Mavericks Lift Credential Ban on ESPN Reporters Marc Stein, Tim MacMahon

The Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban lifted their credential ban on ESPN reporters Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon on Friday and will allow them to work on press row at American Airlines Center, according to SI.com.

Stein and MacMahon were banned from working Mavericks games earlier in the week.    

Cuban later explained in an email to SB Nation's Tim Cato that ESPN.com's inability to cover each game in-depth was what warranted the ban. 

"If I did nothing and the trend towards more and more games being covered by wire reporters continues, then it could get to the point where it was too late," Cuban wrote. "I felt like if I didn't do it now, I wouldn't have a chance to stop or slow what I felt was a negative trend for the Mavs and NBA."

Less than a week later, Cuban changed his tune after working with ESPN President John Skipper and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, via SI.com:

"

We are appreciative that ESPN will not commit to Mavs fans and all NBA fans with links to local and team provided coverage of every NBA game. This will assure all NBA fans that they will find team specific game reporting for every game of their favorite teams on ESPN. I am appreciative for all the support, help and consideration that John Skipper of ESPN and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver provided towards this agreement.

"

Skipper issued a statement as well, saying in part, "Mark and I both agree that content written by individuals on site is much better. To be clear, ESPN has never contemplated automated reporting for our NBA coverage." 

MacMahon covered only the Mavericks last season, working every home game and roughly half of their road games before branching out to other teams for the 2016-17 campaign. According to Cato, MacMahon was banned for 18 days in 2008, when he worked for the Dallas Morning News, "purportedly because of a negative MacMahon report regarding then-head coach Avery Johnson."

The Mavericks' next home game is Nov. 18 against the Memphis Grizzlies.