January 16, 2009 1:42 AM

Will history be used against Cuban after it wasn't against Smith

By Chris Tomasson
Rocky Mountain News

Do past trips to the principal's office mean a lot when NBA discipline czar Stu Jackson hands out his punishments?

We'll be able to answer that question a bit better when we see if the NBA decides to fine Dallas owner Mark Cuban for his eventful Tuesday against the Nuggets. A final verdict could be rendered as soon as Friday on Cuban for talking to Nuggets guard J.R. Smith at halftime and for storming onto the court after the game following Denver's controversial 99-97 win.

Cuban, as we all know, often has run afoul of the NBA's hall monitors since he bought the Mavericks in 2000.

One thing has been determined. In the eyes of the NBA, reputation apparently didn't hamper Smith, who was suspended for 10 games for his role in Denver's brawl December 2006 at New York.

Smith received no penalty for throwing an elbow near the head of Dallas guard Antoine Wright that didn't connect. Cuban believed Smith should have received a five-game suspension, and he believes Smith's past actions should have been taken into account.

"The two worst events that have hit the NBA in the last five years were the brawls that have occurred,'' Cuban wrote in an e-mail to the Rocky Mountain News in which he expressed disappointment Smith received not even a fine from the NBA. "This was a case where a participant in one of those brawls threw an unsportsmanlike and unwarranted elbow at the head of another player. I first brought it to the attention of NBA security, and asked them to bring it to the attention of the officials.

"Then I mentioned the same to (Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups)... All very non- confrontational. All the drama that is being created about it is superfluous now because it didn't escalate. On the flip side, it easily could have escalated. I would rather deal with sports writers discussing this than the far worse alternative. (Smith) was putting the entire league at risk. The very last thing this league needs is another brawl, and to allow that door to even be open would have been a huge mistake.''

Cuban wrote the NBA doing nothing to Smith "sends the exact wrong message to players and fans.'' He wrote Smith made a "dangerous, unsportsmanlike play.''

"Feel free to write hypothetically what you think would have happened had it connected,'' Cuban wrote in another e-mail. "I don't think people realize what the impact could have been. In this economy, the impact could have been catastrophic.''

One thing is for sure. Cuban and Nuggets coach George Karl aren't even close to being on the same page.

While Cuban wanted a five-game suspension for an elbow that didn't connect, Karl didn't believe a suspension would have been warranted even if Smith had hit Wright.
"I don't know that, even if the elbow would have connected, that it would have deserved a suspension,'' Karl said. "I think it's a technical foul, maybe a flagrant. There are elbows in games. I'm not saying similar to that. I don't want to justify that's how I want J.R. to retaliate in those situations. I just didn't see the depth of the problem.''

To Karl, the problem was Cuban speaking to his player about the incident. Cuban told Smith at halftime he expected he would be suspended and he was quite vocal to Denver players the penalty should be five games.

Karl doesn't believe personnel for opposing teams should be talking to his players. That goes for coaches, trainers and, yes, owners.

"What I'm trying to say is it's unprofessional for an assistant coach, for a trainer to do that even though what J.R. did was incorrect,'' Karl said. "Don't play mental games. If assistant coaches, equipment managers and owners (on other teams) play mental games (with players on the other team), we'll have trash talking. I don't think it's good for the game.''

In addition to Cuban's dealings with Smith, the NBA also is looking at Cuban's conduct after the game. He went onto the court and was yelling, many assuming it was at the officials. Mavericks guard Jason Terry was called for a controversial foul on Billups with 2.2 seconds left, and Billups hit two foul shots for the win.

Cuban insists he was not yelling at the officials, but at a Denver supporter. He has not named the supporter other to write it was "someone else who was quite clear in their pleasure of their team winning the game and mocking the fact they got away with the calls.''

It's not the first time the NBA has looked into an incident involving Cuban running onto the court. In 2001, Cuban was suspended for two games and fined $10,000 for going onto the court to break up a fight in a game against Cleveland. It was known as the "chalupa incident'' because the fight was over the Mavericks trying to break 100 points so fans would get free chalupas.

Cuban has been fined other times for going onto the court. He's been fined a reported $1.665 million for 13 incidents, and there might be more incidents that haven't been reported.

But will that play a role in how the NBA might come down on Cuban? NBA officials already have shown Smith's involvement in a brawl two years ago apparently didn't hamper how he was judged Thursday.

Posted by Chris Tomasson at 1:42 AM | Comments (3)