Cuban Being Cuban - NBA Basketball News And Picks

Cuban Being Cuban
By Marty Gitlin
Posted 4:00 am PDT 2006-11-07

Gee, wonder if Dallas owner Mark Cuban holds a grudge against former coach Don Nelson?

Here's a clue: Most teams raise championship banners before their first home game the following season. The Miami Heat did Tuesday night after winning the NBA title.

But the Mavericks? They opened at home against no less than the San Antonio Spurs. But Cuban decided to hold off raising their first Western Conference championship banner until tonight.

That's when Nelson's Golden State Warriors are in town.

Hmmmmm.

Not only did Nelson fail to reach the finals during his stint in Dallas, but he criticized Cuban for allowing two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash to hightail it to Phoenix. Cuban claims Nelson was part of that decision.

The owner also claims he holds no grudges against Nelson.

"First, it's not a grudge match," Cuban says. "If we put on sumo outfits at halftime, then maybe. ..."

Now that would be worth the price of admission.

DIRTY DEED BY 'SHEED: Chicago's Andres Nocioni earned the distinction of receiving the first heave-ho from an NBA game for violating the new "no-whine" rule.

But you knew Detroit legendary whiner Rasheed Wallace couldn't be far behind. He was whistled for 19 technical fouls last year, which is actually rather tame compared to his days in Portland.

Wallace, however, was nailed twice in the Pistons' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in their home opener. The second came less than halfway through the second quarter and earned him ejection from the game

And, surprise! He was upset.

"In my opinion, it's really (bull)," Wallace said. "It's just given (the referees) more power than the majority of them can handle. You don't really have to say nothing. I said 'Oh!' on the first tech because it was a good block. Then on the second one, the dude (Charlie Villanueva) threw an elbow, and I told the other two refs that I ain't going to be going for that.

"I can deal with losing. I can deal with having a bad game and I can deal with shooting woes. But I can't deal with dirty play and cheating. Then I told that to Luis Grillo, and he said something back and I said, 'I am just letting everyone know,' and that's when they gave me that second tech and threw me out."

SETTING SUNS: WagerWeb.com listed the Suns as the favorites to emerge from the Western Conference in 2007. They were considered a 5-1 shot to win it all before the season began.

But if the defense doesn't improve, the Suns will be setting in the West. Their up-tempo style, of course, translates into high-scoring games. But only the porous Seattle SuperSonics have a higher points-against average per game than Phoenix this season.

The Suns have yet to yield fewer than 104 points in any game. The result is a 1-3 record.

JESSE THE PEACE-MAKER: First, Jesse Jackson negotiated the release of a U.S. pilot in Syria. Then he secured the release of 22 Americans in Cuba. He also helped free prisoners of war in Belgrade.

He has worked with Martin Luther King and has been involved in peace talks in both Northern Ireland and in the Middle East.

But all that was child's play. Now he has brought Ben Wallace and Ron Artest together.

He prayed with them. They hugged and everything.

The Ben and Ron Night of Peace was Friday and became official after the Bulls' 89-88 loss to Sacramento in their home opener.

"They embraced each other," Jackson reported after the scene in the Kings' locker room. "They had prayers and [will] move on to the next level. It was important for them and for the sport and for children who watch the game. These scars must not be terminal scars."

Artest and Wallace were the initial combatants in the brawl that extended into the stands between the Pacers and Pistons and became one of the ugliest scenes in U.S. sports history.

VAUGHN FLATTERED: Spurs reserve point guard Jacque Vaughn was considered among the more promising coaching candidates in the annual General Managers survey.

Though he's not ready to start that transition, he got a kick out of it.

"If you asked me my first year, I would have said, 'No way,' " Vaughn said. "But the more I've been around the game, the more I kind of appreciate it. I think at some point when I'm done, I want to give it a go. But I'm not ready to put away the shoes yet."

UPS AND DOWNS: The most encouraging individual performances? How about Orlando's oft-injured Grant Hill, who has scored 58 points in his first three games?

Or Indiana backup guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, who led the season-opening win over Charlotte with 20 points and five assists in just 21 minutes.

Or Cleveland guard Larry Hughes, who is averaging nearly 20 points in three games and has looked far more comfortable and aggressive than he did all of last season.

Another finally healthy player is Utah power forward Carlos Boozer, who is among the top scorers in the league and leads everyone at 15 rebounds a game.

On the other hand, Atlanta free agent point guard Speedy Claxton is averaging just 5.3 points a game and is shooting 18.2 percent from the field.

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