08-18-2025, 10:21 AM
(08-18-2025, 10:05 AM)michaeltex Wrote: IIRC, Nash was an all star guard for sure, but there were some doubts about his defensive capabilities and some insinuations that his lack of athleticism was detrimental. Or at least that was the public face of why Cubes was trying to negotiate a lower salary with Nash. PHX, by all accounts, came in with a max deal that was take-it-or-leave-it, but make your decision RIGHT NOW, so he took it rather than deal with Cuban's BS. The real hurt was losing Nash for no return.
I credit Cuban for re-invigorating the front office (granted, there appears to have been some unaddressed cultural issues). He also created a positive image for the team overall, for example, insisting that all seats get filled even at deep discount prices. Which in turn help awaken the fan base. A string of 50-win seasons didn't hurt either.
I guess you could say every owner's tenure has at least one questionable contract decision. The key is how they manage around the mistake. I'd say Cubes did pretty well, DAL was a perennial contender, 2 NBA finals and one championship.
It was a dark day for me when Nash walked, although I would have never have guessed he would have turned what he turned out to be in PHX. Maybe that is one me, but I thought he would have been a fringe all star player for the next 5 years if he stayed healthy. I never would have guessed he would reach the heights he did.
Losing Brunson was worse, but that to I would never of guessed he would be what he is now. And this is coming from one of his biggest fans.