Mark Cuban is the Fairy Godfather, and ten years ago (on January 4, which just so happened to be my birthday), he granted three wishes to Mavericks fans across the Metroplex:
1. Make the Mavericks relevant in the NBA again
2. Make basketball enjoyable, exciting, and entertaining fun for the fans
3. Bring an NBA championship to Dallas.
Ok, so maybe he hasn't quite granted wish #3 yet. But it's certainly not for any lack of effort (or lack of funding) on Cuban's part. From day one, Mark Cuban has done anything and everything within his power to make the Mavericks a championship team. He has helped shape the Dallas Mavericks into a perennial contender, one of only two teams (the other being the San Antonio Spurs) who have won a minimum of 50 games for at least ten consecutive seasons. Since Cuban came to town, no matter how bad the Mavericks might have been at any given time, there was always an underlying feeling that this team could still win it all at any given time.
Although the Mavs have yet to win an NBA title in their 30 year history, they have come close enough to taste it, and the bittersweet disappointment that goes along with letting the title slip through your hands and watching your window of opportunity slowly come to a close. But just when local media and Mavs fans alike thought the Mavs reign of goodness might come to an end, Cuban again did what he had to do: he pulled the strings on a deal that sent the talented but troubled Josh Howard (along with bit part players Drew Gooden, James Singleton, and Quinton Ross) to Washington in exchange for Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood. On the heels of that trade, the Mavericks went on a thirteen game winning streak. Although Dallas has struggled a bit over their last dozen games, fans are really starting to believe in the group of guys we have here and the possibility – or probability – that they really could win the title this season…if they can just get by those pesky Lakers.
Over the past decade, few teams have enjoyed the routine regular season successes of the Dallas Mavericks. “That’s still something special,“ Dirk Nowitzki noted, speaking of the ten straight season with 50 wins. “I’m glad I was a part of this last decade. We’ve won a lot of games and had a lot of fun. But..I’d rather trade that for a championship ring any day.”
Whether or not the Mavs will finally walk away with a title this June, one thing remains certain: Mark Cuban is the best thing that ever happened to the Dallas Mavericks.
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