know enough to dispense with his comments with a simple “that’s Mark.”  Of course, if the comments are inflammatory in any way, shape, or form, then the NBA will quickly dish out a hefty fine. 

Cuban may not realize this—or maybe he does and just doesn’t care—but he is indirectly paying the salaries, through his fines, for those officials he constantly berates.

       As Dallas progresses through the playoffs Cuban will become more of a part of the daily influx of information generated by each series the team is involved.  Whether, the information and opinion divulged by the colorful owner assists or detracts from his team’s chances in his world is irrelevant.  The most important part is that he will be part of the story, whatever the result.  The Mavericks don’t belong to Dallas—they belong to Mark.