Dallas Mavericks: Mark Cuban on J.J. Barea, Luka Doncic, and more

Dallas Mavericks: Mark Cuban on J.J. Barea, Luka Doncic, and more

The Dallas Mavericks have the best owner in professional sports in Mark Cuban. The billionaire is never afraid to spend money to improve the on-court product, while also being committed to improving the community and the world around him. The Mavs are lucky to have Cuban leading their charge.

Basketball is back. The preseason kicks off for the Mavericks as they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Cuban’s 2021 offseason target Giannis Antetokounmpo will be leading the Bucks. Expect an entertaining start to the new year.

Cuban went on The Jim Rome Show on Friday to discuss a plethora of topics including the Mavs. Let us take a look at the highlights.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on J.J. Barea, Luka Doncic, and more

The Mavericks released J.J. Barea on Dec. 10. The veteran was a roster casualty, but Cuban sent him off with a full season’s guaranteed salary. It was an amazing gesture from the Mavs owner. Cuban shared his thoughts on what Barea meant to the Mavericks over his 11-year run in Dallas.

"“I mean J.J. is a legend. The backstory on J.J. is, we needed a point guard for a summer league team back in 2005. I just happened to be looking at stats, and there was this guy that kept popping up from Northeastern that was scoring 20 and dishing nine assists. I had never even seen him play, and I said to Donnie Nelson, ‘let’s just bring him for summer league and we’ll see if he can play’. The rest is history. He came in sight unseen and just dominated. He’s been great for the Mavs, great for Dallas, and great for Puerto Rico ever since.”"

It was a sad day for everyone to see Barea go. It was a necessary move, but losing a franchise icon always hurts.

Cuban also shared his thoughts on the NBA’s quick turnaround after the Orlando bubble.

"“I think the guys are ready. I was at practice today (Dec. 11), and everybody was excited to play. Initially, it was, are we ready for this? How are we going to deal with COVID? What is it going to be like not being in the bubble? Now, guys have adjusted. The daily testing is going to turn into two-a-day testing now. So, guys recognize you’ve got to take care of business in protecting yourself from COVID and take care of business on the court. They are ready. You don’t make that type of commitment personally unless you really want to play, so they are excited. Guys are fired up, and we should be better than last year.”"

Fans should be excited too. The Mavericks are primed to continue climbing up the standing and to make a deep playoff run this season.

Rome asked Cuban what makes Luka Doncic unique. See the Mavericks owner’s response below.

"“His desire to be great. His willingness to put in the effort. There are a lot of people that have come into the NBA with great talent, great athleticism, and that is what they have. They don’t necessarily work at it. They don’t necessarily understand the game. Luka is all those things. He’s got size. He’s got athleticism. He’s got the basketball junk to him. He’s got a basketball IQ, but most important he’s got this willingness to work hard.Just as important, he recognizes that fans and the community that he’s in are an important part of his job or just who is. It is important to him to connect to the kids, to connect to the community, and those are the things you see with greatness. Whether it is in basketball or any business, people who want to be the best, but recognize that the people around them are just as important.”"

Mark Cuban also talked about Shark Tank, Delonte West, and more in the wide-ranging interview. Fans can listen to it below.

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are ready for the season. It promises to be full of excitement, so do not miss a second of the action.