Volume CXXXIII, Number 15 February 8, 2002 f

Bringing energy to the game
ANDY MINESS
COLUMNIST

What is the deal with new NBA players not taking advantage of the All-Star Weekend Festivities? In years past, the main event of the entire All-Star Weekend was the Slam Dunk contest. For instance, Jordan's dunk from the foul line in 1988 remains one of the top selling sports posters of all times.

This year, the field has been reduced to four particpants; pretty lame if you ask me! So league executives should not be surprised that the NBA is not as popular as in years past, according to television ratings and overall sales. How do you fix these problems (i.e. getting the spunk back into the league)? The answer is simple, appoint Mark Cuban to commissioner and let him turn this thing around like he has with the Dallas Mavericks.

As a fan, I absolutely love this guy. He is living out every kid's dream, running an organization and having fun along the way. Look at all the other owners in the NBA, they are a bunch of boring geezers out to make some money. Now I am not saying that Mark Cuban is not as interested in money as other owners, but what I am saying is that he brings good energy to the game. He treats his players like famous kings and offers Dallas fans a great chance of winning every game. His players' lockers look more like displays out of a Nobody Beats the Wiz store than places where players prepare before games. And I believe that the way he treats his players translates onto the court. After all, if Mark Cuban treats his players well, his players in turn will have some added ownership and responsibility invested in that team.

Many critics of Mark Cuban believe that he is just too arrogant and pompous for the game,and that he sends the wrong impression to fans. That is bogus from my perspective. He is the ultimate fan living out a dream that is usually only seen in movies. Look at Dallas as a case study, he runs it as a business. He invested money in order to make money, and perhaps someday he will have the chance to fix the NBA's problems. Mark Cuban is young, bright, successful, energetic and fun; what is there not to like?