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Rule #10

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Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

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  • #1

    Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

    http://www.blogmaverick.com/

    I know you are, but what am I

    I think I have been called more names by more people in the last week than even I thought possible. The beauty is in the irony of it all.

    In the first year I owned the team, I was called the same names and media wrote the exact same things they are writing today. Everyone then, like now, wanted to tell me what to do. How to do my job.

    Back then it was how the Mavs could never be turned around with someone like me owning the team. Then it was the Mavs could never win with someone like me owning the team. Then it was, The Mavs could never be real contenders, etc, etc, etc. You get the picture, and the irony of it all.

    My response ?

    No suprises. I dont expect anyone to say anything differently.

    To me, the proof is always in the details. No matter what business Im in, most people work in headlines mode. They think that if they say or write something that makes a good headline , then there must be substance to their point. That’s not the way business works. Which is why most people never get further than the middle.

    Substance comes from detail. Luck comes from detail. Winning comes from being willing to do the work on the details. Learning comes from investing in details.

    In the sports media world this past week, the most work I have seen someone do is Chris Sheridan going through 20 minutes or so of tapes looking to see what words I mouthed to fans in the stands after a game. Beyond that, it was all about deadlines, not substance. Thats fine. It is what it is.

    No one does the work. They do “their jobs”. Nothing more. Which is why , despite all “he is the best, he is the worst” commentary from people, none of it matters in the least bit.

    The easiest thing in the world for anyone to do is Tivo a game and then break it down. What any of the 13 participants on the court did and how they did it is pretty easy to document for 99.9 pct of the time on the clock. The other .01 can be grey. It doesnt really matter. Aggregate data from a lot of games over a lot of seasons, and all of the sudden you have a database with value.

    Once you have information, then you can add brainpower and try to do things better.

    Once you have information, then you can start to define excellence and strive for it, measuring your progress along the way.

    This certainly isnt a new concept. There are untold number of QC , Process Improvement and Optimization techniques out there. Pick one, pick them all.

    Excellence is defined is excellence demanded. Its not always easy to fulfill, but there is one constant in my approach to the Mavs that hasnt changed since the minute I walked in the door in January of 2000. That my job was to put every single one of our players, and the organization in a position to succeed. That I would work hard, continuously, to get better at doing so, and I think I have. I think we have become a much smarter organization. We have learned from what we have done right, and what we have done wrong.

    Its also why I get so angry when it comes to certain aspects of the NBA and how they do business. I think there is more politics that optimization. Thats my opinion from the data. And Im not talking about officiating.

    One of my favorite books is The Innovators Dilemma. It basically talks about how new technology can destabilize companies and industries if their impact isnt acknowledged and addressed early on.

    The NBA is at an interesting crossroads. There are unique situations today that can enable it to lever up and thrive and push its media customers to new heights, or that could destabilize it.

    Its all in the data. And I wish I could tell you about it. But i would get fined for it.

    And for the record, I have nothing to say about the finals. That was last season.
    For the record, Im not turning on comments, they have devolved to the point where they add no value.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

    Originally posted by my 2nd favorite owner, Cubes
    Its all in the data. And I wish I could tell you about it. But i would get fined for it.
    That'll be another 100 thousand
    STARBURY

    08 and Beyond

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

      I must say, I'm sick and tired of Cuban. yes I know he's a great owner, but I'm just sick and tired of him and his act. Enough.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

        Originally posted by Unclebuck
        I must say, I'm sick and tired of Cuban. yes I know he's a great owner, but I'm just sick and tired of him and his act. Enough.
        He comes across in that blog entry as very arrogant. Not a very appealing guy at all.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

          I don't think Cuban gets that it isn't if he can run a franchise or what he thinks that makes him an ***. It is the way he conducts himself that makes him an ***.
          "They could turn out to be only innocent mathematicians, I suppose," muttered Woevre's section officer, de Decker.

          "'Only.'" Woevre was amused. "Someday you'll explain to me how that's possible. Seeing that, on the face of it, all mathematics leads, doesn't it, sooner or later, to some kind of human suffering."

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

            His inane ranting and raving about the league is only going to make the relationship between the owners and the Sternmeister even more sour.

            He is accomplishing nothing here except making himself look a fool.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

              I've never liked the guy. Way to much "look at me" for my taste.

              I know a lot of people like him & people like him as an owner but for my taste I prefer the Simons & others like them.


              Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                I really enjoyed that. I've always thought he was a fun guy, and that it would be great to play for him as an owner. He's not an idiot when he speaks out, like some people.
                Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                  Add Witlock to the list of people who think Cuban is distasteful, to say the least.

                  http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...t&lid=tab2pos2

                  'Cuban Whistle Crisis'
                  By Jason Whitlock
                  Special to Page 2

                  Mark Cuban reminds me of Ron Artest.

                  You fall in love with his passion, energy and versatility, but you realize his mental instability very well could wreck your entire organization.

                  As commissioner David Stern contemplates how to deal with the "Cuban Whistle Crisis," a predicament that could totally undermine the public perception progress the NBA enjoyed this season, the commish would be wise to consult his Artest playbook.

                  Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Whinericks, won't be fined into sanity. *****ing about officiating and paying a couple of million dollars a year for that right is nothing more than a simple, tax-deductible business expense for the league's best blogger.

                  Nope. It's going to take a prolonged, arena-banning suspension to end the "Cuban Whistle Crisis," a nickname coined by Washington Post columnist Mike Wise.

                  Stern should begin with a symbolic 13-day suspension of Cuban to start the 2006-07 season, then go with a season-long ban if Cuban acts up again.

                  Cuban's behavior and the conduct of Dallas coach Avery Johnson and superstar Dirk Nowitzki during the just-completed NBA Finals warrant far more drastic action than the $250,000 fine Stern leveled on Cuban before Game 6.

                  Not only did the "Cuban Whistle Crisis" overshadow the unveiling of Dwyane Wade as the league's most embraceable megastar since Jordan, but its fallout foreshadows a potential Artest-like eruption in the stands. Maybe you missed the American Airlines Center public-address announcer admonishing Mavericks fans not to throw objects on the court. Maybe you turned off your TV before witnessing Mavericks fans drown out with boos Stern's championship trophy presentation to the Heat. Cuban, Johnson, Nowitzki and the co-signing Dallas media turned Game 6 into a Rodney King-verdict powder keg. Mavs fans were convinced they had irrefutable video evidence of officiating crimes of the highest order. The paranoia of Dallas' out-of-control owner caused the normally classy and high-road-driving Johnson to lose his composure and melt into a world-class crybaby. Johnson's crying gave Nowitzki the out he needed to avoid eye contact with a mirror and instead kick chairs and exercise bikes rather than fourth-quarter ***.

                  You think Cuban's antics haven't planted the seeds of discontent that could blossom into a nutty Mavs fan going after a referee or sparking an in-arena melee?

                  Artest didn't hop into the stands without warning. When you heard that an NBA player ran into the stands and set off a riot, you were not surprised at all when you learned it was Ron Artest. You never suspected Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Shaq, Reggie Miller, Rip Hamilton or Kevin Garnett. The list of candidates was very short, and Artest was always the No. 1 suspect.

                  If an NBA ref gets attacked on the court or hit with an object, you won't be surprised when the story has a Dallas dateline. Cuban has created the environment. His complaints about officiating have some merit. There's a kernel of truth in every extremist's argument. A planted bloody glove might win an acquittal, but it doesn't clear a conscience. The fact that NBA refs are inconsistent doesn't justify the "Cuban Whistle Crisis." Stern isn't out to get Cuban. Stern is nowhere near that small or stupid. Cuban, the Mavericks and Nowitzki are three of the best things to happen to Stern's league in the past five years.

                  It would've been far better for the league had Nowitzki -- one of Stern's white, foreign imports -- won the title and shown the kind of heart and determination Wade displayed. Stern didn't want Nowitzki to choke at the free-throw line, dish to Erick Dampier in the clutch and refuse to drive anywhere near Shaq and the lane in the final minutes. Had Nowitzki gone to the hole as relentlessly as Wade, he would've received the same bogus calls as Wade. Refs can't help rewarding superstars for being aggressive. Beyond the "Cuban Whistle Crisis," Stern must crack down on Cuban because he's sabotaging the message about professionalism the league has been preaching to its players. You think Allen Iverson isn't sitting at home taking notes on Cuban thugged-out in his Mavs jersey sitting behind the bench and acting a fool? Cuban is as big an NBA star as all but a handful of players. He represents the league. But he can dress how he wants, drop F-bombs on refs, taunt fans, charge onto the court and question the integrity of the league pretty much without fear of significant reprisal. Meanwhile, Iverson needs to wear a sport coat on the bench and report to work on time on fan appreciation night. If you had to guess, what do you think Allen and his homies have to say about this bit of hypocrisy? Just take a guess. It's time for Stern to censure Cuban and back it with a suspension -- a ban from arenas. A ban during the Finals would've been a mistake. Cuban would've been viewed as a martyr.

                  Now Stern can call Cuban and Johnson into the commissioner's office and explain in detail why the NBA can't tolerate Dallas' continued whining. It's unhealthy for the league. If not stopped, the "Cuban Whistle Crisis" will escalate and turn into a Crimson Tide.

                  Jason Whitlock is a regular columnist for The Kansas City Star. He can be reached by e-mail at ballstate68@aol.com. Sound off to Page 2 here.
                  “Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                    He is from Indiana and went to school in Bloomington during the Knight era, he has a passion for basketball. He measures success by a championship. He measures success as a businessman by his stock portfolio. The league would be better, much better if Cuban were running the show instead of a team.
                    "He wanted to get to that money time. Time when the hardware was on the table. That's when Roger was going to show up. So all we needed to do was stay close"
                    Darnell Hillman (Speaking of former teammate Roger Brown)

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                      He's from Pittsburgh

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                        Still love the guy.

                        The league would be boring without him.

                        That's not to say I'd want him as the owner of the Pacers, though -- Ron gave us enough negative attention to last the franchise a lifetime.
                        "I'll always be a part of Donnie Walsh."
                        -Ron Artest, Denver Post, 12.28.05

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                          Not exactly sure If I would want him owning the Pacers, but I love him as a person.

                          He's the Anti-Stern.

                          Cuban is not afraid to spend the money when needed, and undertands it's a business but does not forget the Fans are what drives it.

                          His antics and perceived arrogance I am sure turns off some, but you cannot deny his passion and will to win, not just turn a profit.

                          It's comical how many people where singing his praises just a week ago..

                          Why Not Us ?

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                            Originally posted by Cuban
                            What any of the 13 participants on the court did and how they did it is pretty easy to document for 99.9 pct of the time on the clock. The other .01 can be grey.
                            Wouldn't it be the other .1 can be grey?

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Mark Cuban speaks: June 22, 2006

                              Originally posted by Frank Slade
                              Not exactly sure If I would want him owning the Pacers, but I love him as a person.

                              He's the Anti-Stern.

                              Cuban is not afraid to spend the money when needed, and undertands it's a business but does not forget the Fans are what drives it.

                              His antics and perceived arrogance I am sure turns off some, but you cannot deny his passion and will to win, not just turn a profit.

                              It's comical how many people where singing his praises just a week ago..
                              I agree.

                              I love him to death, although at times he doesnt know when to keep his mouth shut.

                              If I owned a team I would hope I would be a mixture of both him and the Simons, although I would most. def want to be my own GM.

                              Comment

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