Charlie Villanueva's halftime tweet a couple of weeks ago earned him a stern lecture from Scott Skiles. Will Mark Cuban's post-game tweet on Friday night earn him a (David) Stern fine? Stay tuned. When the Mavericks visited Denver in January, Cuban was fined $25,000 after seeking out J.R. Smith at halftime to tell him he didn't appreciate Smith throwing an elbow near Antoine Wright's head. The Mavs and Nuggets met on Friday for the first time since that incident, and Cuban once again took exception to Smith, who he felt left Denver's bench late in the game to taunt Wright. But instead of confronting Smith, Cuban vented on Twitter about the refs turning a blind eye.
Cuban asked "how do they not call a tech on JR Smith for coming off the bench to taunt our player on the ground?" Ten minutes later, he tweeted again: "scary part of that play: Same crew chief from game in Denver where they missed call - last play of the game & 1st JRSmith/Wright issue."
David Stern doesn't take kindly to anyone questioning the referees -- and he especially has a quick trigger-finger when dealing with Cuban -- so it seems unlikely that Cuban will emerge from this without his wallet taking at least a nominal hit. With that in mind, Twitter could be a potentially dangerous outlet for Cuban since it makes it easier than ever to put his complaints on the record.
While he's always made himself accessible to the media and has maintained a popular blog for several years, putting his foot in his mouth via those mediums requires either a willing reporter or a few minutes to spare in front of a laptop. With Twitter, Cuban can draw Stern's ire with a quick text message on his phone.
Take it from John Mayer, Twitter can have serious repercussions. In the long run, it might be cheaper for Cuban to consider canceling his account -- or at least pay someone to hold his phone until he calms down after games.
Cubans Controversies
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took a shot at NBA referees via his Twitter page on Friday night, saying "how do they not call a [technical foul] on J.R. Smith for coming off the bench to taunt our player on the ground?" Click through to see more notorious highlights from Cuban's past in the sports world.
Garrett W. Ellwood, NBAE / Getty Images
In November 2008, the outspoken billionaire was accused of insider trading concerning the sale of 600,000 shares of Mamma.com. The SEC's lawsuit sought an injunction against future violations, an unspecified civil penalty and restitution of the losses Cuban allegedly avoided.
David Zalubowski, AP
Cuban, who became a billionaire by selling his company, Broadcast.com, to Yahoo! in 1999, purchased the Dallas Mavericks in 2000 for $285 million from H. Ross Perot Jr. The Mavericks were a floundering NBA franchise, with a small following and struggles on the court.
Paul Buck, AFP / Getty Images
Cuban became a very hands-on and accessible owner, spending his time on the court rather than up in the owner's box and running his own blog.
Ronald Martinez, Getty Images
Cuban's rise to ownership is considered the ultimate fan fantasy successfully coming true. He is an unapologetic fan not afraid to celebrate or scream at officials or players.
Roy Dabner, AP
However, because of his gregarious nature, Cuban has had his share of spats with NBA commissioner David Stern. The league has fined the owner more than $1.6 million for various comments and actions.
Bill Janscha, AP
After saying "I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen" about the NBA's head of officiating in 2002, the company challenged Cuban to work in one of its stores for a day. Cuban accepted, and served frozen treats at a Texas location.
LM Otero, AP
Even Cuban's ex-players aren't spared his wrath. After former Maverick Michael Finley returned to Dallas in the 2005-06 season, the owner encouraged fans to shower him with boos.
Douglas C. Pizac, AP
One of his own players thought Cuban should take a lesser role one the sideline. Saying it was a "bit much" for him to be next to the bench, Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki said "he's got to learn how to control himself as well as the players do."
J. Pat Carter, AP
Cuban's biggest fine came after the 2006 NBA Finals. He was fined $250,000 for various transgressions during Game 5 as the Mavericks fell behind in a series they led 2-0 and eventually lost to Miami.
Stephen Dunn, Getty Images
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Cuban is an idiot anyway.
Stern should Tweet the fine via the NBA's twitter account.
Excellent post!! Twitter is like a breath of fresh air on the Social Media scene. I have been on it for just a few weeks now and I have met several interesting people. It is a platform to network with people you would like to meet in real life. Check me out!!
http://twitter.com/spryka
Cuban is a flaming hemorrhoid. His team sucks, and Avery Johnson is laughing his ass off, tweet that..