Mark Cuban vs Kenny Smith/Charles Barkley

I don't know how many people have been following this...but it is an interesting sideline to PREMIERE WEEK in the NBA.  Mark Cuban and TNT have been having a war of words of late...via television and blogs [aha...the tie-in!].

                        

(1) It all started earlier this week....after the Suns-Mavs game, in which the Mavs beat the Suns in double overtime.  Kenny Smith started off blasting both teams for their lack of defense, including Dallas' decision to switch on the pick and roll.  Newcomer Reggie Miller chimed in that the Spurs would run away with the West if this was all the rest of the conference had to offer.  Sir Charles then said that the Mavs fans can't be "overjoyed"...since their team barely beat a team that is a shell of itself from last season. 

                           

(2) Mark Cuban wrote in his blog Blog Maverick about the TNT takes. 

"Only downer of the night was listening to the idiots on TNT after the game. Its not unusual if we win a TNT game for us to turn it on in the locker room and hear what Charles, Kenny and co have to say. They havent gotten any better.  Let me just say this. There is a reason why Kenny and Charles havent gotten head coaching jobs. THere is more to running a team these days then thinking you know what you are talking about. Kenny, if you want to bust on us for switching on the pick and roll, get some stats to back it up. We track conversion rates on everything we do. High pick and roll, elbow pick and roll, whatever, we track it. If its not working Kenny, we adjust. I know that is probably a new concept to you and Charlie B, but thats the NBA of 2006. With all that money you guys make (hey if you are going to talk salaries, lets see how you like it), go out and hire some kids to track what actually happens in a game rather than having TNT bring in kids to go out and get donuts.  Here is a little test. How many deflections did we have last night versus our season average last year. Do you remember what a deflection is guys ? Its a nice indicator of defensive effort.  And rook..I mean Reggie Miller. Remember this rook. Every year TNT brings in the guy who was good, but retired last year, and puts them in that same seat you were sitting in. You may have noticed that they arent there any more. Do something more than just try to be another guy who tries to fit in and trade nonsensical barbs with the boys. Charles has earned the right to be the comedian who has some insights. Kenny wants to be the coach, but wont do the work, so never will be more than a sidekick. Rook, you need to add some value, or in a few weeks we will see someone else sitting in that seat. Maybe Derrick Coleman can come in and give us a Whoop De Damn Do.  But I digress. After listening to some of the idiocy, we just turned it off."

                              

(3) The guys at TNT responded.  My fave moment was Barkley saying "BLOG THIS!!!"

Barkley: "No, but I know [a blog has] got something to do with the internet. You know, I don't use internet. Anybody who can sit around and thumb a keyboard all day just has no life."

Smith "Why do we have to be idiots?"

Barkley: "Well Phoenix does the same thing. I think that any team that switches every pick and roll, it always creates mismatches and destroys your defense. That means their not a good defensive team. And obviously Dallas and Phoenix aren't good defensive teams. It's not personal. You know, I love Mark, but I don't think he should be taking shots here. First of all, I don't want to be a head coach...

Smith: "No, I don't want to be a head coach, because I wouldn't be sitting here if I wanted to be. The other thing I'm saying is, if you know basketball, you know basketball. If you don't know basketball, you don't, it's obvious. And right now it's obvious that there's reallynothing that's gone on in a game that these two guys sitting here haven't been part of. (points to himself and Charles). He's won MVP's, All-Star Events. (Ernie interjects with "Olympic Gold medals, twice) I've been a champion, on championship teams, I've been an All-American in HS and college. There's nothing... We're covering the gamut right here, so if there's some idiot around here, it's not sitting in this studio right here."

Barkley: "Hey first of all, I love Mark Cuban. He ain't never gonna know more about basketball than me. I ain't never gonna have as much money as him, I'll never know more about computers, but he'll live to be 1000, and he'll never know more than us two about basketball. If he knew that, he wouldn't have put that little "soft cake" team together."

                     

(4) The very next day....Mark Cuban had this up on his blog:

"Did you read the blog at all ? It was nice that TNT left out the reference to us tracking our results on defense and going to and away from what was working or not.  CB, get a 2 way with internet access. There is some good info out there that could make you better at what you do. More importantly, when you say people out there that spend their days on computers have no life.. time to step into 2005. When you said that , TNT and the NBAs audience that advertisers covet the most looked at each other and laughed. THen they IMed or TXT messaged their buddy list and called you out again. Get that 2 way CB. It will make it easier to keep in touch with the family and to do your job. You will love it.  And comparing your basketball IQ to mine isnt quite apples to apples given that Im not the coach. Im willing to compare the basketball knowledge of AJ, Del Harris, Joe Prunty and Larry Riley to the two of you anytime. My guess, you guys are on the short end of the stick."

                        

(5) Kenny Smith then took it upon himself to bring down the Mighty Cuban:

"First, I love Avery Johnson. I don't like him, I love him and I have the utmost respect for the entire coaching staff. However, it wasn't the coaching staff that called us idiots. It was you Mark, you spoke for yourself.   Second, in terms of basketball, I don't think there's anything that Charles and myself haven't seen or heard or haven't been a part of in an NBA basketball game. There is nothing that's been done in the game of basketball that I can't comment on, but I don't think you can say the same.   To use the term 'idiots' was offensive and I took that personally. I think if you put us in a room and we had to describe the game of basketball people would want to hear what I have to say over what you have to say. If you really understood the game, you would realize that coaches and players have always had different philosophies. That's what makes the game great, that people have different philosophies and some work better than others. It doesn't make the Dallas Mavericks philosophy wrong just because I don't agree with it, and it doesn't make us idiots just because we don't agree with you.  I don't need a stat sheet or the Internet to know how a guy shoots or how he plays the game. My brain and eyes are my computer and I log on everyday. "

(6) It has...sorta....ended with Cuban on Saturday.

"Im not mad at the TNT team. I actually really like Kenny and Charles. They are good guys. I just dont like the way they do their jobs. Thats my opinion. Thats what blogs are for. To write about whats on my mind."