Cuban's 4YR Anniversary with Mavs

[mary]

Posted on Sun, Jan. 04, 2004

Mavs' Cuban Era just starting
By Art Garcia
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


STAR-TELEGRAM/RON JENKINS
In January 2000, Ross Perot Jr. handed over controlling interest in the team, and the Mark Cuban Era began.



THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Though they've had differences, NBA commissioner David Stern says he welcomes Cuban's input.



STAR-TELEGRAM/RICKY MOON
Cuban gets his first taste of playoff atmosphere, sharing the moment with coach Don Nelson before a series-opening game at Utah in April 2001.



STAR-TELEGRAM/ALISON WOODWORTH
"I'm impatient, I can be emotional at times ..." says Mark Cuban, who dismisses his critics but admits his faults.


Sometimes, Mark Cuban isn't sure if it's all worth it.

After another spirited but frustrating go-round with the league office, the brash 45-year-old owner of the Mavericks wonders if he'd be better off without his one purchase that was more about passion than investment.

Then he takes a step back, takes it all in and manages a smile. He's having too much fun to give this up anytime soon.

Today marks the four-year anniversary of Cuban buying the Mavericks. On Jan. 4, 2000, a new era began for the worst major professional franchise of the 1990s. Under the direction of Cuban, coach/general manager Don Nelson and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the Mavs have evolved into one of the NBA's premier franchises.

And Cuban hopes the franchise becomes as much a part of his family as the NFL's New York Giants are for the Maras and the Pittsburgh Steelers are for the Rooneys.

"I hope it's a family heirloom," a sweat-covered Cuban said last week after a pregame workout at American Airlines Center. "The only thing that would stop that from happening is politics -- if the league just drove me so nuts that I couldn't stand it anymore. Have there been times where I thought I've reached that point? Yeah. Absolutely.

"There have been times when I've wanted to say 'OK, fine, I'm done.' But, then, I think about the guys and the fans and Nellie and Donnie and my relationship with them, and I take a deep breath and realize that half the fun is tweaking the NBA. Although I'm not right all of the time, I'm right a lot of the time."

Right or wrong, Cuban hasn't stood idly by on the baseline. His profile as an owner rivals that of Jerry Jones and George Steinbrenner, though Cuban isn't sure his influence does.

NBA commissioner David Stern, a frequent sparring partner of Cuban's, said, "Mark is a knowledgeable owner, and I welcome his input and have welcomed his input."

Cuban's tireless crusade no doubt played a part in the restructuring of the officiating department during the off-season. Many of the Mavs' marketing initiatives and fan-friendly innovations are evident in arenas around the league.

But Cuban has not served on any of the league's policy-making committees. Cuban claims he has volunteered to work on committees dealing with everything from marketing to media issues to rules and competition. The league, he said, isn't biting.

"When it comes down to reality, it's the same seven or eight or nine guys that they've been pushing on all the committees, and they set the agenda," Cuban said. "You don't ever see me put on a committee."

Don Nelson, who has worked through his own differences with Cuban, said the changes will come if the young owner sticks with it.

"We need more owners to stay in place so that they can have a positive influence on the league," Nelson said. "The longer you're an owner, the longer you're around, the more you're listened to by the league office."

Though the extent of Cuban's influence in the league office is debatable, his influence with players isn't.

"I always admired Mark Cuban," said Antoine Walker, who is in his first season with the Mavs after seven years in Boston. "He showed the league that he was going to do whatever it takes to please his fans and please his players and turn this thing around.

"You could always tell he was a fan of this game and a fan of the Mavericks. We need more owners like that, who are more into their team and not looking at it as an investment."

Added Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal: "I like Mark Cuban because he sticks up for his guys."

Cuban isn't without his critics -- many within the media, and some players, such as Nick Van Exel, Tim Hardaway and Dennis Rodman, who have taken parting shots after leaving the Mavs -- and his faults. Cuban dismisses many of the critics and owns up to the faults.

"I'm impatient, I can be emotional at times, I can be too focused, I can have too much going on at times," Cuban said. "I'm far from being perfect, but I try to compensate as much as I can. I try to recognize it as much as I can."

Asked if he has any regrets about his four-year run, Cuban pauses and reflects. Is he thinking about the more than $1 million in fines amassed during his ownership? The rift with Nelson last season? Raef LaFrentz's $70 million contract? Fluffy robes?

"Nothing that rings out at me," he finally answered. "The mistakes I made -- whether [they be] the deals I made, how much you paid somebody -- is stuff I learned from. To me, that's just part of the process.

"I don't have any regrets; let's just put it that way. There's nothing I regret doing that I kick myself every day, or look back and say, 'What was I thinking?' If anything, I just could have worked a little harder at it."

The fan in Cuban forked over $280 million -- a record at the time for an NBA franchise -- to buy his adopted hometown's team. Unlike the computer and Internet ventures that made Cuban a multibillionaire, the Mavs aren't an asset he intends to turn over for a quick profit.

If he ever decides to sell, the price tag won't come near the $304 million the franchise is reportedly worth. In fact, he won't even ask for the original purchase price.

"If I sold it, I'd intentionally sell it for a loss," he said. "Because of the politics. I'd take more pride in it being a loss, just saying I'm out for my specific reasons, not because I tried to make money. And because it would [tick] off everyone else."

A loss? Seriously?

"I'm serious," he continued. "It wouldn't be inconceivable. I'd just walk away. It's not about the money. It's not about the money in any way, shape or form."

Cuban doesn't intend to just walk away. Barring an unlikely collapse, the Mavs are headed to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The future appears bright.

The team's core players are in their prime. Cuban, unlike previous ownership regimes, is willing to spend generously on and off the court. The current payroll is approaching $80 million, more than $35 million over the salary cap. (Cuban says the Mavs would have broken even last season if not for the luxury tax, a dollar-for-dollar penalty for salaries in excess of $52.9 million.)

Despite winning 60 games and reaching the Western Conference Finals last season, the Mavs reshaped their roster during the off-season. Two blockbuster trades netted Walker and Antawn Jamison, and only five players remain from the team that fell two wins shy of the NBA Finals.

Cuban can deal with the monetary losses. Not winning a championship is another matter.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have the payroll that I do now," said Cuban, more involved in the basketball side of the operation by the day. "I wouldn't have made the trades Donnie and Nellie proposed."

Like winning a title, keeping the team within the family is a goal. Never mind Cuban's daughter is barely 3 months old and no other relative works within the Mavericks organization. His wife, Tiffany, isn't involved in the managing structure of the Mavs, and that's not expected to change.

Cuban's two brothers, however, aren't too far removed from the Mavs. Brian Cuban, 42, is the executive director of the Mark Cuban Foundation and the Fallen Patriot Fund. Jeff Cuban, 39, is part of the sales staff of HDNet.

"I'm not saying my daughter is the only one; I got my brothers and everything," Mark Cuban said. "We're not talking about 25 or 30 years down the line. We're talking hopefully 60, 70, 80 years."

Four down.

Happy anniversary

Jan. 4, 2000: Sale of team to Mark Cuban is announced

The season: Mavs finish 40-42, going 31-19 after Cuban's purchase is announced

Jan. 4, 2001: Cuban is fined $250,000 (then the largest NBA fine against an individual) for his outbursts about officiating; he is fined $505,000 over the course of the season

The season: Go 53-29 and reach the playoffs for the first time since 1990

Jan. 4, 2002: Cuban is making plans to honor Don Nelson the next night for Nelson reaching 1,000 wins; four days later, the NBA fines Cuban $500,000 for repeated criticism of officials

The season: Go 57-25 but lose 4-1 in the Western Conference semifinals for the second consecutive year

Jan. 4, 2003: No fines, no trouble with the league, and analyst Bill Walton, long critical of the Mavs, says he thinks they have what it takes to contend for the NBA title

The season: Go a franchise-best 60-22 and reach the Western Conference Finals for the second time; they sell out every home game for the first time

[Chiwas]

If something is to celebrate on this team, is the arriving of Cuban.

Congrats, Dallas.

[dude1394]

Cubes is the only reason I'm on this board and in that arena. Congrats cubes, keep it up.