Mark Cuban is a rather candid guy. So when he decided to spend his Christmas Eve answering questions on Reddit, it wasn’t all that surprising.
Nevertheless, Cuban had some interesting responses to his inquiries, which were all over the place in terms of topics. Cuban broke down the NBA’s officiating, his Christmas buying habits, the Toronto Raptors and his Shark Tank gig.
Oh yeah, and he’s apparently never thrown money everywhere, although we all know he’s got some dough to spare.
Here’s a look at some highlights of Cuban’s Q&A, with a good, old-fashioned hat tip to Deadspin.
Reddit: Hey, Mr. Cuban. Why do basketball players only get recognition after they’ve been a part of a championship team? For instance, Dirk has been an amazing player for 10 years now, but only got the respect he truly deserved from fans after having a championship caliber supporting cast (Including coaches) around him. If it’s a team game, why do players only get appreciated after they accomplish something that’s mostly out of their control (Since, most of the time, they don’t decide who they get to play with)?
Cuban: Thats the stupid , macho element of all professional sports. Its a lot easier to just pin a lable on someone than to actually do the work to determine the impact of a player. ITs the same reason everyone over values scoring in the NBA. Scoring is usually the easiest part of the game.
Reddit: On Shark Tank, how many of the deals get modified or cancelled after the cameras stop rolling? Also, have you ever decided to make a deal with someone after the cameras stop?
Cuban: we get the chance to do due diligence after the show. As a result you uncover things that were not brought up in the show , so its not unusual for a deal to fall through in the DD phase. I have had things like people who never paid their taxes, people who lied on the show, people who didnt think that if they spent money on their personal credit cards it should be considered an expense., you name it. There is so much pressure on the entrepeneur during the show that sometimes they say what they think we want to hear rather than the truth. The DD helps us seperate the two
Reddit: Hi mark, There seems to be this stigma in the NBA, that no one really wants to play for the Toronto Raptors especially superstars. I myself have lived there in the past and its a wonderful city and i can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to live there. Canada is a great place to live but it seems to really scare players away, it could be the high taxes or the cold weather, but other teams have that too. Why do you think Toronto is avoided by major NBA stars?
Cuban: i dont get that either. I think TO is an amazing city
Reddit: Do you think the increased number of technical fouls called is necessary, or are the refs being a little too sensitive?
Cuban: I think a tech is more a reflection on the officiating than it is on the player with the exception being the guys who just love to yell. ie, the old school Rasheed Wallace. There are so many fewer techs in college and the coaches in particular there get a lot more beligerant than what you see in the NBA
Reddit: Thanks for doing this! What do you think gives the Mavs an advantage in a stacked Western Conference this year, whether it be how the coaching staff game plans or certain personnel advantages? Do you think there will be any difficulty in having Dirk and Mayo on the floor at the same time in a sort of Stoudemire/Melo situation? What advice would you give to a young entrepreneur?
Cuban: I think dirk will help OJ’s game a bunch. Up till now teams have really overloaded their Ds to stop OJ. With Dirk back it should open things up for OJ and the rest of our offense. If we can stop turning the ball over we will ok. If not, not. The turnovers are driving me crazier than this damn kidney stone surgery Ive had to deal with. I think the turnovers are more painful
Reddit: Hey Mark, how close did you come to buying the Cubs?
Cuban: not close at all. When I couldnt get the owner of the Cubs to sit in a room with me that pretty much told me it wasnt going to happen. I never made a final formal bid
Reddit: Thoughts on Deron Williams?
Cuban: none
Reddit: How’s your relationship with Skip Bayless?
Cuban: who ?
Reddit: I hate to be so straight forward, but what does a billionaire buy his kids for Christmas?
Cuban: the same junk that everyone else buys.
Reddit: If you could change one thing about the NBA, what would it be? Also, thank you for voting against the Sonic’s move to OKC.
Cuban: the officiating. Ive spent 13 years trying to make it better and I havent really accomplished anything.
Reddit: In regards to the officiating, which rules need to be watched (corrected) the most?
Cuban: I think we have to re evaluate the mechanics of officiating . We miss far too many 3 secs and travelling calls. I think we need to devise a way where officials can help each other more. Right now its very limited when and how officials can help change a call
Reddit: Have you ever “made it rain”?
Cuban: no. thats dumb shit that people with real money dont do .
Photo via Twitter/@mcuban
