TO RECAP THIS STUPID STORY:
Mark Cuban fires back at Deron Williams
After Deron Williams said that Mark Cuban’s absence from a free agency meeting played a role in his decision to spurn the Mavericks and stay with the Nets, Cuban fired back. (This story is stupid.)
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1. This summer Mark Cuban skipped a meeting with then-free agent superstar Deron Williams because Cuban had to tape an episode of his reality show. Or something.
2. On Monday, Deron Williams was asked if that played a role in his decision to come back to the Nets. As he told the New York Times’ Howard Beck:
“Of course ... A lot of the questions that me and my agent had for them really didn’t get answered that day — you know, pertaining to the future. And I think if he was there, he would have been able to answer those questions a little bit better. Maybe would have helped me.”
Maybe, yes. Maybe the extra $24 million in the Nets’ offer helped them too.
3. On Tuesday, Mark Cuban fired back. From ESPN Dallas:
”I’m a big D-Will fan, but I’m kind of surprised that he would throw his front office under the bus like that by saying that I would make a difference. I would have expected him to say -- like I’d expect one of our guys to say -- ‘Hey I’m so thrilled with the front office and the moves we made and our team that it wouldn’t have mattered what he did.’
[...]
“He’s a superstar point guard, but my goal is to build a team. ... I’m flattered that he thought my presence would have made more of a difference than what the Nets’ management did.”
And there you have Cubes at his very best--twisting the story like a veteran, passive aggressively making D-Will the villain (???), and blushing at the idea that his humble presence could make such a big difference.
How ridiculous of Deron Williams to think that the most hands-on owner in basketball would want to sit down with him. Guess it just shows how little confidence he has in the Nets!
Only in Mark Cuban’s universe does this logic make sense, but then, that’s part of any billionaire’s deranged charm. And that’s where we stand in this kerfuffle right now, and you’re up to speed. It’s all pretty stupid, yes? Yes, at least until The Prokhorov wades into these waters with some not-so-passive aggressive shots of his own. THEN things could get fun.
