06-25-2021, 10:30 PM
(06-25-2021, 10:21 PM)Tyler Wrote: I lean more towards the interpretation that Cuban is continuing his long-time efforts to build a player-friendly organization.
He replaced a coach that rubbed lots of players the wrong way with one they love. He hired a new GM that players universally respect. He groomed a former player into a lead role in the front office, brought in another as a consultant, hired one as the head coach, is looking to add one or more to the coaching staff, has hired several to coach the G-league team, and regularly rotates them through the media team. And to the extent that he clearly favors former Mavs, I see that not so much as naive nostalgia but as a fulfillment of his long time MFFL promise to take care of his own. Whatever criticism one might have about the merit of specific guys at certain positions, that's unquestionably a strong team-centric culture that is clearly very deliberate. Mark is one of the most player-friendly owners in the league, and it's not just talk.
Well, there's room for disagreement here, and I'm sure there were multiple motives.
If Mark is clearly objectively one of the most player-friendly owners in the league, it is all the more strange that he has had such a hard time attracting guys here. Hopefully, some of the changes will improve that situation!