Mark Cuban Blasts The Athletic Report of Turmoil Between Dallas Mavericks and All-Star Luka Doncic as ‘Total Bullsh*t’

Brandon ContesJun 14th, 2021, 4:06 pm
 

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

At just 22-years-old, Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic has already established himself as one of the NBA’s brightest stars, and team owner Mark Cuban is fully aware of the valuable asset.

On Monday, Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported an internal rift between Doncic and the Mavericks front office. According to the report, Doncic has “poor relationships… with key members of the franchise, including Haralabos Voulgaris, could impact his current desire to remain in Dallas long-term.”

Following the story’s release, Cuban firmly blasted it as “total bullsh*t” on Twitter.

A former professional gambler, Voulgaris is listed as the Mavericks director of quantitative research and development, but The Athletic calls him the “most influential voice” within the organization’s front office since joining the team.

Cuban was quoted in The Athletic’s report and defended Voulgaris’ involvement with the Mavericks.

“I really like what Bob brings to the table,” Cuban told The Athletic Monday, the same day the story was published. “He does a great job of supporting [head coach Rick Carlisle] and the front office with unique data insights.”

“Bob has a great grasp of AI and the opportunities it creates for gaining an advantage,” the Mavericks owner added. “Which is important to me. But he isn’t any more influential than any other data source on the team.”

According to Cuban, he did not speak to The Athletic until after the story was published, with the writers only reaching out to him for comment Monday – the day the report was being released.

Turmoil between Doncic and the Mavericks would be a devastating blow to the franchise. Through just two seasons, the Slovenian born basketball player is on the verge of having an elite NBA career. The Mavericks should do everything they can to retain their young superstar, while other NBA teams hope possible discord makes Doncic ripe for the taking.

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