Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban yesterday was "complimentary on the way the NBA has gotten out in front on social issues," which has "seemed to be a problem for the NFL," according to Steve Bulpett of the BOSTON HERALD. Cuban said, "It’s important. But, look, you can say you’re out front of stuff, but if no one listens to you, it doesn’t matter. If no one looks up to you for leadership, it doesn’t matter. And I think we’re fortunate in that there’s a lot of players that our fans and even not fans look up to. We set the tone in a lot of respects, and I think that’s good for the league." Cuban said that he is "not a fan of expansion" despite the rumors the NBA could add Seattle and one other city. He said, "We have enough teams right now. ... There’s a lot of cities that need a team, but just economically it doesn’t make a lot of sense." However, Cuban continues to be "bullish on the NBA." He said, “We have some challenges. We don’t have NFL TV ratings, but we have a lot of room to improve, and the fans love the game, people participate, they play fantasy sports, they watch the games, attendance is good. So we’re in a good spot" (BOSTON HERALD, 11/17).
LOOKING PROMISING: In Dallas, Eddie Sefko reports NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts met with members of the Mavericks on Tuesday to update them on the current CBA talks, and the players were told "that the outlook is good for a new labor agreement with the league." Mavericks G and player rep Devin Harris said, "Things look like they're moving along. We're pleased with the direction we're going, especially compared to where we've come from." Sefko notes the "threat of a work stoppage seems to be minimal at this point" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/17).
