ducks
06-10-2006, 11:13 AM
Mark Cuban the true definition of the 6th man
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Sports911.com's Destiney Lewis (left pictured with Jamie Keene) takes a look at the Dallas Mavericks 6th man, the NBA team's owner, Mark Cuban
The millennium marked a new beginning for the Dallas Mavericks, not only were the players & front office in for some changes, anyone who attended a Mav’s game would experience more than just ordinary NBA game, they were a total entertainment experience. In fact the main problem facing potential owner, Mark Cuban, was how to get the players motivated & how to boost attendance, one wasn’t coming without the other. Mark’s approach was one of great strategy, he planned to completely redesign the whole organization, and this new face would be affective immediately. He approached this situation as he would approach any dilemma facing one of his business ventures…. with passion, Mark gets involved with the products he believes in & he runs the Mavericks organization no different. Cuban knew he couldn’t buy an NBA title, with the politics of the draft, and salary caps no matter how much money you had to put in, it had to start from the core & the secret to his success was getting the players involved.
Cuban began by approaching the players to find out what would make them happy. He knew that phenomenal talent level could be found within the Mavericks organization, but if he couldn’t make the players feel appreciated no success would come to the franchise. In addition to hiring special coaches for offense, defense and shooting, Cuban has promised to do everything in his power to improve the team. This also included revamping the locker room, getting the team a private plane & upgrading to luxury suites for road trips. Not only did he make the players happy, Cuban showed his integrity by showing the fans that not only did he own the Mavs, he was a die-hard fan! He presented himself as the ultimate role model by cheering from the same seats he had years past rather than from the box like most owners. Cuban also became the first owner to encourage fan interaction by making his personal email accessible to all the fans. To this day, he answers each email personally, that is unheard of, I am no Mark Cuban & I can’t even answer all my myspace emails!
Cuban claims that Dallas was the worst franchise in the 90s so there wasn’t much expectation on his part. He knew that he would never be the type to just shut up and write the check! Even at the young age of 12 he began his daily hustle going door-to-door selling garbage bags. By the age of 16 he was driving to Cleveland to get the Plain Dealer newspaper and selling them one by one on the streets. It even got to a point where he would delegate his responsibilities to younger neighborhood children and still walked away with a profit. He truly has an entrepreneurial spirit and knows how to give the people what they need and more importantly what they want. Cuban learned at the age of 12 that if you knock on doors not knowing what to expect, yet you can always think on your feet and come across prepared you can gain the confidence of anyone. His fear of failure has driven him to always be prepared for any outcome, he knew that winning comes from preparation.
He grew up admiring Jerry West and how he helped brand the NBA as a product and realized it was all about entertainment. By introducing the phenomenon of the Laker Girls, and other sources of entertainment the fans began to look at the NBA as more than a group of teams that plays games. Mark has even gone to the lengths of consulting with 20-25 year olds to gain perspective on what his organization is lacking, he also encourages the NBA to do the same. He knows his role & plays it well, and he is never afraid to ask for help or seek alternative methods to solving problems. Speaking of problems, to this day Cuban has racked up over $1 million dollars worth of NBA fines, at times he is a little too hands on. But of course with Mark there is a spin on everything…. Cuban matches his fines dollar for dollar and donates it to charity! Now that’s good karma, I’m sure Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs bench have a little bit to do with it, but in case you’ve been living under a rock the Mavs in the final four of the NBA playoffs and two wins away from being the Western Conference Champions, possibly the World Champions!
Mark’s personal philosophy is that it’s not what you drive (or fly in his case), nor what you have in the bank, it’s waking up every morning feeling satisfied and happy in life. Mark Cuban is truly living the American Dream…especially during these 40 days and 40 nights of the NBA playoffs!
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Destiney Lewis, www.sports911.com
Originally published May 31, 2006 1:11 pm EST
http://www.gambling911.com/Destiney-Lewis-Cheerleader.jpg
Sports911.com's Destiney Lewis (left pictured with Jamie Keene) takes a look at the Dallas Mavericks 6th man, the NBA team's owner, Mark Cuban
The millennium marked a new beginning for the Dallas Mavericks, not only were the players & front office in for some changes, anyone who attended a Mav’s game would experience more than just ordinary NBA game, they were a total entertainment experience. In fact the main problem facing potential owner, Mark Cuban, was how to get the players motivated & how to boost attendance, one wasn’t coming without the other. Mark’s approach was one of great strategy, he planned to completely redesign the whole organization, and this new face would be affective immediately. He approached this situation as he would approach any dilemma facing one of his business ventures…. with passion, Mark gets involved with the products he believes in & he runs the Mavericks organization no different. Cuban knew he couldn’t buy an NBA title, with the politics of the draft, and salary caps no matter how much money you had to put in, it had to start from the core & the secret to his success was getting the players involved.
Cuban began by approaching the players to find out what would make them happy. He knew that phenomenal talent level could be found within the Mavericks organization, but if he couldn’t make the players feel appreciated no success would come to the franchise. In addition to hiring special coaches for offense, defense and shooting, Cuban has promised to do everything in his power to improve the team. This also included revamping the locker room, getting the team a private plane & upgrading to luxury suites for road trips. Not only did he make the players happy, Cuban showed his integrity by showing the fans that not only did he own the Mavs, he was a die-hard fan! He presented himself as the ultimate role model by cheering from the same seats he had years past rather than from the box like most owners. Cuban also became the first owner to encourage fan interaction by making his personal email accessible to all the fans. To this day, he answers each email personally, that is unheard of, I am no Mark Cuban & I can’t even answer all my myspace emails!
Cuban claims that Dallas was the worst franchise in the 90s so there wasn’t much expectation on his part. He knew that he would never be the type to just shut up and write the check! Even at the young age of 12 he began his daily hustle going door-to-door selling garbage bags. By the age of 16 he was driving to Cleveland to get the Plain Dealer newspaper and selling them one by one on the streets. It even got to a point where he would delegate his responsibilities to younger neighborhood children and still walked away with a profit. He truly has an entrepreneurial spirit and knows how to give the people what they need and more importantly what they want. Cuban learned at the age of 12 that if you knock on doors not knowing what to expect, yet you can always think on your feet and come across prepared you can gain the confidence of anyone. His fear of failure has driven him to always be prepared for any outcome, he knew that winning comes from preparation.
He grew up admiring Jerry West and how he helped brand the NBA as a product and realized it was all about entertainment. By introducing the phenomenon of the Laker Girls, and other sources of entertainment the fans began to look at the NBA as more than a group of teams that plays games. Mark has even gone to the lengths of consulting with 20-25 year olds to gain perspective on what his organization is lacking, he also encourages the NBA to do the same. He knows his role & plays it well, and he is never afraid to ask for help or seek alternative methods to solving problems. Speaking of problems, to this day Cuban has racked up over $1 million dollars worth of NBA fines, at times he is a little too hands on. But of course with Mark there is a spin on everything…. Cuban matches his fines dollar for dollar and donates it to charity! Now that’s good karma, I’m sure Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs bench have a little bit to do with it, but in case you’ve been living under a rock the Mavs in the final four of the NBA playoffs and two wins away from being the Western Conference Champions, possibly the World Champions!
Mark’s personal philosophy is that it’s not what you drive (or fly in his case), nor what you have in the bank, it’s waking up every morning feeling satisfied and happy in life. Mark Cuban is truly living the American Dream…especially during these 40 days and 40 nights of the NBA playoffs!
----
Destiney Lewis, www.sports911.com
Originally published May 31, 2006 1:11 pm EST