This summer Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks missed out on Deron Williams and presumably Dwight Howard now that Williams chose to stay in Brooklyn. They didn't even get Jason Kidd to re-sign. Instead there 'big ticket' acquisitions were OJ Mayo and Darren Collison. They added role players Elton Brand, Chris Kaman, and Dahtay Jones as well. While introducing his five new players, Cuban scoffed at the Lakers, who added Steve Nash and Howard, and the Nets, who added Joe Johnson and got Williams and Gerald Wallace to stay, and said that he doesn't get excited over teams on paper. He also said that he's glad the team didn't sign Williams and that he thought OJ Mayo, by far the Mavs best addition, could be a star. Sounds to me like Cuban is just trying to save face after he lost on the chance to surround Dirk with stars as he enters his twilight years.
The facts show that when teams have at least a trio of star players their chances of going to the finals increase greatly. You like at the Boston Celtics in 2008 when they acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce. The immediate result was a championship and they were contenders right up until this past season. The Lakers added Pau Gasol in 2008 to join Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom. The result was three straight Finals appearances, winning two (2009, 2010). The Miami Heat signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Dewayne Wade. The result, so far, has been two straight Finals appearance, winning the title this past season. Unlike what Cuban is saying, the paper teams usually are the best teams, and they are the ones the entire league is gunning for.
Cuban himself tried to make a super team of Dirk, Williams, and Howard, but it failed when Williams ultimately decided to remain in Brooklyn and when the Magic traded Howard to the star-studded Lakers. His plan had been to sign Williams this offseason and then sign Howard next offseason, giving Dirk a few more chances to win another title. Now that the plan has gone awry, Cuban must backpedal to appease the media and fans who thought Dallas was getting a big three to compete with Miami's. Cuban tried to sell everyone on Williams contract would have left little-to-no room to build around. As for the Lakers additions, he points to 2003 when the Lakers acquired Gary Payton and Karl Malone to pair with Kobe and Shaq. The result was a Finals appearance, but it was a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The problem with those deflections is that they are simply wrong. The Miami Heat have done a fine job signing players since the big three was formed, signing the likes of Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, and Rashard Lewis in three offseasons. Sure these players are all older, but with a big three you don't need a young bench. In fact, since the C's started this new big three trend in 2008, they and each subsequent team has had an older bench. Older players are more willing to trade money for a chance at a title than younger players; therefore, it's easier to get them to sign to the minimum or close to it. Most recently, the Knicks followed this trend when they added veterans like Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby to their bench for this coming season.
As for Cuban's comparisons to the 2003-04 and the current Lakers roster, him even trying to put the two teams on the same level is ridiculous. Gary Payton and Karl Malone joined the Lakers in 2003 because they wanted a ring. They were role players. Steve Nash and Dwight Howard would love to win a ring as well, but they will not only be starters, but key contributors to this years Lakers team. The comparison just doesn't make sense. It'd be like putting Michael Jordan on the same level as Cuban from an owners standpoint because they happen to both be owners that hang around the team a lot.
Mark Cuban, the master of talk, has come up with a dud this time around. It would have just been easier to say, "Yea it would have been great to get Deron and Dwight, but we didn't. Instead we ended up with two potential stars in OJ and Darren and three great role players in Elton, Chris, and Dahtay. There's no sense dwelling on what we don't have, and I'm excited for who we do have." That would have not only saved face, but also pumped the five guys you just acquired. He just couldn't do that though. No, no, he'd rather take the more controversial route and take a shot at every single team with a big three. It's jealously rearing it's ugly head. Everyone can see right through your tactics, Cuban. Even Clyde can see you 'deflecting and rejecting.'
References
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8366209/dallas-mavericks-mark-cuban-los-angeles-lakers-new-jersey-nets-moves-mean-wins
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8363717/dallas-mavericks-mark-cuban-believes-new-guard-oj-mayo-star
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NBA_Finals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_NBA_Finals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NBA_Finals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_NBA_Finals
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