NBA: Why Mark Cuban's latest statement is wrong

Taunts and Mixtapes are part of the Basketball culture

Dallas Mavericks v Chicago Bulls

We will address his concern about taunting first. Perhaps Mark Cuban has an issue with extroverted personalities because the irony here is that he is extraverted himself. His history of owning the Dallas Mavericks has been about taunting opponents and calling out poor officiating mainly against his Mavericks.

In a letter from the officials' association's counsel, a number of examples of Cuban's treatment of the NBA's officiating crews and the effect it may be having was submitted back in 2017.

"In a recent letter to Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, NBRA general counsel Lee Seham outlined what the union considers to be a lengthy pattern of documented violations by Cuban of the NBA constitution and “undue influence of the league’s management of its officials.”

“We consider the threat to the integrity of NBA basketball presented by Mr. Cuban’s misconduct to be real and growing,” Seham wrote on Dec. 9."

Michael Jordan used to stick out his tongue before making a ridiculously outstanding play. Dikembe Mutombo used to wag his finger at opponents who shot he had just rejected. Kevin Garnett was a known trash talker.

It certainly didn’t define the quality of their play. The NBA over the years has tried to limit the taunting and intimidation of opponents but they certainly haven’t banned it. Issuing enormous fines against Mark Cuban hasn’t censored him much either. However, basketball is an emotional game.

Basketball is a game of ebbs and flows. There are moments where everything goes wrong deflating players and then suddenly everything clicks and there is much elation among the players.

Fans cheer and get fired up when their favorite player lets out a yell after a blocked shot or flexes a bicep after a dunk. Taunting is an expression of the emotional turmoil up and down that a player feels over the course of a game and a season.

In regards to Cuban's “mixtapes” reference its not clear if he was making a reference to American players' musical preferences or if he was referring to highlight reel packages. Such highlight reels are used to sell the value of young prospects hoping to be drafted to the NBA. A highlight reel of a player's best plays helps NBA scouts and general managers make informed decisions about who to draft.

While it is a tool to these decision makers, it is one of several tools designed and used to assess young entry-level talent coming to the NBA. A player's ability to dunk, his vertical leap off of one foot or a two-foot plant, rebounding stats, length vertically (wingspan), and even standing reach are all measured tracked and recorded. If a team wanted a rebounder, leaping ability is a key factor in who you draft. Why draft a 7-foot player if he can’t dunk the basketball or coordinate the use of his size or length.

NBA fans didn’t boo Vince Carter, who played for the Mavericks when he executed one of his gravity-defying dunks. If Mark Cuban feels that the culture or system of how players are drafted or developed needs changing then he should have been clear and concise on that point.