Cuban interview on Radio

[uberfan]

Cuban just said that Zo through his agent had committed to the Mavs, so they had no back up plan. They told Malone and others that they had spent their MLE.

When Zo and his agent called, he thought they were calling to talk about doing a S&T for Kidd. If Zo had told them earlier, then there were others they would have targeted (who are apparently no longer available) to split the MLE with.

He was floored when he was told Zo going to NJ.

Horry and Pippen--only if they would take the 1.5 or vet minimum short term. Only want older players under those terms.

Raef--doesn't regret signing him to the deal, beleives he will improve since he is only 26, and he is in the gym working out now. Cuban was disappointed in Raef last season, however.

More info-- Counting on Josh Howard. Likes Marquis Daniels and Josh Powell from the summer squad, looking for young guys they can develop.

Still looking at FAs, but nothing emminent.

[Evilmav2]

So... Mourning is a liar and a deal-breaker...

[cookies_n_mavs]

Mourning has proven himself to be a wiener.

But Mark shouldn't have counted his chickens before they was hatched..

[Chiwas]

- Thanks Dallas didn't get a liar.
- No Horry and Pippen.
- No Raef trade. That may mean, not trades for the other 7 cores.
- With Howard, Daniels and Powell, not Griff and Walt.


Edit: Let's count. 11 current with Howard. Plus Daniels and Powell, 13 players. Plus Raja, one free spot. I don't think Powell could play better than Walt, but Cuban said he wants young players. Then it had to come other instead of Griff, and Powell has to play better in summer games.

Maybe another new addition for the bench, and that's it.

[Tony tha Mavs fan]

This clears up alot of things , i don't blame Cubes so much anymore. Can't believe ZO would do that, screwed the Mavs in the process. Horry and Pippen would be good moves IMO.

[TripleDipping]

So... we're in quasi-rebuilding mode?
Sigh.

[Blonde Bomber]

I still put all of this on Cuban. What the hell is Cuban taking the word of Zo's agent and going out and telling other propective free-agents that they have allready spent there MLE?

You don't go by an agents word and then burn all your bridges with other players...ie Karl Malone..

All the other verbal agreements on contracts somehow got out to the media and hmmmm..some how this didn't get out.

I see it as Cuban trying to cover his a$$ because he screwed up on Malone. I'm not buying it.

[Rhylan]

Doesn't surprise me. I halfway assumed that was the scenario. That a guy as savvy as Cuban doesn't know well enough to hedge his bets amazes me.

[one long blue sock]

Originally posted by: Chiwas
- Thanks Dallas didn't get a liar.
- No Horry and Pippen.
- No Raef trade. That may mean, not trades for the other 7 cores.
- With Howard, Daniels and Powell, not Griff and Walt.


Edit: Let's count. 11 current with Howard. Plus Daniels and Powell, 13 players. Plus Raja, one free spot. I don't think Powell could play better than Walt, but Cuban said he wants young players. Then it had to come other instead of Griff, and Powell has to play better in summer games.

Maybe another new addition for the bench, and that's it.

Yes this is the source to fix all are troubles, a rookie, and 2 summer league players.

Pippen would have been a really good deal for 1 or 2 years while Howard would develop.

And i wouldn't say that there wont be a Raef trade.

[OutletPass]

I heard the interview this morning and I have to say that I agree with BB...really sounded like Cuban was trying to put on the "best face" by putting the whole thing off on Zo. I'm not totally on board with Cuban's story.

Having said that, I'm damn happy it fell through. From day one, I've said that he's too much of a medical risk and I'll stand by that. 4 years guaranteed...no way in hell do I do that with Zo. It was a foolish undertaking right from the jump. As Doc said, this deal is going to haunt NJ.

[one long blue sock]

Buti think Kidd would be worth it, he plays right into the Mavs style, besides the fact he can't shoot.
And Dirk would probably get alot more points from just Kidd.
And whoever wouldn't get traded would probably increase in points, Kidd does that to you.

[madape]

Going after the lying scoundrel Alonzo Mourning was the worst GM decision in the history of the Mavericks franchise.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally posted by: madape
Going after the lying scoundrel Alonzo Mourning was the worst GM decision in the history of the Mavericks franchise.

Shock value? You think that was worse than trading away Jason Kidd?

[superheadcat]

this just enhances my doubts for their decision of pursuing zo in the first place.

[Dooby]

Regarding Raef trade: Everyone at the Ticket is obsessed with Raef's contract. They seem to think it is the source of all our problems, although Bob and Dan seem to have realized it is not Bradley's fault, so that is progress. So they took that position and asked about trading Raef, and Cuban backed up his guy and his decision. I have no doubt Cuban is willing to trade Raef for the right deal.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: madape
Going after the lying scoundrel Alonzo Mourning was the worst GM decision in the history of the Mavericks franchise.

Mavs have a GM? I wasn't aware of that.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Originally posted by: madape
Going after the lying scoundrel Alonzo Mourning was the worst GM decision in the history of the Mavericks franchise.

How about drafting Leon Smith, that has to rank up there.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: Mavs_fun_fan

How about drafting Leon Smith, that has to rank up there.

Absolutely!

[MavKikiNYC]

Originally posted by: Drbio

Absolutely!

Quinn Buckner.

[madape]

Yes. The worst in Maverick history. Much worse than the unprotected #1 pick for Eric Montross. Much worse than the selection of Jim Farmer. Every terrible Maverick draft choice, every trade, every free agent signing... they all pale in comparison to this.

[MavKikiNYC]

Raef--doesn't regret signing him to the deal, beleives he will improve since he is only 26, and he is in the gym working out now. Cuban was disappointed in Raef last season, however

Raef is like Cuban and Nellie's bastard red-headed, left-handed love-child, conceived in a moment of trading passion, forever a mark of shame.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

Raef is like Cuban and Nellie's bastard love-child, conceived in a moment of trading passion, forever a mark of shame.

hehehe,like the metaphor.

well,Raef spent more time in nellies dog house,than playing real basketball,so i doubt they love him that much.
they both recognize the skills,but aren't willing to wait forever to see if he uses them properly.
like ape said,if the shoe feets....

[Drbio]

I'm telling you...it will be sooner than later that NJ will rue the day they signed Zo and his broken down kidneys to a three year deal. I truly think that Zo did the Mavs a huge favor.

[MavKikiNYC]

Originally posted by: Drbio
I'm telling you...it will be sooner than later that NJ will rue the day they signed Zo and his broken down kidneys to a three year deal. I truly think that Zo did the Mavs a huge favor.

Taking Zo to keep Kidd is not as bad a deal for Jersey as it might've been for the Mavericks. The Nets bascially paid $119M to keep Kidd, when to've done otherwise would've resulted in a MAJOR dropoff in the franchise's prospects.

If the Nets get ANYTHING out of Zo, it's gravy. But they HAD to keep Kidd.

I agree that I'm not at all sorry that Mourning didn't come to the Mavericks. If, however, he were a tag-along in a deal to sign Kidd, I wouldn't have thought twice about doing it. My regret is that the Mavs wasted time pursuing Mourning at all, at the cost of better opportunities.

[one long blue sock]

Is keeping Kidd important enough to drag along Zo...

I mean he can't be that great of an influence in the locker room. And he favors players(Kittles, Zo) and it might hold the potential of Martin, Jefferson, and Collins.

Yeah alot of the players say he's a greast thing. But i don't think Martin will be too happy giving up touches to a favored Zo, ecspecially with his great playoff run.

Collins, after he did so well in the playoffs, will have to ride the bench this year.

I don't think the statement about Scott was too good either.

I'm just saying i think the Nets would have been alot better off doing a sign and trade with a team. Instead of a health case, and a player who has gotten traded only because of his attitude.

This move with Zo just holds their younger guys down, just like the Wizards and Michael Jordan.

[jayC]

Malone never wanted to play here. He doesn't fit. By adding malone you add two or three problems to this team. Just because he has the same body he had at age 40 doesn't mean that he isn't just a shell of his former self. This sounds like the emmit smith argument he can still play can't he well he has the same body.

He also went on to say that GP would have jumped at the chance to go with denver but they didn't want him. Don't believe everything that ford and the espn crew says geez. I don't want mourning, malone, or Kandiman. They all have huge risk tags too them. Besides I don't recall that malone shut down webber he didn't he played Vlade. The guy is one knee injury away from ending his career. Who wants a thug like malone.

[MFFL]

Cuban just said that Zo through his agent had committed to the Mavs, so they had no back up plan. They told Malone and others that they had spent their MLE.

I don't believe Cuban. If the Mavs were interested in Malone then they could have worked out a sign and trade for him and STILL had Zo. >I< thought that was the plan all along.

[foglemann]

mavs fun fan, all you have to do is not tell anyone. With Cubes shouting to the world all the time with what there going to do its hard to keep anything quiet and make moves such as offer people the same thing. Its stupid to say that you will lose all credibility with the players since that is what all the players are doing to us. Mourning, Rashard, Malone, and the cycle keeps going probably with Miller and others. We are like a lilly pad for all good players to reach land. Our ability to scout and figure out who we need to get is a joke. We went with the wrong guy again and just because Malone signed for less doesn't exactly mean he wouldn't come here for more. BUT when Cubes tells Malone he is our second option, what else is he going to think. LA knew what it was doing, why don't we.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

fogleman: if you offer player #1 a contract along with player #2 , player #1's agent goes on TV and says we're considering a Maverick contract offer. player #2's agent is watching and holds the same offer in his hand. this would be suicide. agents talk to each other, players talk to each other there is no way you could get away with that kind of strategy. while it's true that the players do basicly the same thing they have all the power because their signature is what makes the contract binding. if we were to start playing players against each other our status will return to the level it was 5 or 6 years ago. a team that wouldn't even be mentioned as a team to consider to play for. our team is at least considered now and after all the years of being the bottom dweller of the NBA that's an improvement. perhaps it's not changing as fast as most of us want, but it is improving. I'm just as frustrated as anyone about our lack of a dominant low post player, but those players are few and demand is great. and then you've got the glamour teams like the lakers who will always get good players because of their tradition. it's a tough problem, but losing the credibilty we are starting to receive will not get us there. we just have to be honest and deal with the players straight. the mavericks it seems have always had bad luck (all those years in the lottery and never the top pick. roy tarpley etc.). hopefully our luck will change, we just have to stay the course and hope eventually some big time free agents decide Dallas is the place they want to play. stranger things have happened.

edit: you suggest our error with malone was he thought he was our second option, what is different about offering several players the same contract? there isn't any it's basicly the same thing.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: Mavs_fun_fan
fogleman: if you offer player #1 a contract along with player #2 , player #1's agent goes on TV and says we're considering a Maverick contract offer. player #2's agent is watching and holds the same offer in his hand. this would be suicide. agents talk to each other, players talk to each other there is no way you could get away with that kind of strategy. while it's true that the players do basicly the same thing they have all the power because their signature is what makes the contract binding. if we were to start playing players against each other our status will return to the level it was 5 or 6 years ago. a team that wouldn't even be mentioned as a team to consider to play for. our team is at least considered now and after all the years of being the bottom dweller of the NBA that's an improvement. perhaps it's not changing as fast as most of us want, but it is improving. I'm just as frustrated as anyone about our lack of a dominant low post player, but those players are few and demand is great. and then you've got the glamour teams like the lakers who will always get good players because of their tradition. it's a tough problem, but losing the credibilty we are starting to receive will not get us there. we just have to be honest and deal with the players straight. the mavericks it seems have always had bad luck (all those years in the lottery and never the top pick. roy tarpley etc.). hopefully our luck will change, we just have to stay the course and hope eventually some big time free agents decide Dallas is the place they want to play. stranger things have happened.

edit: you suggest our error with malone was he thought he was our second option, what is different about offering several players the same contract? there isn't any it's basicly the same thing.

I think you are being a little naive when looking at the negotiating process. Yes, agents talk to each other, players talk to each other, and GMs talk to each other. Teams can ly out parameters to multiple agents as to what they are willing to do and for how long. Each parameter can be different for each player. True, every agent already knows which teams have cap room and which only have the MLE, etc. but they don't know what the Team is willing to do to make a deal work.

Forget the discussion about Kandi's attributes and whether or not he would have been a fit for the Mavs. Let's just his situation as an example.

GM calls Duffy and says, "We can do something like the MLE, we would consider going 6 years with an opt-out after 3, etc. If you can get Baylor and Sterling to agree to a S&T, we would be willing to go as high as $z by trading player x or players x & y.

Then, you pick up the phone and call another Agent for a player you want. You lay out the paramters you are willing to do for that player, and so on.

You have several things working at once, but you have officially tendered an offer to anyone.

Now, you call the Agent for the player you want most and say, "We have some interest from another player who wants to come here, where are we with you all at this point?"

Based upon that conversation, sugges that the Agent contac this player and get back to you ASAp because you need to return the other call. If the Agent for the guy you want says they will take the MLE as a fallback, but he wants to try the S&T, you tell him to get his client on for conference call with you and the coach and start talking about his role on the Team. You get the player to buy into being a part of the Team. At that point he wouldn't hurt to have Dirk and whoever call the player and start talking about playing together if it is someone you really want and Dirk and others want on the Team.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

uberfan: no I'm not being niave I understand how negotiations work. however what we were talking about is offering a player your after a contract, then in secret sending another player the same contract when you only have one contract to offer. there is nothing wrong with talking to several players and discussing perimeters. which BTW is what the mavericks were doing although they offered the MLE to only ZO and it's been said by many that malone took offense and signed with the lakers. I don't even think anything is wrong with offering a MLE to a couple of players as long as both players know about it. but chances are both players will be offended and both will walk. many here have expressed the opinion that we should have hedged our bets, yet in the same sentence say that malone didn't come here because he was our second choice. well since he is a PF and we really need a center he was, an how any type of secret offers would have helped our chances is simply beyond my comprehension. how the negotiations were handled look logical to me, however; the result where not what we had in mind. should we have offered the MLE to ZO and malone? I think the result would have been the same either way.....

[dude1394]

I'm also glad zo fell through. i think nj is going to catch it bad on this one.

I wanted Malone pretty bad.

However business is business. I cannot believe that these players/agents are so naive to think that an offer is somehow an iron-clad guarantee that the same offer isn't being laid out there. I also do not believe that cubes/nellie are nearly as ignorant as most of the folks on this board think.

Cubes has negotiated a LOT of deals that are more than 4.9 million, I would imagine they have told the folks they were interested in that they would give them the MLE. Those players then said ok, thanks for the interest, your on the top of the list.

Payton/Malone were heck-bent to go to la, nothing to do about that. Zo changed his mind, again nothing to do about that. Kandi seemed really strange as he probably could have gotten more money if he had waited more than a day for goodness sakes. He sounds like a nutcase and there is obviously a lot of teams that don't think he's worth having.

[MavsFanFinley]

I'm thrilled the Zo deal fell through as most of us were not on board with it in the first place. However, I don't like hearing they had no back up plan. Even if they had a committment, they should have had something in mind.

Raef can do nothing but improve. Surely, he can't have another up and down and disappointing season like the last year.

I'm most upbeat about the Mavs saying they will not offer anything more than the $1.5 to the older guys like Pippen and Horry. And that it must be short term.

Still, the Mavs are scrambling and covering up for another shit off season.

[seelenjaeger]

Fine, so Malone thought he would be our 2nd option and signed with LA after Gary Payton commited to them for the MLE ...

So basically Malone got angry about beeing the 2nd option, turned around to sign for another team telling him openly that he´s not option no.1 (why would Payton get the higher deal if not?) and chooses to become option 4???

As soon as Kupchak had Malone thinking about playing alongside Kobe, Shaq and Payton there was NO chance of him signing with the Mavs, no matter how much we courted him.

If all that you want is the ring, you CANNOT pass on that.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Originally posted by: seelenjaeger
Fine, so Malone thought he would be our 2nd option and signed with LA after Gary Payton commited to them for the MLE ...

So basically Malone got angry about beeing the 2nd option, turned around to sign for another team telling him openly that he´s not option no.1 (why would Payton get the higher deal if not?) and chooses to become option 4???

As soon as Kupchak had Malone thinking about playing alongside Kobe, Shaq and Payton there was NO chance of him signing with the Mavs, no matter how much we courted him.

If all that you want is the ring, you CANNOT pass on that.

I agree completely! what Dallas did was not even on the radar screen. malone wanted to go to LA and that's where he went. I just can't understand why some continue to say Cuban somehow mishandled malone. malone signed with the lakers because he thinks it was his best chance to get a ring, and since shaq plays in LA it in all honestly probably is his best chance. I just don't see what is so hard to understand.

[jacktruth]

1. I think if Malone really wanted to come to Dallas but was upset at being the second option, it just underlines what a whiney-ass he is and reminds me of why I hated watching UTAH for all those years.

2. It won't matter if Mourning signed with NJ because they are all barbie dolls to Shaq. LA will win the West this year. The odds of mourning staying healthy all year not great.

3. I don't think it is Cuban's ignorance, it is his inexperience and his pride in thinking he can do anything (which I guess really does amount to ignorance, so scratch that).

4. I honestly hope this forces the mavs to package NVE for a real rebounder and hire this M. Daniels kid. We really could use a new face on this team and get younger.

Just some thoughts.

[Murphy3]

most of us were not on board with zo? it seemed to me that more were on board than not...perhaps some of your friends weren't on board, but i'd be willing to bet that at least half on this site were "on board" with bringing in zo

[MavsFanFinley]

I've wanted the Mavs to sign a young guy or two that could groom behind our core for a year before getting solid minutes. With all this talk that Daniels and Powell could make the team, would they sign knowing Nelson probably won't play them?

Cuban on Mourning: His agent said we had him

07/16/2003

By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News

Center Alonzo Mourning officially signed with the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday, as the Mavericks mulled over their options with most of the top free agents already signed.

The two events were linked, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wrote Wednesday in an e-mail response to a fan that was also sent to the Dallas media.

The Mavericks felt they had a oral agreement with Mourning, and planned accordingly, backing off pursuit of other free agents, especially Karl Malone.

“Our reality is that we focused on Alonzo and thought we had him,” Cuban said. “Zo's agent (Jeff Wechsler) told us he was basically a done deal. That there was no reason he could think of that Zo wasn't going to be a Maverick.

“I stuck to protocol and didn’t go around the agent after he told me that. You don’t just call up players and say, ‘Hey, I want to make sure your agent is fully informed and you aren’t doing something behind his back. Turns out he wasn’t and Zo was, and Zo went another direction.”

Wechsler did not return phone messages Wednesday.

The Mavericks made Mourning their No. 1 priority and were willing to offer him a four-year contract, even though he had missed last season with a kidney illness.

Cuban, who was in Miami to court Mourning when free agency began July 1, admits that Mourning was a gamble.

“In wanting to sign Zo, our feeling was that if we got two years at 80 percent of the Zo of two years ago, we would be very fortunate,” Cuban said. “We knew that there was also the risk that he may be able to play for a couple months, and realize his body wouldn’t be up to tolerate the grind of the NBA again …”

The Mavericks remain in the hunt, at least marginally, for Indiana free agent Brad Miller, although a complicated sign-and-trade is their only option.

Beyond Miller, the pickings are slim, with 7-footer Michael Olowokandi signing with Minnesota on Wednesday.

“With the remaining free agents, there isn’t an over-the-top guy who is priced in the mid-level range,” Cuban said. “We are out there exploring options for trades, as we always are, but as Donnie (Nelson) has told everyone, we aren't going to sign someone just to sign someone, and if push comes to shove, we will invest in younger players and work to develop them.”

[MavsFanFinley]

All's fair in free agency
Mavs don't get any love from Mourning, Olowokandi, anyone

07/17/2003

Courtship is never easy, particularly when it doesn't work out and one of the parties has access to a keyboard or microphone.

Remember when Juan Gonzalez spurned the Mets? Relations soured quicker than some of his marriages.

One week, the headline in the Daily News was "A Juan-derful New Year."

The next week, from the apoplectic Post: "WEASEL!"

Memo to New York media: If it's any consolation, the union didn't turn out so hot here, especially now that they can't get Igor off the couch with dynamite.

Anyway, people sometimes get emotional in affairs of the heart, not always for the best.

Take Mark Cuban. No one questions his passion and drive, as David Stern's e-mail log will attest.

So, when Cuban took off for South Florida at the end of last month, you knew he was on a mission.

Goal: Alonzo Mourning. Cuban correctly concluded that the Mavs needed him, or some reasonable facsimile. Several big men were available through different routes, including Karl Malone, Brad Miller, Michael Olowokandi and Rasho Nesterovic. But Mourning was Cuban's man.

And it seemed mutual. Cuban characterized their first meeting as "great." Called the 6-10 center "an amazing guy."

In fact, all went so well that club officials decided a follow-up meeting the next week in Dallas wasn't necessary.

Result: No Zo.

What happened? Mourning undoubtedly noticed that the Lakers came to an agreement with Malone and Gary Payton, which was like New York annexing Connecticut and Vermont.

A little overkill, really. You can carp about the old guys and wonder how Kobe's going to wrestle the ball away from the Mailman, but it's probably moot. Once Shaq drops a few pounds and gets into his best shape in years, the Lakers will once again terrorize the West.

Jason Kidd likely noticed this, too, and reminded Mourning of as much. Come back East, he probably counseled, where the living's easy and the way to the Finals easier.

Here's how hard it is in the West: San Antonio had a title and more money to spend under the cap than Saudi Arabia, and what did the Spurs get for it?

Rasho Nesterovic.

A nice pick-up, and the Mavs would certainly like to have him. But he's not exactly Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal, the subjects of Spurs speculation all along.

Meanwhile, names keep dropping, but not here. After Olowokandi signed with Minnesota for the same mid-level exception the Mavs could offer, a fan fired off an angry e-mail Wednesday morning to local sports personalities as well as Cuban, demanding to know how the Kandi man got away.

Twenty minutes later, Cuban responded. Told the fan that the Mavs were interested but that Olowokandi was represented by Bill Duffy, a former roommate of Kevin McHale, the Wolves' GM.

Cuban went on to explain that the Mavs knew "there was no way that agent was going to leave his former roomie high and dry, and that Kandi was as good as delivered to Minnesota."

Just for fun, Cuban noted that Duffy is the agent who recently forgot to exercise an option for the Heat's Anthony Carter, which will cost Carter, oh, probably $4 million.

Cuban wasn't finished with agents, either. Said Mourning's agent, Jeffrey Wechsler, gave him bad information, telling him that Zo-to-Mavs was "basically a done deal." Because of it, Cuban said, he didn't hound Mourning to make sure his agent was informed or that he wasn't doing something behind the agent's back.

"Turns out he wasn't and Zo was," Cuban wrote, "and Zo went another direction."

Back East, to be exact.

You could understand if Cuban's upset. A guy puts his heart into acquiring Mourning and doesn't get him, and now probably won't get anyone else, either.

And it has to hurt even more when you hear that he could have had Malone, who wanted to play closer to home.

You could get emotional. You could even blame agents, which gets dangerous, especially when you consider that Duffy also represents Steve Nash.

Hey, Mark: You done with Duffy?

"No, I'm not 'done' with him," Cuban wrote in an e-mail. "He did what he felt was right. He actually is a good agent. It's just that the relationships he had kept us from doing anything with those players. In other situations, the relationships could benefit us."

Exactly. No need to alienate anybody, then, not when you're still out there, looking.

[uberfan]

I just think the "McHale and Duffy were college teammates and roommates for one year decades ago in Mimmesota" is a lame excuse to cover up the fact that Cuban is not on top of the situation. It doesn't appear like they are running buddies or fishing buddies. In other words, whatever relationship they have kept up over the years appears to be professional and not one where McHale could say, "Good 'ole Duff, he is just like my brother!"

Did anyone else on this board ever go to college? Maybe I am wierd, because I even had teammates and roomamtes in college many years ago. And we all went our on ways, didn't stay running buddies or even fishing buddies. A couple for more than one year. Let me see, those relationships mean what, basically that we could pick up the phone on call each other and have a conversation. Doesn't mean that they owe me anything special nor do I owe them anything special.

Like I said, maybe I am wierd. I am sure every body else in the world owes their college roommate/teammate life-long allegiance and you all are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure your college buddy gets a better deal than anyone else, even if it is detrimental to your client.