Mark Cuban is better at selling his product — the Dallas Mavericks and the experience of being their fan — than just about any other owner out there. It’s part of how he turned that franchise around. Sure, he spent so they could be competitive on the court, but also he changed the game and fan experience so that Dallas sports fans wanted — no, needed — to be a part of it.
Jump to the start of a new season, one removed from a title, following a summer where they didn’t land Deron Williams or Dwight Howard. Cuban is looking long term but still has a team to sell for this season.
And so he is selling O.J. Mayo as the guy who could step forward. And while you always should be wary of what a salesman tells you, what Cuban told the Dallas Morning News about the former Grizzlies is spot on — this is a defining year for Mayo.
Mayo never seemed to find a comfort zone in a Memphis offense that worked to get Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol the ball in the post. Mayo has been a volume shooter, not an efficient one. He averaged 12.6 points last season but shot just 40.8 percent last season. He took 11 shots a game last season but 7 of them were from beyond 16 feet. He’s been pretty average.
In Dallas Dirk Nowitzki remains option number one, and often option two, but Mayo is going to get his chance. He is going to be asked to score, but you know Cuban and the Mavericks are going to be tracking him with advanced stats and if his shot is off, if the team struggles when he is on the floor, if he is not efficient, his minutes will fade.
And he will have blown this chance. Because Cuban is right. This is it.