On Tuesday, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had some strong words against what he called "paid Internet reporters" that he thinks make up rumors and post negative headlines to get page views. After a cost-benefit analysis of how each media form affects his interests, Cuban suggested they should be barred from the locker room because they hurt the Mavericks' brand. This got said Internet reporters and other non-Internet reporters angry, as it should have.
On Wednesday, Cuban followed it up by saying he doesn't really need any media anyway.
Cuban on if he would be happy if there was no media covering the team, "Yeah, because it's so easy to get info out there now."
Bryan Gutierrez
BallinWithBryan
And why not? He feels that he can get the "message" of the Mavericks out by himself using the same channels those "Internet reporters" use. He's considering changing his media policy for the playoffs, saying media could have "access" that's done in a different way. What, will they have reporters phone in questions through a moderator?
The whole charade is kind of silly, and it's hard to write about it without coming across as self-serving. So I'll just leave it at that.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have lost three games in a row, fallen down to the No. 3 seed in the West, could fall to the No. 4 seed and would normally be hearing the same questions they've heard in years past about their playoff failures. And yet, all we're talking about is Mark Cuban's stance on the media. Well played, Mark.