If Mark Cuban Buys Chicago Cubs, Dallas Mavericks Are Done

The Cubs and Wrigley Field are for sale, and the first round of bidding was recently completed. Three groups have bid over a billion dollars for the entity, and the leader in the clubhouse is Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban. His bid of $1.3 billion trumps the field so far. The prohibitive favorite, John Canning, was endorsed by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig but did not make the cut.

The other two groups in the running are the founders of what is now TD Ameritrade and a sports holding corporation. The latter group involves a congressman and Henry Aaron. It is kind of like the group formation which allowed Jay-Z to be an owner of the New Jersey Nets.

Many Cubs fans are hoping and praying that Cuban wins out. His energy and commitment to his team is unmatched. Many Cubs fans believe he could elevate their team to a level above the curse, like John Henry did with the Red Sox. It has already reached the point where there is a website campaign: cubanandthecubs.com. (the picture for the article comes from them)

Fans in Dallas heavily endorse Cuban with good reason. The Mavericks were an NBA bottom feeder for years before he took over. In the 90s, the Mavericks struggled despite having talent like Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, Michael Finley, and Steve Nash. Cuban was a Mavs fan and decided to step in himself. On January 4th, 2000, Cuban bought the team.

And unlike the Washington Redskins and Owner Daniel Snyder, Cuban has brought on success with his favorite team.

In the first year of the Cuban era, the Mavs went 40-42. It was their best record since the 1989-1990 season.

The next year, the Mavs exploded. Dirk Nowitzki became a household name. The Mavs went 53-29, finishing fifth in the Western Conference. Nowitski became the first Mavs player ever to earn All-NBA honors. The Mavs were finally capitalizing on their talent.

The year after that, the Mavs started the year 14-0 and tied for the league’s best record. They made the Western Conference finals but lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

Two years later, the Mavs were in the finals and up 2-0 against the Miami Heat. They had a 13 point lead going into the fourth quarter and were minutes away from a 3-0 lead. Then Dwayne Wade arrived and the Mavs lost that game and the next three games to blow the finals. The team was irreperably damaged.

The honeymoon in Dallas was over.

The next year, the Mavs went an outstanding 67-15 and won 52 of 57 at one point during the season. Then the playoffs started. The Golden State Warriors were led by Cuban’s nemesis in former Mavs Head Coach Don Nelson.  Baron Davis and the upstart Warriors tore the hearts out of the seemingly unbeatable Mavs. They dominated the Mavs and won the series 4-2, becoming just the third team ever to beat a number one seed in the opening round. And they didn’t just beat them. They dismantled them. They won the four games by 12, 18, 14, and 25 points.

The psyche of the Dallas squad was absolutely shredded at this point. This is also when whispers began about Cuban thinking of selling the Mavs.

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