|
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apparently can't go a week without getting fined by the NBA.
After getting hit with a $250,000 fine for taunting officials on Jan. 5, Cuban informed media outlets early Friday morning via e-mail that the league fined him another $100,000. The league later confirmed Cuban's fifth fine of the 2000-01 season, totalling $395,000.
Cuban said he usually sits behind the bench, but on Wednesday at the
Target Center there wasn't enough room. So he took an empty seat close to
the floor next so that he could "watch the game and pay attention to what's going
on." After the fan showed, Cuban took the seat next to the trainers along the baseline.
"I guess it was a technical for sitting in a spot not reserved for
an owner," wrote Cuban of his decision to sit in a chair at the Mavericks-Timberwolves game. "Seriously, I have no clue what I did wrong. If it weren't so insulting, it would be comical."
Cuban wrote that he left the game after the 106-86 victory with no
indication of wrongdoing. "The next day (Thursday), I get a call from the
league saying I was being fined for sitting on the floor," Cuban wrote. "I
laughed, thought they were joking. They aren't. It's amazing. Of all the
things to do, they are watching to see where I sit."
The Mavericks owner was fined $45,000 for three separate incidents
in November.
"One thing I want to make sure of is that I never do anything that costs any
of my partners in the league money," Cuban added. "I'm just looking for ways
to improve (the league)."
Darren Rovell covers sports business for ESPN.com.
|
|
AUDIO VIDEO
 Mark Cuban calls his latest fine "crazy".
wav: 658 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Even for Mark Cuban, $100,000 is a lot of money.
wav: 386 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mark Cuban talks about the differences between himself and David Stern.
wav: 693 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
