Mavs' Mark Cuban trolls Thunder, says they have just one superstar
Dallas owner Mark Cuban said that Kevin Durant is a superstar, but Russell Westbrook is not. Huh?
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2 min read
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told reporters on Monday that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is not a superstar. By Cuban's criteria, the Thunder only have one superstar: Kevin Durant.
Here is how Cuban explained himself, via the Oklahoman's Erik Horne:
Reporter No. 1: “Wait … Russell Westbrook’s not a superstar?”
Cuban: “I think he’s an All-Star but not a superstar.”
Reporter No. 2: “What defines a superstar to you, Mark?”
Cuban: “When you look at Dirk – I’m not going to talk about other team’s players other than what I just said – Dirk for 15 years won 50 games no matter what. We put Moe, Larry and Curly next to him and he won 50 games ... and I know there’s your headline.”
Reporter 1: “Absolutely.”
Cuban: “Russell’s certainly an All-Star, but I consider Durant a superstar. You look at Dirk all those years to now, he carries teams to 50 wins. To me, that’s (what makes a superstar) … when you by yourself … it wasn’t until we got J-Kidd (Jason Kidd) that we had another Hall of Famer. So, to go the 15 years where Dirk won 50, that’s a superstar. There’s only a few guys that you put them on any team and they’ll win 50 games. To me that’s the definition of a superstar.”
If I had an MVP vote this season, I would have put Westbrook second behind Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds this year, recording 18 triple-doubules and finishing the season with a career-high 55.4 percent true shooting percentage. He has been named All-NBA second team four times, and this year he will likely be on the first team. Maybe he can't win 50 games on his own, but in 2014-15, he won the scoring title and came close.
Cuban is always good for some trash talk, even about an hour before a playoff game. The Thunder and Mavs will meet for Game 5 at Chesapeake Energy Arena at 8 p.m. ET on Monday. I'd say it might not be a good idea to make Westbrook angry, but he always plays angry.
An interesting contrast here: While Cuban likes to needle the opponent, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle prefers going the other way. Before the start of the series, Carlisle called Dion Waiters a star. Cuban and Carlisle really should compare notes.
