Mark Cuban has never been shy about opening his mouth, and the star of ABC’s Shark Tank believes that Kevin Durant signing with Golden State and creating a superteam is good for the NBA.
In a sitdown with ESPN, Cuban said that adding the former MVP to their already loaded roster makes Golden State look like the bad guys. “They become the villain, just like when LeBron James went to Miami, I loved that there was a villain. They become the villain. I’m fine with that. Everybody’s going to root for them to lose,” per Tim MacMahon.
There is no question the Warriors are going to be hated. After their record-setting 73-win season, Golden State overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder before relinquishing their own 3-1 lead in the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The roster is packed with three All-Stars — one of them being the reigning two-time MVP — and countless role players who help the team tremendously.
While Golden State hasn’t received a whole lot of hate yet, most of it is being directed at Kevin Durant, who is getting the same treatment LeBron got when he left Cleveland for Miami. He helped put Oklahoma City on the map, but the inability to win a championship ultimately pushed him out. It intensified when Durant announced that he would be joining the Warriors, the very team that ended his championship hopes.
For Dallas, they scooped up Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut from Golden State, both of whom played huge roles over the last two seasons. Barnes was given a max deal and has the potential to become the new face of the franchise since Father Time is slowly ticking on Dirk Nowitzki‘s career. Bogut, on the other hand, frustrated the Dubs’ front office so much so that they dealt him to the Mavericks for a second-round pick.
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If Bogut can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, he’ll greatly improve a Dallas defense that ranked 17th in efficiency. Barnes will finally get a chance to develop a more potent offensive game as he’ll probably become the second option on offense behind Dirk.
