Reply With Quote
No offense Kori. But do we really have to read/listen to Mr. Cuban's musings again? The man obviously makes all of these comments just touch a nerve and hence grab more attention. His antics are tiresome.
Mike Monroe: Cuban not exactly fond of teams training abroad
Web Posted: 10/03/2006 09:56 PM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...s.2e10e6a.html
San Antonio Express-News
The Spurs are training and playing exhibition games in France, which makes French citizen Tony Parker very happy.
The Suns are training and playing exhibition games in Italy, which makes coach Mike D'Antoni, a dual American and Italian citizen, very happy.
The Mavericks are training in Denton and playing an exhibition in Pittsburgh, which makes German citizen Dirk Nowitzki very prickly.
Germans who had hoped they might get to see Nowitzki in action this month as part of NBA's Europe Live international effort have to content themselves with seeing his mug on the cover of the European version of the EA Sports NBA Live computer game box.
The league wanted the Mavs to play in Germany, for obvious reasons. But Nowitzki will be playing in Pittsburgh, instead of his fatherland, because Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sees no benefit to exporting the league's traning camps and preseason schedule overseas.
"Yeah, I think the NBA was trying to get us to go to Europe," Nowitzki said Monday at the Mavericks' media day in Dallas. "For me, it's not really understandable that there are games going on in Germany next week, and we're not there. Steve (Nash) is playing over there, and Philly (the 76ers). I would love to be there representing the Mavericks in my home country, but it hasn't worked out the last four or five years.
"We get to go to beautiful Pittsburgh this year."
Cuban is no isolationist; just a realist.
"It's hard enough for these guys, as it is, to prepare, avoid distractions, learn the system and deal with the intellectual side of it," Cuban said. "It's been suggested to us that we might want to go over, and then you watch the teams that do go over ... well, the Sonics came back from Japan and lost a game by 50 points.
"I'd rather play in Pittsburgh and Louisville and Lexington. I don't have a problem training outside of Dallas. I'd love to train in another city where we could build NBA fans and expose families to the heroes of the NBA. I just don't think there's any value in doing it overseas."
Spurs fans love to despise Cuban because he celebrated his team's Game 7 victory at the AT&T Center and said the River Walk was 'nasty.' The most objective knew he was right, as the recent River Walk cleanup proved.
NBA commissioner David Stern isn't crazy about some of Cuban's public utterances, either, and it is certain he won't like Cuban's stance on exporting training camps and exhibition games to Europe any more than his disappointed MVP candidate power forward.
"It doesn't really help the NBA," Cuban said. "Would we rather pick up a kid in Beijing or Moscow who says, 'I'm an NBA fan for life,' or would we rather pick up a kid in Louisville who says, 'Mommy, I got to see Dirk play against Tracy McGrady in a game, and now I'm an NBA fan for life?'
"Which one does ESPN want?"
Cuban doesn't think the rigors of international travel bode well for the teams that are participating in Europe Live, either. The fact the Spurs and Suns are "over there" doesn't make him any less critical of what he thinks is a misguided marketing effort.
"You've got to try to be a good partner as an NBA owner and say what kind of fits the NBA, but you also have to look at it from a team perspective," Cuban said. "When you're traveling over there, even though they give you an extra couple of days, it's draining on the body. And with you guys as media partners in a whole different financial world, they don't want to send everybody over there, and you've got to deal with that.
"I don't think it works for us in any way, shape or form, and it works against us in 100 different ways."
For the Spurs, the benefit this month of being close to some of the basketball contacts who have helped them pipeline talent to San Antonio no doubt outweighs some of the detriments that deter Cuban from sending the Mavs to Germany.
And the Rhone River is anything but nasty.
No offense Kori. But do we really have to read/listen to Mr. Cuban's musings again? The man obviously makes all of these comments just touch a nerve and hence grab more attention. His antics are tiresome.
No offense, but we always post the articles from the Express-News
I don't think Cuban is trying to grab attention here. He brought up some valid points. It would be better for the NBA's effort overseas if the Mavs exported their camp to Germany. Cuban just doesn't think it benefits his team and the effort they need to put in for preparation. He owes his players, first and foremost. Can't blame him too much.
Further proof that Cuban is an ass!! Even to his own team! It is funny though. He is from there and was recently trying to buy the Penguins! Instead of thinking of all his fans in Europe (if there are that many) he would rather secure Pittsburgh as a mavs fan base!!! LMFAO!!!!!!
WTF? The NBA isn't just an American game anymore. This summer in the WC's just proved that. If it wasn't for the NBA doing things like this who's to say there would be a Dirk or a Manu in the league right now. I think I remember that one bit that Ahmad Rashad did with Tim Duncan, and Tim said something about the NBA and Alonzo Mourning went to the Virgin Islands doing basketball clinics or something like that. I think its great for a fan that lives over seas that normally cant see their favorite team play, get to have a chance to see some sort of NBA ball in or near their country.
Never been to Germany, but Pittsburgh is a cool town.
Exactly! But the "genius" Cuban would rather secure Pittsburgh as a fan base instead of his fans in Europe?
He'd just rather drink an Icy Cold I.C. Light than some thick ass room temperature German beer.
No prob. Sorry if my note sounded pointed. I'm just tired of Mr. Cuban. He knows the added business (fans and future players) that this can bring in. His comments are just so clearly calculated for attention (whatever kind).No offense, but we always post the articles from the Express-News
Cuban might have a point. The last two times the Spurs had training camp in San Antonio they won championships.
Hmmm...
Well, the last time they had training camp in Lyon, France, they won...oh yeah, they haven't done that yet...
I know it's already been said but I can't even begin to understand how a guy that owns a team whose superstar is from Germany, can't see the importance of taking the game to another country.
The exposure of the NBA has lead to all of the International players we see in the game today...
i won't be excited even if Cuban or Dirk's Mavericks goes to the Phils for training camp either
stay where you are Mr. Cuban(or maybe he wasn't invited?)
Why is Mark Cuban thinking small all of the sudden?
How odd.
Because his team isn't playing in Europe and his team's biggest rival is.
Just a hunch.
1.- The Mavericks have a HUGE fan base in Europe, particulary in Germany, so I'm sure they're frilled about these comments by Cuban.
2.- He does have a point in the sense that building a fan base in Europe is not as lucrative for the NBA as it is in the US. The NBA has only itself to blame for that. The way NBA programmes are distributed over here makes it very difficult for fans to follow the league. We keep hearing about the NBA going global, but we don't really see much happening.
3.- "It's hard enough for these guys, as it is, to prepare, avoid distractions, learn the system and deal with the intellectual side of it". What's the intelectual side of it? Are they afraid they'll come back dumber? smarter? Do they have to think more while playing abroad? Which part of his/their intelect is burdened?
Germans don't drink their beer at room temp. That would be the Brits.
I was just going to respond to ASF that you can make fun of the Germans for many things, but beer is not one of them.
Germans still brew some kick ass beer, specially in the south.
Ok your superstar is from Germany and you don't see the point in playing games over there. To be honest the NBA knows that fanbases in the US are pretty much set and that any little areas that haven't been covered will be taken care of during the season. Sounds kind of arrogant on the leagues part but its pretty much true. The league also knows that a lot of its players are now coming from overseas and so it owes it to those countries to give something back. Cuban is actually thinking small for a change but one thing hasn't changed in his thinking and thats of himself.
The point is he's gay.
"to look at it from a team perspective"
Pop did and, like the Rodeo road trip, he thinks that there is camaraderie created between the guys off-court that isn't availalble when the team just commutes between their homes and gym.
I don't give a about Cuban's self-serving chauvinism and think this should be in th NBA forum, since there's nothing about Mavericks, only Cuban.
If Cuban wanted to pander to the Germans and play the Dirk angle, he could have training camp in Castroville or d'Hanis
That seems a little unlikey logistic wise- considering it could likely be a school night commute."It doesn't really help the NBA," Cuban said. "Would we rather pick up a kid in Beijing or Moscow who says, 'I'm an NBA fan for life,' or would we rather pick up a kid in Louisville who says, 'Mommy, I got to see Dirk play against Tracy McGrady in a game, and now I'm an NBA fan for life?'
Who else thinks that the Spurs would be in Germany this pre-season (or in a future one) if Dirk were a Spur?
The Spurs have already visited Tim's home in the Virgin Islands and I expect the Spurs to have training camp in Argentina before Manu retires.
Camps usually last a week or two at the most and it is at the beginning of training camp and they still do two a days. If it was much longer I could understand those rants, but a week of training camp will not destroy team development. People complain that training camp and preason is too long anyway. Cuban is after another personal agenda and may just be doing it to stick it to stern for all hose fines he's been ac ulating. Who know maybe he'll piss off dirk enough to want to do the unthinkable and shop his talents to the highest bidder
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
