Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban purchased the team 20 years ago from Ross Perot Jr. for $285M, and Cuban said he figures he still has a "good 40 years to go" as owner, noting he does not have "any reason to sell," according to Brad Townsend of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. When Cuban bought the team in '00, he did not realize that Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash "were about to flourish and meld with Michael Finley to form a 2000s Western Conference powerhouse." Cuban: "When I first bought the Mavs, owning an NBA team was new to me and the whole process was new. So I don't think I got to appreciate Dirk and Nash and Fin." But with the Mavs once again a rising power led by Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, Cuban said the feeling around the team is "different now that we're getting back in the mix again." Cuban: "Now I'm just trying to soak it in and enjoy. I'm making it a point to watch all of our guys." Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, who has been with the team since '08, said one of the things that he has admired about Cuban is his "sense of loyalty." Carlisle: "It's not misguided loyalty. It's loyalty based on relationships. It's loyalty based on the work that you do" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/5).
