Nature reportedly abhors a vacuum, but not half as much as Mark Cuban does. No sooner was Nico Harrison out the door than the former Mavs owner had his foot in it.
In appearance, anyway. Maybe influence.
But calling shots like the old days?
Not so much, and that’s a good thing.
Mavericks
Before getting to Cuban’s third act with the Mavs, which started this week with emails to our Mike Curtis and others asserting Anthony Davis isn’t being shopped, let’s retrace the evolution of his status.
First and foremost, he transformed the Mavs from a sleepy, underperforming organization to one that delivered its only NBA title. Along the way his bombastic style and power over personnel drew natural comparisons with another larger-than-life, face-of-the-franchise owner in town.
But here are a couple of critical differences between Cuban and Jerry Jones:
Jerry’s wealth has increased exponentially since buying the Cowboys.
And he wouldn’t give up his baby if he were dead broke.
Cuban tells us he’s lost millions over the years because he always plowed everything back into the franchise instead of passing costs along to consumers, a claim supported by ticket-price hikes coming from the new owners. The more we see of this Vegas crew, the better Cuban looks.
Except it’s worth mentioning he hired Nico, and he sold to the Adelsons. He had no idea what he was getting into with either, which speaks to his hubris or naivete or both.
From the moment at Nico’s introductory presser when Cuban turned to his hire and said he’d have the final say, it was clear he intended to treat the new guy just like he’d done Donnie Nelson. General manager in name only. He was mostly interested in Nico as a recruiter for the free agents who always went somewhere else.
Of course, as we learned from an ESPN report this week by SportsDay alum Tim MacMahon, Nico had other ideas.
Seems safe to say he chafed at decisions made by his new boss. Much like his egregious call to let Steve Nash walk, Cuban didn’t make Jalen Brunson a priority. MacMahon also reports Cuban made the deal for Christian Wood, not Nico. Jason Kidd never wanted Wood or his empty numbers, meaning the Mavs wasted a first-round pick.
Cuban had a hand in other deals on Nico’s watch. Hard to say if the GM objected to the help, but the sale gave him the opening he needed.
Coming off the exceptional approval rating of his Finals run, Nico, no longer in Cuban’s shadow, ingratiated himself with Patrick Dumont, who, after a drumbeat of propaganda, bought into the false narrative of Luka Doncic’s dubious long-term prospects. Cuban knew better, but he no longer had any say to stop it.
Think about that: Cuban’s relationship with the new owners preceded Nico’s, but Dumont went with Nico over a perceived pal because of the success he’d just witnessed. Nothing personal, just business. Pretty much what you’d figure for someone from Vegas.
Dumont eventually realized too late the scale of the disaster he’d approved and asked Cuban to help with the public relations clean-up.
Next thing you know, Cuban’s declaring AD off-limits in replies to reporters’ emails, just like old times.
Only it’s not.
To his credit, Cuban has admitted he’s no more than an “adviser” to Dumont. He’s smart to play down his role if he wants any influence at all from here on out. As it is, he’s the temporary face of the franchise until Dumont hires a new GM.
Nothing against Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, “co-general managers,” but Dumont needs to make them as interim as possible. This is the franchise’s second watershed moment in nine months. If there’s no fixing the mistake of nine months ago, a golden opportunity nevertheless awaits a new GM.
No matter what Cuban says about Davis — and it’s what he should say, by the way, in order to protect his trade value — the Mavs have to deal him before the February deadline. Now is the time to reshape their future around Cooper Flagg. Probably requires other moves, too.
The Mavs’ overloaded frontcourt worked when Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford rolled to the rim for Luka lobs, but that old-school approach no longer applies without him.
The Mavs aren’t just bad; they’re old and bad. They own exclusive rights to just two first-round picks between now and 2031, including one next summer. The good news is, NBA types consider this an excellent draft, and the Mavs are already off to a tankable start.
Find another cornerstone player – Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, maybe – to pair with Flagg and move on from the most disastrous interlude in the organization’s history.
Question is, who’s the guy to dictate the franchise’s next chapter and beyond? My choice would be Bob Myers, who orchestrated a dynasty at Golden State and has worked well with Rick Welts, the Mavs’ CEO. But Marc Stein, another SportsDay alum, says Myers’ current posting precludes him from a job in Dallas.
Word is Cuban would like Dennis Lindsey, whom he once hired to help Nico’s transition from the shoe business. Lindsey had a say in the roster construction of the ‘24 Mavs, and he’s done a nice job in Detroit.
But could Cuban’s backing backfire? Does Dumont want a GM who might be unduly influenced by the former owner?
From what we can tell, the new majority owner seems to have a pretty good handle on how the old one operates. Those days are over. Time for the Mavs to move on not only from the last administration, but the one that preceded it, too.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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