Comments on: Mark Cuban: Your League is Rigged! (Update: Fined $250k)

By: ICallMasICM

ICallMasICM — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:21:39 +0000

'Cubanâ??s heart is in the right placeâ??I think heâ??s genuinely trying to make the NBA better and many of his complaints about the quality of the officiating have merit'

Somehow if he won I think he'd have had a lot less to say on the subject.

By: Fey Accompli » i like cursing

Fey Accompli » i like cursing — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 02:20:41 +0000

[...] everyone’s favorite tech billionaire-turned Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is famous for his outbursts. He’s currently digging his way out of a recent one. [...]

By: PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts » More on Cuban

PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts » More on Cuban — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:00:12 +0000

[...] Cuban has stated that he did not say that the game was rigged as was reported in the Miami Herald by columnist Greg Cote. Indeed, on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, Cote himself stated that he did not get the quote directly himself, but rather from someone who allegedly heard it (video here). James Joyner notes, in his update on the story, that Cuban has denied saying it on his blog: Apparently the Miami Herald is reporting i screamed at the NBA comissioner after the game the other night. Didnt happen. Didnt say a word to the man. Not a single word. And that was absolutely by intention. [...]

By: Adam Best

Adam Best — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:54:14 +0000

What would you expect Cuban to say? Flat out accusing the league of being rigged could potentially cost him his franchise. Check out my blog for a different spin on this... The Absolute Best Blog

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 20:22:59 +0000

Anderson: I haven't read the NBA's charter but I presume the commissioner has substantial power. Still, the amount of these fines has gotten astronomical in recent years, surely beyond anything Cuban could have reasonably been expecting based on past history.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:57:58 +0000

That said, I think the idea that a man, even a billionaire, should be subject to fines of this ridiculous magnitude without much more substantial due process bizarre. Sorry to be utterly ignorant of the NBA's rules, etc., but I would guess that Cuban subjected himself to these rules by signing something when he bought the team? (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) If that's the case, & I don't see how it could be otherwise, then I don't see any due-process problem. Unconscionability is not going to be an objection for a zillionaire who can pay lawyers big bucks to read the contract and tell him what might happen.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 18:01:43 +0000

Wade and Oâ??Neal do get the superstar treatment. They can lower their heads and run over defenses and if the defensive player stays their ground the get call for a foul. How the rules are called typically depends on what status the player has. They have gotten better this year and start calling Oâ??Neal when he takes more then halve a dozen steps. That is why we had such trouble at the last Olympics, the official pretty much treat everyone the same.

By: David Harris

David Harris — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:55:13 +0000

My stance on the NBA being rigged has always been this: In a league where stars admittedly receive preferential treatment from the officials, it is infinitely easier to dictate outcomes to a game or series. What I think is more likely (and I have been an NBA conspiracy theorist for a decade) is that referees call games in such a way as to have a game go down to the wire, so the star players have a chance to "come through in the clutch". This way, the outcome is still technically in the hands of the players and coaches.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:12:49 +0000

Cubanâ??s an idiot but itâ??s not like heâ??s necessarily wrong.

Mark Cuban is living a dream...what NBA fan wouldn't want to be in his shoes...a fan that happened to make enough money to buy a team. He never lost the fan in him and that makes him very different than the other owners in the league. He may be an idiot though if he truely believes what he reportedly said (that the league is rigged). If he really believed that why would he own a team?
That being said...I am not so sure that the league isn't rigged. I used to think that the conspiracy thinkers were just fans of teams that seemed to not get the close calls. After watching what happened in game 5...in which I truely had no clear cut team that I was rooting for....I am starting to think the rigged game crowd may have a point. We have only two ways to look at the whole situation. Either the league wanted Miami to win that game...or the refs were so incompetant that they made the wrong calls. Whichever way we believe it is BAD for the NBA. The league has a huge amount of money that can be made for everyone if the finals goes to 7 games. I don't see what the league would have to gain by rigging a series so that one team could win it all. If I was a Dallas fan though I would be thinking the same thing that Cuban was saying. I guess in the end it isn't a stretch for me to believe that a game or two wouldn't be rigged to insure the highest amount of interest/revenue for a series. Afterall it is a business and the only reason it exists is for profits.

By: ICallMasICM

ICallMasICM — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:25:09 +0000

Cuban's an idiot but it's not like he's necessarily wrong.

By: Eneils Bailey

Eneils Bailey — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 15:22:27 +0000

It's common in the NBA, bad behavior.
The NBA lost me years ago. Would not watch game seven of the finals if they played it on my driveway.

By: PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts

PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:40:43 +0000

Mark Cuban Needs to Take a Deep Breath...

James Joyner notes thatn Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks) isn’t too pleased with the results of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, wherein his team lost by one point to the Heat.
Cuban reportedly yelled at NBA Commissioner David Stern:
[Bleep]...

By: Mark Cuban: Your League is Rigged! » OTB Sports

Mark Cuban: Your League is Rigged! » OTB Sports — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:38:09 +0000

[...] OTB [...]

By: Dummocrats.com

Dummocrats.com — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:50:01 +0000

Mark Cuban: Your League is Rigged!...

Mark Cuban: Your League is Rigged!...

By: Spam filterning 101

Spam filterning 101 — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Outside Beltway - NOTE: My spam filter automatically deletes any TrackBacks that do not actually link and refer to this post. Those doing it manually should ensure they have linked the post before sending the TrackBack ping. Mark Cuban: Your League is Rigged! (Update: Fined $250k) Outside Beltway - NOTE: My spam filter automatically deletes any TrackBacks that do not actually link and refer to this post. Those doing it manually should ensure they have linked the post before sending the TrackBack ping.