Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said that his plans are “for the franchise to remain in his family forever,” now that he is “nearly seven years removed from almost selling” the team, according to Dwain Price of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. Cuban on Saturday said, "Hopefully my kids and their kids (will own the team). I always said unless something about the game drove me nuts, or the league, I would stick it out." Cuban during the ‘06 NBA Finals “was ready to turn in his NBA ownership.” He said of that time, "We put out feelers. I was really questioning the integrity of the game. After 2006, I was probably ready to sell. But I took some time off." Friday marked the “13th anniversary since Cuban reached an agreement to purchase the Mavs from Ross Perot Jr. on Jan., 4, 2000, for a whopping $285 million” (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 1/6). Cuban said of ’06, "The league was completely different back then. There were so many teams that did things the way they always have done things. They were so old school, and the way I did things was so different that I felt like I had an advantage. Now the rules are different and teams across the board are smarter. So it's much more difficult to have an edge.” He added, "Today the draft is far more important than it has ever been, as is being smart about how you spend money. It used to be I could spend as much as I could and there were no consequences. Those days are gone. Now being over the (luxury) tax impacts your ability to improve your team” (ESPN.com, 1/4).
