Mark Cuban on Mavs' Dwight Howard Silence: 'We Don't Troll on Twitter'

Typically a fan of the spotlight, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has his organization locked down tighter than Fort Knox as it takes part in the dogged pursuit of Dwight Howard. And at least in this instance, Cuban is more than happy to keep quiet.

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Cuban said of the Mavs' recent discretion:

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This is always our approach. We never talk about what we do. We don't test the waters in the media. We don't troll on Twitter. The approach I learned from Donnie [Nelson] is that more teams will talk to you and be more open with you when they know they won't read about it. Same with players.

The two things I hate the most are leaks to the media and the wave.

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First of all, it's refreshing to hear that Cuban's Mavs aren't purposely leaking stories to the media like the rest of the teams in the Howard sweepstakes. Think about it: How are details of closed-door meetings between the Houston Rockets and Howard getting out if the Rockets aren't purposely letting them?

The same is true of the Golden State Warriors, who seem dead set on letting the world know they're real players in the chase for Howard—which they are, by the way.

And backing up a bit, the second point worth discussing here is that Cuban is even more deserving of praise for his second claim. Because nobody likes the wave.

Anyway, it's impossible to miss the irony of one of the NBA's most boisterous owners lauding the virtues of silence. It's even more ironic that he's making a specific point to keep his mouth shut on Twitter.

Perhaps the Mavs' new policy has something to do with the hefty fines Cuban has racked up over the years. Then again, maybe there's still a little sting left over from Kobe Bryant's epic tweet. You know, the one No. 24 fired off in response to Cuban's rather benign suggestion that the Los Angeles Lakers would be wise to consider amnestying him.

Months later, that tweet still packs a punch.

Anyway, the Mavericks clearly believe that keeping quiet is the best way to encourage other teams and players to do business with them. That's a reasonable thought process.

And if shutting up keeps Cuban from getting fined by the league or zinged by future Hall of Famers, all the better.