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LeBron says Mavs owner Cuban `very sly guy’
DALLAS (AP)—When LeBron James was the coveted free agent last summer, he got a few text messages from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban before making his decision to go to Miami.
Before the Heat played in Dallas for the only time this season, James described Cuban as “a very sly guy” Saturday night.
“He wants to win, he wants best for his team,” said James, who along with Dallas-born Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami.
Cuban said his texts to James and the player’s business manager Maverick Carter had a simple message.
“When he was making his decision, what I told him, and I told Maverick, was that no team had ever blown up a team of all their core, then added a couple of free agents and won,” Cuban said. “It’s always taken someone to come into a good team to make it better and put them over the top. That’s what I told him.”
The Heat arrived in Dallas with a 9-7 record. They beat Philadelphia on Friday night to end a three-game losing streak, but there has been plenty of talk about Miami’s woes.
“I’m not trying to get caught up in it too much,” James said. “People are going to have their comments, everyone’s going to have a comment about our team, about what we did, about what I did this summer. You hear it and you go forward, don’t try to get caught up in it as much.”
Miami’s leading rebounder, Udonis Haslem, may be out for the season after surgery this week to repair a torn ligament in his left foot.
Asked if he had any interest in the Mavericks last summer, James started his response by saying he gave “a lot of teams” consideration.
“That’s one of the teams I looked at, a veteran ball club with a lot of winners on their team,” James said. “But I guess you know where I ended up.”
Cuban was later asked if he James and the Heat would regret their decisions.
“I have no idea,” Cuban said. “The Mavs were 0-4 and ended up winning 67 games, so you just don’t know. They can win out … Hopefully not until starting after we play them in December and tonight.”
That 0-4 start to 67 wins for Dallas came in the 2006-07 season, after the Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals against Miami the previous season.
LeBron says Mavs owner Cuban `very sly guy’
DALLAS (AP)—When LeBron James was the coveted free agent last summer, he got a few text messages from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban before making his decision to go to Miami.
Before the Heat played in Dallas for the only time this season, James described Cuban as “a very sly guy” Saturday night.
“He wants to win, he wants best for his team,” said James, who along with Dallas-born Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami.
Cuban said his texts to James and the player’s business manager Maverick Carter had a simple message.
“When he was making his decision, what I told him, and I told Maverick, was that no team had ever blown up a team of all their core, then added a couple of free agents and won,” Cuban said. “It’s always taken someone to come into a good team to make it better and put them over the top. That’s what I told him.”
The Heat arrived in Dallas with a 9-7 record. They beat Philadelphia on Friday night to end a three-game losing streak, but there has been plenty of talk about Miami’s woes.
“I’m not trying to get caught up in it too much,” James said. “People are going to have their comments, everyone’s going to have a comment about our team, about what we did, about what I did this summer. You hear it and you go forward, don’t try to get caught up in it as much.”
Miami’s leading rebounder, Udonis Haslem, may be out for the season after surgery this week to repair a torn ligament in his left foot.
Asked if he had any interest in the Mavericks last summer, James started his response by saying he gave “a lot of teams” consideration.
“That’s one of the teams I looked at, a veteran ball club with a lot of winners on their team,” James said. “But I guess you know where I ended up.”
Cuban was later asked if he James and the Heat would regret their decisions.
“I have no idea,” Cuban said. “The Mavs were 0-4 and ended up winning 67 games, so you just don’t know. They can win out … Hopefully not until starting after we play them in December and tonight.”
That 0-4 start to 67 wins for Dallas came in the 2006-07 season, after the Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals against Miami the previous season.
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