I’m just going to throw it out there. Jason Kidd will help the Chicago Cubs win the 2009 World Series, their first in 101 years.

It’s open to discussion on whether or not the Kidd trade was good for the Dallas Mavericks. What is not debatable, however, is that it’s a surefire indication that Mark Cuban wants to win an NBA Championship now and he’s willing to go to great lengths to do so.

Trading away a promising 25 year-old point guard and two first round picks can’t be labeled anything else.

That Mark Cuban is going all-in to win a championship is not a new concept. Few question the Mavericks owner's desire to win at everything. His passion and involvement with his team are well documented and occasionally criticized. So it’s not the Jason Kidd trade alone that makes his desire to win immediately noteworthy, but also his interest in purchasing the Chicago Cubs.
 
Cuban has battled with David Stern and many other NBA owners over the past few years, and he publicly questions the corporate strategy and direction of the Association.  Not a man to bite his tongue, Cuban has even hinted that he is ready to leave the NBA because his struggles with Stern have stripped him of his passion.

However, Cuban has no interest in leaving as a loser, and that’s why he must win a championship. Acquiring Kidd was probably, in Cuban’s mind, the best bet to winning this year. Additionally, Cuban has no need for two first round draft picks when he’s sitting in the Wrigley Field bleachers with his clients (something Cuban has expressed great interest in doing if owner).
 
Even if his bid is highest, Cuban is definitely not a shoe-in to become the next owner of the Cubs. The same brash personality that found him on David Stern’s bad side will most likely find him in some questionable waters with Bud Selig and MLB owners.  Combine the extra scrutiny with bidding against some of Selig’s good ol’ boys, and Cuban’s desire and business acumen will definitely be tested.

If Cuban does assume ownership of the Cubs in time for the 2008 offseason, fans can expect several changes.

For one, they’ll have a “businessfan” as an owner. While the Cubs have definitely shed their thrifty ways in the past few years by rapidly expanding the payroll, fans are still turned off by the business mentality of the Tribune Co.

Make no mistake, Mark Cuban is a businessman with interest in a profit, but he’s also a fan and a competitor that wants to win. The result is an owner who will be willing to spend on players, but also be more in tune with what the fans want; perhaps not so much with player personnel (not that any organization should listen to the fans there), but with ticket prices and the preservation of Wrigley Field.
Additionally, the outgoing persona of Cuban will deflect fan and media attention off of the Cubs’ players. Cuban would be a healthy diversion in a city whose fandom is growing increasingly impatient with every family generation that passes without a World Series title.

Players would probably welcome questions about their boss' latest antics rather than the usual barrage about curses and futility.

In the end, Cuban’s ownership would be a healthy change for an organization that is in need of a cultural change to help overcome a century of struggles.