Dirk Nowitzki Enjoying a Less Vocal Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban has been shockingly quiet during these Playoffs, something his superstar forward doesn’t mind at all. From the Star-Telegram: “According to star forward Dirk Nowitzki, a silent and backed-off Cuban is a good thing for the Mavericks. ‘Yeah, it should be about the players and not the owner,’ Nowitzki said. ‘We played a great series. We fought hard and battled. That was fun. I haven’t seen Mark since then, and that’s probably a good thing.’ Cuban’s passion and hands-on nature — along with his money — are some of the ingredients that contributed to the Mavericks’ success since he took over as owner. But his battles with opposing coaches, the referees and the NBA have also taken some of the attention away from the team and have also been considered by some a detriment. Nowitzki was a vocal critic of Cuban’s behavior after the 2006 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat. Nowitzki said he has noticed a change in Cuban since then. Cuban has tried not to make himself an obstacle to the team’s success. ‘He is still fired up,’ Nowitzki said. ‘He is still such a huge fan. He is still in it with his heart. He is positive. Sometimes he yells. He picks his spots better. He is not as hands-on as he once was. He is still hands-on for an owner but not as hands-on as he used to be.’ Nowitzki said Cuban’s family life probably has a lot do with his change since he became a father. ‘Family does that to you,’ Nowitzki said. ‘He is not at every practice anymore. He used to be at all the practices. He used to go on every road trip. He is not on every trip anymore. The kids and the family have definitely slowed him down a little bit.'”