If Mark Cuban Buys Chicago Cubs, Dallas Mavericks Are Done

Last season, the Mavs clearly took a step backwards. In what looked like a last ditch effort, Cuban and the Mavs traded promising point guard Devin Harris and valuable future first round draft picks to the Nets for Jason Kidd. Kidd and the Mavs weren’t good afterwards and the Mavs lost in the opening round to another upstart team, the New Orleans Hornets.

The whispers of Cuban selling the team were getting louder.

Now Cuban is the front-runner to buy the Cubs. If Bud Selig and the other owners get over themselves, Cuban will be the next owner of Wrigley and the Cubs. What could separate Cuban from the other two groups are the renovations he would be willing to pay for the stadium. It is estimated the costs of renovating Wrigley Field are between $400 and $600 million. Cuban has already shown a creativity and brilliance in renovating the Mavericks and would deliver the same results with Wrigley.

Cuban as an owner is an amazing asset. His dedication to putting everything he has into his franchise is tremendous. He becomes part of his team. He can’t just sign the checks; he must be immersed in his club.

This is why Mavs fans better pray Cuban doesn’t win the Cubs.

Cuban is a wise businessman and understands that he cannot give his whole-hearted effort if he owns two teams in different parts of the country. He has proven he can pounce on an opportunity. That’s how he acquired his massive wealth. He can’t be the owner he feels he should be if he owns both the Mavericks and the Cubs. Especially with the length of the baseball season.

Cuban, if he seriously looks at it, might acknowledge privately that the Mavs window of opportunity has closed. With the Hornets, Lakers, and Blazers all young teams on the rise and the perennial Spurs now in their title year (their pattern is to win every two years), the Mavericks are in a tough spot. Either a drastic shakeup has to be made or they won’t make the playoffs next year.

Cuban wants to win and is looking for a chance to do so. He feels the Cubs might fill the void.

They are the ultimate challenge. They haven’t won in a century. Assuming the Cubs fall short again this year, Cuban could become a folk hero. If he were to lead the Cubs to a World Series and do it in quick fashion he would go down as one of the greatest owners of our time.

The Cubs themselves have a solid core of players. Zambrano and Harden could anchor the rotation for the next five years. Carlos Marmol could evolve into one of the game’s best closers in due time. The Cubs have a solid young catcher in Geovany Soto. They have several highly talented position players. They also have some up and coming talent in the minors, like recently called up pitcher Jeff Samardzija (who might be the best wide receiver playing in Chicago). The Cubs are much better equipped than the Mavs for a title run in the coming years.

The Cubs are just opening their window of opportunity. The Mavs will soon be going through the rebuilding cycle.

Cuban put the Mavs in position to win a championship but the players choked for him. It was out of his hands once his team went up 2-0 in the finals with a fourth quarter lead. Dallas and their core players are yet to recover from their collapse against Miami, and Cuban can't do anything to change their psychology.

Cuban basically has a choice to make. He can begin a long rebuilding process in Dallas. He could become a legend in Chicago.

The choice is his.

That $1.3 billion bid was his decision.

 

If Cuban does indeed buy the Cubs he will likely look into selling the Mavericks at some point within the next calendar year. He will make sure to sell the team to a reputable owner; he won’t sell the team to a Clay Bennett. The next Mavs owner will probably be smart enough to have some success.

 

But they will never be the same. David Stern will be celebrating, but there won't be a party in Dallas.

 

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