- Mark Cuban has been the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks since 2000
- The Mavericks won their only NBA championship under Cuban in 2011
- Cuban shared what is the hardest part about being an owner
Mark Cuban is just about the most hands-on owner in the NBA today, and when you’re as involved as he is, there are a lot of difficult decisions to make. The Dallas Mavericks owner recently made an appearance on the Pat Bev Podcast, where he shared what is the hardest part of owning an NBA team.
“Hiring a coach is the hardest part of owning a professional sports team,” said Cuban. “That’s the hardest, it’s not even close.”
(starts at 1:06 mark):
We linked up with @mcuban and talked about EVERYTHING!!!
Can’t wait for you guys to see this one out tomorrow 10:00 AM EST pic.twitter.com/XzakWfvhVn
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) August 29, 2023
You do have to nail that head coaching hire if you want to get to the top. The players are, of course, the biggest key to having success in the NBA, but if you don’t have the right head coach, you’ll always end up falling short.
Interestingly, for someone so hands-on, the 65-year-old Cuban hasn’t had too many head coaches in his 20+ seasons.
Don Nelson was the head coach when Cuban purchased the team in 2000, and he stepped down in 2005. Avery Johnson then took over and led the Mavericks to the 2006 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in six games.
Johnson would be dismissed in 2008 and Rick Carlisle then took over. With Carlisle at the helm, the Mavericks would win their first NBA championship in 2011. He’d be the head coach till 2021 when he stepped down.
Jason Kidd has been the head coach for the last two seasons, and he took the team to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. This past season ended in disappointment, though, and another poor one in 2023-24 might see Kidd get the boot.
Mark Cuban Had A Hard Decision To Make This Offseason
The 2023 offseason presented Cuban with what some believed to be a very hard decision when it came to Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks had traded for Irving in February in what was a big gamble, and it completely backfired on them.
Dallas missed even the play-in tournament after making the trade, as they finished with a 38-44 record.
Despite the many concerns and questions raised regarding Kyrie and his fit with Luka Doncic, the Mavericks gave Irving a three-year, $126 million deal. That was certainly a lot of money for a player who didn’t necessarily have a lot of teams after him.
Trying to lowball Kyrie would have alienated him, however, so it’s hard for me to say this was a huge mistake. Cuban also defended Irving and stated the Mavericks always wanted him to stay long-term.
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