February 09, 2004
Brown vs. Cuban
David Moore of the Dallas Morning News has got the biggest scoop in sports journalism this morning, finding himself in the middle of a dustup between Larry Brown, head coach of the Detroit Pistons, as well as Team USA in the upcoming Athens Olympics, and Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban.
Cuban thinks it's time to put an end to the "Dream Team" concept in Olympic Basketball -- he's concerned about his players breaking down over the extra playing time, something we've heard before from the world of international Soccer.
Brown, a confirmed fan of Olympic Basketball, has a bone to pick with Cuban:
"Unfortunately, a guy like Cuban makes a dumbass statement, a guy who's never had an opportunity to represent his country and be a part of that whole process and understand the goodwill and the way we've improved the game," said Brown, who was in Dallas for the Pistons' game against the Mavericks on Saturday.
"Hell, if the Dream Team didn't go, maybe he wouldn't have half his players. Maybe these kids would be playing soccer or something else. That makes me sick."
Cuban wasn't going to take that sitting down:
"This is a topic that's easy for Larry to comment on," Cuban said. "He has never had to write the check for an NBA payroll in his life. Has he ever run a business in his life?
"He isn't responsible to fans, and he gets paid regardless of what happens. If things don't work out, a player gets injured or he doesn't like the way things are going, he can do what he has done everywhere else, just leave.
"As the owner of the team, I can't do that," Cuban continued. "I am responsible to everyone in the organization, particularly the fans, who much prefer watching our best players, playing at the top of their game."
There's plenty more, as Cuban unloaded on Brown with everything he had.
POSTSCRIPT: At the close of Miracle, the movie made the point that the Olympics may have lost something when America started to send "Dream Teams," to the Games. I think there's more than a little bit of truth to that, and Cuban may be on to something.
Olympic Soccer makes do without them, instead opting for squads of players under the age of 23 regardless of the players' professional status. I have to wonder out loud if the Olympics might recapture some of that competitive spirit if the Basketball and Ice Hockey tournaments adopted a similar format. Unfortunately, without the star power of the professionals, I'm afraid NBC, the Olympic broadcast partner here in the U.S., might have some qualms.
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