duncan228
05-13-2009, 05:23 PM
Mark Cuban, please grow up (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/PabloDeTejas/191461)
Pablo DeTejas
Mark Cuban is a brilliant businessman. Anyone who starts out as a bartender and becomes a self-made billionaire is obviously gifted.
Likewise, the Dallas Mavericks have made a remarkable turn-a-round since Cuban bought the franchise in 2000. Prior to that, the Mavs had won only 40% of their games in their two decades of existence. In the Cuban era, they have won close to 70% and have been frequent participants in the NBA play-offs.
None of that, however, can alter one indisputable fact – Mark Cuban is the most annoying man in the state of Texas.
The other 29 owners in the NBA watch their teams play from the confines of luxurious sky boxes. When Cuban decided to depart from tradition and sit behind the Dallas bench, he endeared himself to fans everywhere.
At least until he opened his mouth for the first time.
Cuban has single-handedly raised obnoxiousness to an art form. He seems to be absolutely unable to grasp the concept of thinking before speaking. He has acquired the habit of saying and doing inappropriate and cruel things at the worst possible times. Time and space preclude a full listing, but here are a few of the highlights:
1. Michael Finley was a loyal member of the Dallas Mavericks organization for nine seasons and a key contributor to their resurgence. After releasing Finley in a salary-cap move prior to the 2005–06 NBA season, Cuban turned around and started a booing campaign against his former player when Finley returned to play against the Mavs as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
2. As Bruce Bowen walked off the court moments after his Spurs beat Dallas in Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Western Conference semi-finals, he crossed paths with Cuban. Bowen was shocked when Cuban swore at him, an offensive, two-word curse whose meaning was unmistakable. Bowen said. "I was caught off guard by it, but it speaks a lot to me about who he is."
3. After the Mavericks folded like a cheap suit in the 2006 NBA Finals, Cuban was fined $250,000 by the league for his widespread criticism of the officiating, ignoring the fact that his team was clearly out-played by the Miami Heat and their sensational floor leader, Dwyane Wade.
4. This carried over into 2007, when Wade, tired of Cuban’s whining, pointed out the failure of Mavs’ star Dirk Nowitski to deliver in the clutch during the Finals. Cuban again insinuated that Miami would not have won the title without help from the officials.
5. Last weekend, caught up in the emotion of a narrow loss to Denver, Cuban told the mother of Nuggets’ starter Kenyon Martin that her son was a “punk”.
There are numerous other instances. Cuban has already rung up over $1,000,000 in fines during his tenure as the Dallas owner. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect to this situation is that it will not stop anytime soon. It brings Cuban the one thing he craves more than anything – attention.
Apparently, his antics are starting to bother his players. Nowitski is quoted as saying, “He's got to learn how to control himself as well as the players do. We can't lose our temper all the time on the court or off the court, and I think he's got to learn that, too. He's got to improve in that area and not yell at the officials the whole game. I don't think that helps us.... He sits right there by our bench. I think it's a bit much. But we all told him this before. It's nothing new. The game starts, and he's already yelling at them. So he needs to know how to control himself a little.”
I suspect the real reason Cuban moved here from Indiana is the fact Texas is one of the few places large enough to house his massive ego. He is a man that, no matter how much he has accumulated, will be unable to by the one thing he sorely lacks – class.
Pablo DeTejas
Mark Cuban is a brilliant businessman. Anyone who starts out as a bartender and becomes a self-made billionaire is obviously gifted.
Likewise, the Dallas Mavericks have made a remarkable turn-a-round since Cuban bought the franchise in 2000. Prior to that, the Mavs had won only 40% of their games in their two decades of existence. In the Cuban era, they have won close to 70% and have been frequent participants in the NBA play-offs.
None of that, however, can alter one indisputable fact – Mark Cuban is the most annoying man in the state of Texas.
The other 29 owners in the NBA watch their teams play from the confines of luxurious sky boxes. When Cuban decided to depart from tradition and sit behind the Dallas bench, he endeared himself to fans everywhere.
At least until he opened his mouth for the first time.
Cuban has single-handedly raised obnoxiousness to an art form. He seems to be absolutely unable to grasp the concept of thinking before speaking. He has acquired the habit of saying and doing inappropriate and cruel things at the worst possible times. Time and space preclude a full listing, but here are a few of the highlights:
1. Michael Finley was a loyal member of the Dallas Mavericks organization for nine seasons and a key contributor to their resurgence. After releasing Finley in a salary-cap move prior to the 2005–06 NBA season, Cuban turned around and started a booing campaign against his former player when Finley returned to play against the Mavs as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
2. As Bruce Bowen walked off the court moments after his Spurs beat Dallas in Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Western Conference semi-finals, he crossed paths with Cuban. Bowen was shocked when Cuban swore at him, an offensive, two-word curse whose meaning was unmistakable. Bowen said. "I was caught off guard by it, but it speaks a lot to me about who he is."
3. After the Mavericks folded like a cheap suit in the 2006 NBA Finals, Cuban was fined $250,000 by the league for his widespread criticism of the officiating, ignoring the fact that his team was clearly out-played by the Miami Heat and their sensational floor leader, Dwyane Wade.
4. This carried over into 2007, when Wade, tired of Cuban’s whining, pointed out the failure of Mavs’ star Dirk Nowitski to deliver in the clutch during the Finals. Cuban again insinuated that Miami would not have won the title without help from the officials.
5. Last weekend, caught up in the emotion of a narrow loss to Denver, Cuban told the mother of Nuggets’ starter Kenyon Martin that her son was a “punk”.
There are numerous other instances. Cuban has already rung up over $1,000,000 in fines during his tenure as the Dallas owner. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect to this situation is that it will not stop anytime soon. It brings Cuban the one thing he craves more than anything – attention.
Apparently, his antics are starting to bother his players. Nowitski is quoted as saying, “He's got to learn how to control himself as well as the players do. We can't lose our temper all the time on the court or off the court, and I think he's got to learn that, too. He's got to improve in that area and not yell at the officials the whole game. I don't think that helps us.... He sits right there by our bench. I think it's a bit much. But we all told him this before. It's nothing new. The game starts, and he's already yelling at them. So he needs to know how to control himself a little.”
I suspect the real reason Cuban moved here from Indiana is the fact Texas is one of the few places large enough to house his massive ego. He is a man that, no matter how much he has accumulated, will be unable to by the one thing he sorely lacks – class.