We Need a Owner Like Cuban

[BlackHawkDown]

From www.people.com

April 23, 2004

'Apprentice' Kwame Becoming a Maverick

MICHELLE YORK

Forget being hired or fired by The Donald. Kwame's got an offer from The Mark.

After considering several offers, Harvard MBA Kwame Jackson said during a taping of CNN's "Larry King Live" this week that he's close to finalizing a deal to work with billionaire mogul Mark Cuban.

"It's going to take quite a bit of time to flush out the details," Jimmy Floyd, Jackson's manager, tells PEOPLE.

Cuban's offer includes handling an investment portfolio and working on operations for the Dallas Mavericks, the basketball team owned by Cuban, according to reports.

Ironically, Cuban also is creating his own reality TV show, called "The Benefactor." Contestants will live in a plush Dallas home for several weeks, hoping to earn Cuban's favor and a $1 million prize.

But Cuban bristled when he heard Donald Trump call it a copycat of "The Apprentice." Writing in his personal Web log, Cuban states in an open letter to Trump: "'The Benefactor' is going to be nothing like 'The Apprentice.' Why? Because, Donald, we are not alike in any way. The funny thing is, in some respects, I have you to thank for that."

After describing his 1999 intro to The Donald, Cuban continues: "After leaving your office, I promised myself that if I ever got liquid and had an obscene amount of money in the bank, I would make a point not to remind myself and everyone else around me of it every minute of every day -- unlike you."

And now he's hiring Kwame -- also unlike Trump.

[kegg66]

Amen

[Plainview1981]

Wrong. If Cuban is such a great owner why did he give

Shawn Bradley so much? Additionally, he's done nothing

to make the Mavs a legit contender. Instead of getting

a big man to give them a shot at the title he continues

to add worthless players like Antoine Walker that doesn't

help a team win.

THe Kings have a better owners. They are alot smarter than

Cuban.

[Lascar78]

Cuban still took a crappy team and made them into a yearly top-5 team FAST. Will they win a title? not without a couple changes. but still, if atlanta could become a contender as fast as dallas did, I think we would all (except fo you hotlanta) be very satisfied for the time being. Just going from being the joke of the league to a respectable team would be satisfactory for now.

Oh, and don't bother with the 'nothing but a title is acceptable' routine, we get it. but when did sacramento win a title?

either way, both the maloofs and cubans showed that they were willing to spend and would go out of their way to make their entire organization/environment player friendly. that is indeed what we need here.

[Plainview1981]

Giving a guy like Bradley all that money is stupid. And

the Mavs are no longer a top 5 team. I'd take the Lakers/

Spurs/Kings/TImberwolves/Grizzlies over them. The Suns will

be better than the Mavericks before long also. The reason

the Mavericks will not win a title is because Cuban is a

retard. "Wow, we'll go out and get Antonie Walker! He'll

really improve the team!"

And the Kings came alot closer to the title than the Mavs

will get.

[Lascar78]

I'm not saying paying bradley was smart. Neither was trading for walker. But that doesn't change the fact that they were one of the worst teams in the league and now players want to play for them and they have a good team.

Let me put it this way, we suck. I would be ecstatic if in a year or two we were as good and fun to watch as the mavs. Would I rather be the kings or spurs? sure. But I would still love to be the mavs as compared to the cellar dwellars we are today.

Nobody's saying we need a cuban clone that will make the same mistakes as him. But generally speaking, starting with a desparate franchise and fan base, we need energetic owners willing to spend and go out of their way to get good players.

[Weez]

Nice way to only grab the negatives Hots. Lakers got three championships, yet you still find fault in them. Spurs win last year, you're not convinced.

Back to the subject at hand...do you realize that they're only paying Bradley about 4 million a year, slightly less than the MCE ~ i.e. slightly more than we're paying Crawford (insert comment here). He's not a bad option for them to have for fouls/size off the bench and the mavs are over the cap anyhow....therefore I wouldn't really say it was a "bad" signing.

[Plainview1981]

Bradly should be at the league min...I could have swarn

he was signed to like a 100 million contract though.

[Weez]

his old contract was rediculous. The current one, that Cuban signed him to (and who this thread is about), is for ~ 4 million a year for seven years (I believe) signed prior to the '01 season.

[Traceman]

season. Nellie made the decision not to play him much this year but Bradley is probably worth that much to most teams. I'd take him over Jerome James or Calvin Booth and they both make SIGNIFICANTLY more money than he does. He's certainly not great but he's about as good as an average NBA Center.

[Weez]

so Hots, your new rebuttal? Cuban decided yes, I want to keep the 7-4 Bradley, but only for 3.5 million. Would you want Bradley for the price? It's far less than Nazr makes...

and you blasted him for trading LeFrentz for Walker. However, you hate Raef and his game and his exuberant contract...he moved it for a player that might have worked for them, esp. in Nellie's system (though he's failed miserably imo) and who's contract is ending after next season and (possibly now if he opts out) and is therefore a valuable trade chip...

DISCLAIMER: Hots will most likely state that Cuban still sucks as an owner becaues he signed Reaf to that contract in the first place...but it looks like it probaly wokred out best for him in the long run (and short, considering LaFrentz's injury this year)

If anything, the "worst" thing Cuban has done as an owner is show loyalty to Finley, who's game is on the slight decline each year now, mostly due to the fact that he was there through all the famine and had to play exuberant minutes and take a beating for several years...his unwillingness to trade Finley and his contract for valuable assets is difficult...it's like thanks for everything,and we know you're the heart of this team (Dirk certainly isn't esp. this year, Nash either) but now we gotta get you outta here...

[Lascar78]

Does what cuban did matter anyway? We all know our franchise will never win anything according to hotlanta anyway.

so let's all be like him and just give up, but keep posting every day about it because we have nothing better to do.

[TheDude]

cuban's not the gm who makes the personnel decisions. he just writes the checks.