duncan228
02-07-2011, 10:36 PM
Mark Cuban to Cleveland basketball fans: Better days are ahead -- Cavaliers Insider (http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/02/mark_cuban_to_cleveland_basket.html)
By Jodie Valade, The Plain Dealer
The Cavaliers' extended losing streak might be difficult for players, coaches and fans to swallow on a nightly basis.
But to outspoken Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, losing in a big way is the best thing that could happen to the post-LeBron version of the Cavaliers.
"It's gotta be brutal for [owner] Dan [Gilbert], brutal for the players themselves," Cuban said Monday. "But big picture, there's been many a team built into a championship after having a bad season."
Cuban reminded of how the Cavaliers rebuilt into a consistent playoff squad after securing LeBron James in the 2003 draft with the No. 1 pick. That came after a 17-65 season in 2002-03. The San Antonio Spurs drafted Tim Duncan first in the draft in 1997 after finishing the season 20-62. That's what Cleveland needs to remember, Cuban said, when the Cavaliers' victories still have not reached double digits midway through the season.
"The season's over in what, 60 days?" Cuban said. "So in 60 days you go from being a suffering franchise to having the best odds of getting the first pick and a ton of [salary] cap room, and you're the hero all summer."
It's all in the delivery, of course, as Cuban has often said any publicity is good publicity. He's able to easily spin the Cavaliers' losing streak into an opportunity to improve.
"In 60 days, all of a sudden your fans are talking about will they get the [No. 1] pick, who will they draft, and what will they do with cap room," he said. "That's exciting. That creates a ton of hope, and all of a sudden you're not worried about this season, you're already into next."
The difficulty, though, comes in surviving the next two months. Cuban's advice for that one?
"In my case? Pizza. Ice Cream. Playing basketball," he said.
What about that letter? Gilbert often has been compared to the brash Cuban for their passionate approaches to franchise ownership. But not even Cuban has written a public letter like the one Gilbert did last July. Asked if it was something Cuban would have done in the same position, he laughed.
"Probably," he said. "Mine probably would have been worse. I might have used different wording. I probably would have used a worse font."
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/02/mark_cuban_to_cleveland_basket.html
By Jodie Valade, The Plain Dealer
The Cavaliers' extended losing streak might be difficult for players, coaches and fans to swallow on a nightly basis.
But to outspoken Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, losing in a big way is the best thing that could happen to the post-LeBron version of the Cavaliers.
"It's gotta be brutal for [owner] Dan [Gilbert], brutal for the players themselves," Cuban said Monday. "But big picture, there's been many a team built into a championship after having a bad season."
Cuban reminded of how the Cavaliers rebuilt into a consistent playoff squad after securing LeBron James in the 2003 draft with the No. 1 pick. That came after a 17-65 season in 2002-03. The San Antonio Spurs drafted Tim Duncan first in the draft in 1997 after finishing the season 20-62. That's what Cleveland needs to remember, Cuban said, when the Cavaliers' victories still have not reached double digits midway through the season.
"The season's over in what, 60 days?" Cuban said. "So in 60 days you go from being a suffering franchise to having the best odds of getting the first pick and a ton of [salary] cap room, and you're the hero all summer."
It's all in the delivery, of course, as Cuban has often said any publicity is good publicity. He's able to easily spin the Cavaliers' losing streak into an opportunity to improve.
"In 60 days, all of a sudden your fans are talking about will they get the [No. 1] pick, who will they draft, and what will they do with cap room," he said. "That's exciting. That creates a ton of hope, and all of a sudden you're not worried about this season, you're already into next."
The difficulty, though, comes in surviving the next two months. Cuban's advice for that one?
"In my case? Pizza. Ice Cream. Playing basketball," he said.
What about that letter? Gilbert often has been compared to the brash Cuban for their passionate approaches to franchise ownership. But not even Cuban has written a public letter like the one Gilbert did last July. Asked if it was something Cuban would have done in the same position, he laughed.
"Probably," he said. "Mine probably would have been worse. I might have used different wording. I probably would have used a worse font."
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/02/mark_cuban_to_cleveland_basket.html