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.<\/p>\n
In appearance, anyway. Maybe influence.<\/p>\n
But calling shots like the old days?<\/p>\n
Not so much, and that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n
Mavericks<\/p>\n
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By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Before getting to Cuban\u2019s third act with the Mavs, which started this week with emails to our Mike Curtis and others asserting Anthony Davis isn\u2019t being shopped<\/a>, let\u2019s retrace the evolution of his status.<\/p>\n First and foremost, he transformed the Mavs<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n But here are a couple of critical differences between Cuban and Jerry Jones:<\/p>\n Jerry\u2019s wealth has increased exponentially since buying the Cowboys.<\/p>\n And he wouldn\u2019t give up his baby if he were dead broke.<\/p>\n Cuban tells us he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Except it\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n From the moment at Nico\u2019s introductory presser when Cuban turned to his hire and said he\u2019d have the final say, it was clear he intended to treat the new guy just like he\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n Of course, as we learned from an ESPN report this week by SportsDay alum Tim MacMahon<\/a>, Nico had other ideas.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Cuban had a hand in other deals on Nico\u2019s watch. Hard to say if the GM objected to the help, but the sale gave him the opening he needed.<\/p>\n Coming off the exceptional approval rating of his Finals run, Nico, no longer in Cuban\u2019s shadow, ingratiated himself with Patrick Dumont, who, after a drumbeat of propaganda, bought into the false narrative of Luka Doncic\u2019s dubious long-term prospects. Cuban knew better, but he no longer had any say to stop it.<\/p>\n Think about that: Cuban\u2019s relationship with the new owners preceded Nico\u2019s, but Dumont went with Nico over a perceived pal because of the success he\u2019d just witnessed. Nothing personal, just business. Pretty much what you\u2019d figure for someone from Vegas.<\/p>\n Dumont eventually realized too late the scale of the disaster he\u2019d approved and asked Cuban to help with the public relations clean-up.<\/p>\n Next thing you know, Cuban\u2019s declaring AD off-limits in replies to reporters\u2019 emails, just like old times.<\/p>\n Only it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n To his credit, Cuban has admitted he\u2019s no more than an \u201cadviser\u201d to Dumont. He\u2019s smart to play down his role if he wants any influence at all from here on out. As it is, he\u2019s the temporary face of the franchise until Dumont hires a new GM.<\/p>\n Nothing against Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, \u201cco-general managers,\u201d<\/a> but Dumont needs to make them as interim as possible. This is the franchise\u2019s second watershed moment in nine months. If there\u2019s no fixing the mistake of nine months ago, a golden opportunity nevertheless awaits a new GM.<\/p>\n No matter what Cuban says about Davis \u2014 and it\u2019s what he should say, by the way, in order to protect his trade value \u2014 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.<\/p>\n The Mavs\u2019 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.<\/p>\n The Mavs aren\u2019t just bad; they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n Find another cornerstone player \u2013 Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, maybe \u2013 to pair with Flagg and move on from the most disastrous interlude in the organization\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Question is, who\u2019s the guy to dictate the franchise\u2019s 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\u2019 CEO. But Marc Stein, another SportsDay alum, says Myers\u2019 current posting precludes him from a job in Dallas.<\/p>\n Word is Cuban would like Dennis Lindsey, whom he once hired to help Nico\u2019s transition from the shoe business. Lindsey had a say in the roster construction of the \u201824 Mavs, and he\u2019s done a nice job in Detroit.<\/p>\n But could Cuban\u2019s backing backfire? Does Dumont want a GM who might be unduly influenced by the former owner?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Twitter\/X: @KSherringtonDMN<\/a><\/p>\n Mavericks\u2019 heavy dose of clutch games offers chance for growth: \u2018We\u2019re figuring it out\u2019<\/a>Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum to undergo season-ending surgery<\/a><\/p>\n