While making an attempt to elucidate why his crew grew to become an utter disappointment, Mavs proprietor Mark Cuban took intention at Jalen Brunson’s father.
Cuban instructed reporters that his contract negotiations with Brunson turned bitter final season “when the parents got involved,” in keeping with ESPN. It was a reference to Rick Brunson, now an assistant with the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson left the Mavericks in free company to hitch his father with the Knicks, signing a four-year, $104 million contract. His absence in Dallas is incessantly cited as the primary cause for the crew’s downfall after advancing to the convention finals.
Clearly, Cuban stays bitter.
The proprietor additionally refuted experiences that the Mavericks may’ve signed Brunson earlier than the commerce deadline final yr for 3 years, $55 million. He repeated that Dallas was by no means given a chance to re-sign Brunson in the summertime.
The Knicks had been cited for tampering with Brunson and docked a second-round choose, a minuscule punishment contemplating the purpose guard lifted them to the franchise’s finest file in a decade.
The Mavericks, in the meantime, entered Wednesday exterior of the play-in match regardless of their dynamic backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
In a twist, the Knicks personal the Mavericks’ first-round choose this yr — a product of the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis commerce — nevertheless it’s top-10 protected and possibly gained’t convey if Dallas maintains its bottom-10 file.
Knicks scout Tim Hardaway, whose son Tim Hardaway Jr. performs for the Mavericks, famous Cuban’s crew is lacking a “leader.”
“They’re missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader,” Hardaway Sr. mentioned on FS1. “A leader shows by example too, by playing defense. When he says something, he does it also, and thats what a leader is. And like I said, those two guys are not leaders, they’re complimentary, dominant great basketball players. Great scorers.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com