Mark Cuban sticking up for David Stern. Maybe the Mayans were right, the end of the world might be nigh.
That said, Cuban will be quick to remind you that the NBA is a business. And the first rule of business is “the customer is always right.” When Gregg Popovich sat Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili against the Miami Heat in a nationally televised game on Thursday, he was doing what was best for his team (resting older players in what was their fourth game in five nights).
But he disappointed a lot of customers — people who bought tickets and a national television audience. And David Stern came down hard on the Spurs because of those fans (for the most part, he was also sending a message to other teams).
Cuban told NBA.com he thinks Stern made the right move because you have to protect the television interest, the NBA’s “money train.”
“If he would have done the same thing the next night, it’d be a completely different conversation,” Cuban said. “Common sense. Recognize who pays your check.”
“Look, I respect the Spurs,” Cuban said. “Pop is the best coach in the league. I understand why he did it. I might even take the fine if it was us, but I understand why the league [fined the Spurs]. It maybe should have even been higher, because the amount at stake is enormous.”
But this is Cuban, you didn’t think he was going to let Stern completely off the hook, did you?
