| 25 March 2010
The Dallas Mavericks have their eyes and ears on Portland.
That goes for the recent drama within the Blazers’ front office.
That goes for Portland’s early season success against the Mavericks, especially knowing the two teams could meet up this postseason.
An hour before tip-off an assistant coach for Dallas laughed outside the Mavs’ locker room at the thought of a rift between Paul Allen and Kevin Pritchard, while inside the locker room Mark Cuban kicked back in a black folding hair watching game film of Portland against the Phoenix Suns.
“It just depends what it is,” Cuban said when asked if it’s important for an owner to step to the forefront and squash any front office disputes.
“Paul’s a smart guy and makes his own choices. Some things there’s just no need to waste time on. Because it’s not a big issue and you guys (media) will burn yourself out on it. But there are others that are bigger issues and you deal with them. You have to make your own decisions.”
Mr. Allen made his. Finally.
About an hour prior, Allen finally said something about Pritchard’s future – through a three paragraph team press release. The support for Pritchard is there, even if the damage has been done. So is the lingering evaluation period after the season.
Until then, Portland is trying to find a way to keep up their winning ways against Dallas. After tonight, the Blazers host the Mavericks at the Rose Garden on April 9th.
Still the thought of Portland beating Dallas back in late January on their own floor lingers.
“We are a lot different than when Andre (Miller) scored those 52 points. We were really struggling back then. Guys were trying to figure out their roles. We didn’t have good energy around us. Things weren’t going well. We weren’t the same team by a long shot,” Cuban continued.
What followed for Dallas was a 13 game win streak and posting the third best record in the league after the All-Star break.
Now, they can’t help but look ahead to the playoffs – maybe even a chance to meet the Blazers.
“We still have to prove we can get better. From 1-8, teams can beat anybody,” Cuban said with a smile.
“We have a lot of veterans who have been through the wars, and they know it’s time to get ready.”
photo: everyjoe.com
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
