Mark Cuban seems to have Los Angeles on his mind these days.
In one interview with AdWeek, the Dallas Mavericks owner offered some sage advice to new Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
Shortly thereafter, Cuban went on the The Beast 980 in L.A. and trashed the Lakers, saying, "I just hope they suck forever."
It's all par for the course for Cuban: A brilliant business mind with a brash edge to him.
Of course, that's why Cuban has become one of the most influential owners in the NBA. Cuban's passion for his team is often cited as one of the great influences coming down from NBA ownership, which all too often features rich white men staring down stoically from their luxury boxes.
Cuban isn't like that at all. He sits down close to the court, wears T-shirts to games and gets into it like any other fan. He sees similar behaviors in new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, and he offered several tips to succeeding as an NBA owner.
The bulk of those tips revolved around the fan experience: Making games affordable, building an experience, and investing in the product -- not focusing on bottom-lines. Cuban encouraged Ballmer to respect the relationship fans have with sports teams -- a dynamic that does not exist with branded corporations.
"Leading Microsoft is nothing like owning a major sports team," Cuban told AdWeek. "You don't own the team; Clippers fans everywhere do."
Meanwhile, Cuban took time to assess the Lakers' current rebuilding task. Despite preseason optimism, the Lakers are off to a 2-9 start and appear to be one of the worst teams in the league.
Cuban started to evaluate their path back to relevance, but then admitted that he didn't care one way or another: "I don't know, I don't care, I just hope they suck. You know, like any other team."
