NBA Owner 2.0

A number of interesting NBA-related events serve as the backdrop for this post.  Last week, ESPN's Bill Simmons dedicated an entire column to the man he (affectionately) refers to as Mutant Russian Mark Cuban (or MRMC for short), Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.  Over the weekend, the NBA announced that it had fined Cuban himself $100,000 for comments made about free agent-to-be LeBron James that were perceived by the league as tampering.  Yesterday, after committing a hard foul on Phoenix star Steve Nash during the Western Conference Finals Game Three, Lakers guard Derek Fisher (who also happens to be the head of the NBA Players Association) engaged in a courtside conversation with Suns owner Robert Sarver while Nash shot his free throws.  These three events might be part of a much larger, and I think largely positive, trend - NBA team owners playing a larger role in the on-court / field operations of their teams.

It seems like just a few years ago, the only owners that fans ever heard about were George Steinbrenner (largely thanks to Seinfeld), Al Davis and occasionally Mark Cuban.  Now, it seems as if a larger number of owners are increasingly involved with their teams on a day-to-day basis, talking to the press and helping make decisions rather than simply writing checks and looking the other way.  Professional sports leagues (and the NBA in particular) are slowly transitioning to owners who want to be more involved and turn their franchises into winners, which has to be a good thing.  Wouldn't you rather have Michael Jordan running the Bobcats than Bob Johnson?  If Jordan couldn't stand losing as a player, he'll certainly do whatever it takes to avoid it as an owner, right?

Mark Cuban is usually regarded as a great owner because he a) wants to win, b) seems like a legitimate sports fan who happens to have enough money to own a team (and then some), and c) is willing to spend to bring a perennial championship contender to Dallas (this year's first round loss to San Antonio notwithstanding).  Contrast Cuban to Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who allows his team to be run by a floundering GM, refuses to approve transactions that would raise payroll and is generally despised by Los Angelinos.  Interestingly, Cuban's Mavs lose millions of dollars every season while Sterling's Clippers are generally profitable.  If you're an investor, maybe you'd prefer to have your money aligned with Sterling instead of Cuban.  But as a fan?  I'll saddle up alongside Cuban and stay away from Sterling.

New Yorkers and NBA fans alike are hoping that Mikhail Prokhorov's money, charismatic personality and desire to win will help bring a rapid turnaround to the Nets, a team that this past season was the worst in professional basketball.  Personally, I hope the next wave of NBA owners reach into their bank accounts in the interest of winning.  Unlike baseball, where a few deep pocketed owners have destroyed the chances of the twenty-or-so smaller market teams, leagues with salary caps like the NFL, NBA and NHL will surely benefit from the fresh money that men like Cuban and Prokhorov can provide.  Even if the Mutant Russian Mark Cuban can't turn the Nets around, we know that, based on his 60 Minutes interview (see video below), it'll be fun watching him try.