DALLAS — Mark Cuban's social media "cry for help" has instead earned him a $50,000 fine from the NBA.
The Dallas Mavericks have a multitude of problems and with a 13-22 record, it's not quite right to blame the problems on the referees. But in the opinion of the owner, the NBA's state of officiating is a problem, too. So over the weekend, he asked for help, hitting Twitter almost immediately after Saturday's loss to 96-99 overtime loss to lowly New Orleans:
“Im sorry NBA fans. Ive tried for 13 yrs to fix
the officiating in this league and I have failed
miserably. Any Suggestions ? I need help”
This week marked Cuban's anniversary of having purchased the franchise, a 13-year tenure during which he's often railed against the league's officiating system. He's famous for once saying of former referee chief Ed Rush, “I wouldn’t hire him to manage a Dairy Queen." Along the way, Cuban has accumulated an estimated $2 million in fines for bucking the NBA system. Behind the scenes, he's also fueled positive change in the way referees do their jobs.
And in the final moments of the loss to the Hornets, Dirk Nowitzki appeared to benefit from a pair of whistles. But the call went against the Mavericks when New Orleans' Eric Gordon drew a foul on Darren Collison and completed a three-point play with 4.7 seconds left in overtime for the final three points of the game and the winning margin.
The Mavs also disagreed on an odd circumstance to end regulation when O.J. Mayo was beyond the 3-point line and lining up a shot when an airborne Gordon made contact with Mayo and/or the ball, knocking the ball loose.
Instead of a foul, officials called it a kicked ball.
Cuban went onto the court after the game and spoke to an official. Moments later, he was on Twitter expressing his displeasure.
Well, social media eventually makes its way to the NBA commissioner's office . . . and in this case, the punishment follows.
