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Mark Cuban
Page 2 staff

There's no more fitting term for Mark Cuban than Maverick.


	Who's on Mark Cuban's mind? Bill Veeck, Bob Knight, Liz Hurley and Denise Richards.

From his NBA-record fine total to his creative fan promotions to his criticism of the league, the Dallas Mavericks owner is certainly a new breed.

Page 2 recently traded e-mail with Cuban -- what else for a guy who made his fortune off an Internet company? -- as he subjected himself to our 10 Burning Questions.

1. Page 2: Has the Penthouse interview helped or hurt your love life?
Cuban: It was rocking before, so there wasn't any impact at all.


	Mary Ann

2. Ginger or Mary Ann?
Cuban: Mary Ann. Sweet with a chance of nastiness is always better than knowing what you are getting.

3. What's the best and worst thing about being a billionaire?
Cuban: There isn't a worst thing. Every time someone asks for something, I just realize how lucky I am to be getting asked rather than to be doing the asking. The best part is the freedom. If I want or need to go somewhere, or do something, I can.

3a. What's your most treasured possession?
Cuban: Time. Once it's gone, it's gone, and we can never get enough of it. I know it sounds corny, but it's true.

3b: OK, then what would you like to own that you don't?
Cuban: A 44-inch vertical.


	Stay away from the market.

4. Got a good stock tip for us?
Cuban: Don't buy any stocks right now. This isn't an investors' market, it's a speculators' market. You have a better chance going to Vegas and putting it all on black then knowing which way the market or even most companies' stock prices will go. More importantly, don't believe your broker, or the "pundits," when they say they know what is going on, or what is going to happen with the market. If they were so smart, they wouldn't be talking to you, they would be on the island they bought with the zillions of dollars they made in the market. Anyone who says he is an expert in the market is lying to you. There is no such thing.


	Being invisible would definitely have its advantages.

5. Which would you rather have
-- the strength of 100 men, the ability to fly, or the ability to be invisible?
Cuban: Invisible. I can sneak on a plane and go anywhere, and probably have a hell of a time, as long as I could turn it off whenever I wanted to.

6. How good a basketball player are you?
Cuban: I can shoot, but I can't run or jump like I used to. Fifteen years of playing rugby gave me a bad case of arthritis in my hips. Put 100 milligrams of Vioxx in me though, and I wouldn't be embarassed to step on the court anywhere.


	Knight

7. As an Indiana grad, what do you think of Bob Knight?
Cuban: I think he is a great coach, and for the right type of player-student, he is the perfect coach. I like to compare him to Lou Gosset Jr. in "An Officer and a Gentleman" -- there are lots of Richard Geres out there who need the kind of caring and discipline that coach Knight offers in order for them to reach their basketball goals.

8. Who's the sports owner you admire most?
Cuban: Bill Veeck. He never cared what anyone said, and he was always focused on improving the game or industry he was involved in, and on creating a better experience for his customers. He seems to be the first owner who realized that people came to games to have fun, not to enrich the owners.


	Hurley


	Richards

9. What would you have for your last meal on Earth?
Cuban: A steak and onion rings on top of a 30-inch pizza surrounded by chocolate chip ice cream with a moat of hot fudge covered with whipped cream, with Denise Richards and Elizabeth Hurley there to burp me and wipe the chocolate from my face in case it got messy. And my girlfriend there to rub my tummy.

10. What are you getting your mom for Mother's Day?
A copy of this interview, of course.

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	ALSO SEE: Ten burning questions for Pedro Martinez Ten burning questions for Ichiro Suzuki Ten burning questions for Tim Hasselbeck Ten burning questions for Heath Ledger Ten burning questions for Julie Foudy

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