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Cuban, Johnson Seeing Eye-to-Eye
Quote:
Cuban, Johnson on eye-to-eye level
By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
DALLAS - Holding court with reporters after a recent practice, Mark Cuban remembered something he needed to say to his team.
So he excuses himself, runs off and joins the Mavericks' post-practice huddle at mid-court. This is usually the time Avery Johnson embarks some coaching wisdom, but Cuban needed a few seconds.
Unlike the Little General, Cuban's words weren't inspirational. Hardly.
He told the guys he was sorry.
"Actually, I apologized to them," Cuban said after Sunday's practice at American Airlines Center. "At the [NBA's] planning committee meeting, they told me the dress code would probably include sport coats on the bench.
"So Marquis Daniels goes out and buys a whole bunch of new clothes. I had to apologize."
Cuban doesn't have to fire off some fiery speech meant to inspire a championship run. He's not in the business of repeating what's understood.
"That's the last thing we talk about," he said. "They already know that the expectations around here are high."
Tuesday marks the sixth opening night for Cuban the owner, as the Mavs travel to Phoenix for the second half of a nationally televised doubleheader on TNT. The Steve Nash-led Suns knocked the Mavs out of the playoffs last season in the Western Conference semifinals.
Cuban is still searching for that elusive first title, and he believes the franchise is on the straightest path toward that end. That's nothing new for the internal optimist, but some changes are worth noting.
Namely, his relationship with the head coach. Cuban and Johnson have huddled together more times than either cares to remember just talking basketball.
That wasn't the case with former coach Don Nelson. At their best, Cuban and Nelson didn't get in each other's way. At their worst, it wasn't pretty.
"We always could sense as players that between Nellie and Mark, the relationship wasn't great," said Dirk Nowitzki, the only player left since Cuban bought the Mavs in 2000.
"They were working on it at times, but we all knew it wasn't great. Now, we know from top to bottom, everybody is on the same page. They're communicating a lot. It's important that the whole organization is pulling on one big string."
Cuban remains the grand puppeteer, though Johnson isn't just a yes-man. They see the game from different vantage points, while sharing championship dreams.
"That's what it's all about," Johnson said. "We're not ashamed to talk about it. We talk about it, and that's our goal."
Cuban is a one-time outsider, a fan with near endless resources that replaced a stagnant and indifferent ownership group.
Johnson is the NBA-lifer taking the baton from a coaching legend.
"We're on the same page in terms of the vision of the franchise," Johnson said. "There's a certain vision that we have.
"Again, this team is the only team in Texas that hasn't won a championship."
Reaching the summit enjoyed by San Antonio currently and Houston a decade ago won't be easy. Cuban has learned that the hard way.
The roster has turned almost completely over since the Mavs reached the 2003 Western Conference Finals.
Nowitzki is the only holdover from that team, with one-time franchise cornerstones Nash and Michael Finley now rivals.
...
Cuban likes this team. Built around Nowitzki, the Mavs have maintained a certain level of continuity from last season's 58-win squad.
Finley is the only significant departure. Doug Christie and DeSagana Diop, the only significant additions.
Josh Howard and Jason Terry are taking on bigger roles, and Jerry Stackhouse [sore knee] is the only real injury concern heading into opening night.
"I'm disappointed Stack can't get past what's wrong with his knee, but other than that, it's all been pretty much as advertised," Cuban said. "We've spent a lot of time on defense, and our defense might be ahead of our offense early on, but that's OK. Muscle memory will be there for offense.
"We believe defense wins championships. So we'll see what happens. I like what we've got so far."
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Cuban, Johnson Seeing Eye-to-Eye
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