A blogger is a blogger is.. not a blogger?

March 31st, 2008 Posted in Mavs Talk

I haven’t written much about the Mavericks blogger ban, just one quick note actually, because in the beginning it didn’t really effect me. Over the weekend that changed a little though.

First, if you want a quick overview of the whole thing check out Henry Abbott’s post on TrueHoop about the situation. This post was done before the NBA told Cuban to back off the policy, but it helps you get the idea of what was going on.

This whole thing started back on February 29th when Tim MacMahon made a post on the Dallas Morning News blog talking about this site. A week later the Mavericks came up with the policy that anyone who was blogging only would not be admitted to the Mavericks locker room. Tim’s post about FireAvery.com does not seem to be the specific reason for the ban, it was just the final tipping point.

At the time of the ban Cuban made a post on Blog Maverick about his opinions on Bloggers in an overall sense and what restrictions should be placed on those seeking access to the team. In that post Cuban made the following comment.

“A blogger is a blogger is a blogger. If I were to ask for media credentials as a blogger on this blog, I would expect to be treated exactly the same as any other blogger. No better or worse.”

Fast forward to Friday when the NBA reversed the Mavericks ban on bloggers in the locker room. In response Cuban said that anyone would be encouraged to apply.

“Which means we will encourage all bloggers to apply, whether they be someone on blogspot who has been posting for a couple weeks, kids blogging for their middle school Web site or those that work for big companies,” wrote Cuban, a blogger himself. “We won’t discriminate at all.”

Upon hearing this I contacted Sarah Melton, the Mavericks Director of Basketball Communications, to inquire about getting a credential for the game Wednesday against Golden State. I received no response from Sarah and on Saturday Cuban made a post on Blog Maverick that to receive a credential bloggers should post a sample of their work as a comment on his blog and he would be the sole judge as to who receives a credential. Even though I consider this to be quite questionable, it his team and he can do what he wants regarding who has access to it, I posted a comment and awaited a reply.

Later Saturday I received an e-mail from Cuban. Sarah Melton had forwarded my original request to Mark and this was his response to me.

Your blog hasn’t been in existence long enough to qualify and for commonsense reasons, we wouldn’t credential you even if it were

So in just one day Cuban’s statement that “We won’t discriminate at all” had changed quite dramatically. Which I have no problem at all with. Like I said, it’s his team, he can do what wants and control who has access to the team, especially regarding someone calling for the firing of his coach.

I did reply back to Mark saying that I have more respect for the team to go into the room and cause any problems. I wouldn’t ask anyone about the status of Avery, whether or not they think he should be fired, etc. I would just cover the game I was credentialed for. I wasn’t begging or pleading for a credential, just telling his where I was coming from. His response was:

i dont have a problemwith the site. Passion is a good thing. Even if its for something that we dont like

In this case, with the number of requests we are getting, we have to draw the line somewhere.

It has to be Mavs specific and been around for at least 6 months.

I thought that was a valid explanation and as far as I’m concerned the matter’s settled from my side. I just wanted to post something up and let everyone reading this site that I tried to get credentialed and what has happened with it.


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  1. 27 Responses to “A blogger is a blogger is.. not a blogger?”

  2. By blah on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:18:19 pm

    Mark Cuban is a joke. He is the George Steinbrenner of the NBA - but without any championships to show for his stupid antics. I wish he would sell the damn team already. He makes it very difficult to be a Mavs fan.

    And btw, Mark Cuban is the stupidest **** in the whole NBA for that Jason Kidd trade. Even Isaiah Thomas was laughing at him.

  3. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:32:28 pm

    Mark Cuban needs to sell the team so we can get some calls. I get he’s a huge fan…but so am i that doesnt make me worthy to be a coach…which he seems to act like. Also, don’t you think if you had your boss basically breathing down your neck all the time that would make you unable to relax and nervous. That is basicaly what he does to the mavs players. Go up to your box Cuban and shut your mouth maybe we will play a little better!!! Blah i agree w/ u nobody in their right mind would have given up and paid what he did for a 35 year old point guard ridiculous!!!

  4. By rodney on Mar 31, 2008 at 3:51:06 pm

    GO EASY PEOPLE….. MAVS WILL WIN IT ALL THIS YEAR

  5. By blog, blog, blog.... on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:04:18 pm

    Check out today’s Truehoop write-up for another point of reference…

    http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-31-118/Monday-Mini-Bullets.html

  6. By James on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:04:45 pm

    Why do you feel it necessary to fire a coach who has the best winning percentage in 3 years than any other coach in the history of the NBA? Did you think to create a “firenellie.com” site too? Why don’t you start a “Ihatemarkcuban.com” site then?

    Just wondering, and hoping to high heaven, if there’s a real bona fide reason for you to go all out to start a website who’s sole purpose it to get a man fired from his job. I’m just hoping that it’s not because this man is a few shades darker than you. I know it’s not someone of color who started this website because they don’t have this much unprovoked disdain and hatred to start a nasty website bent of getting a guy fired. This is the domain of people who think that anyone who doesn’t look like them needs to suffer more than a person who does look like them….

    Please prove me wrong and l inform me of a real reason you started this website in the first place because I don’t see it since this is a man with an .700 (or so) winning record…

    I’ll await your response…..

    James–

  7. By Justbeinghonest on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:11:57 pm

    What does this website have to do with the color of his skin? You’re unbelievable.

  8. By Greg on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:12:17 pm

    Wow, it took a month for the first racism charge. I’m surprised it took that long. Too bad it’s an utterly ridiculous charge.

    I respect Avery Johnson and what he’s accomplished in his short coaching career. I also have no doubt what so every that he’s a great man, both professionally and personally. What he’s been doing in and around New Orleans post-Katrina has been great. All that doesn’t make him the right coach for this team.

    It wouldn’t matter if the coach of this team was white, black, hispanic, asian, whatever combination you can think of. Sitting Jason Kidd was the catalyst for this site, and it would’ve been regardless of his race.

    Yeah, he’s got a great record. In the regular season. Two years ago the Mavs were in the Finals, now they may not even make the playoffs? And that’s who you want to continue leading this team? His offensive plan just doesn’t suit what the Mavs have with Jason Kidd, Dirk, Josh and Damp. And this team doesn’t have too much longer to play together, they have to win now. That’s why I started this site.

    Whenever Avery does leave the Mavs, and it will eventually happen, if it’s this offseason or 5 years from now, he’ll be snapped up by another team. He’ll probably go on to be a great coach somewhere, it’s just that right now he’s not the person to be leading this team, in my opinion.

  9. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:20:05 pm

    hmmmm its not like Avery was handed a crappy team…he was given highly talented players that he has now managed to trade away or ruined!!! Plus we managed to get a bunch of old guys instead of some young talent!!!

  10. By blah on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:31:53 pm

    Doug Christie
    Anthony Johnson
    Austin Croshere
    Greg Buckner
    Devean George
    Eddie Jones
    Trenton Hassel
    Juwann Howard
    Malik Allen
    Jamaal Magloire

    Over the past 2 seasons, it’s been a virtual parade of mediocrities and has-beens joining the Dallas roster.

    Meanwhile, we get rid of Harris, Daniels, Diop, Mbenga, Powell, Fazekas.

  11. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:36:51 pm

    I dont understand why he keeps getting old ok players and getting rid of young talent that have a chance to become great players…its so ridiculous!!!

  12. By Justbeinghonest on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:43:17 pm

    Trying to use that Miami heat formula I guess…?

  13. By InsideHoops.com on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:47:34 pm

    The suggestion that a professional writer who blogs for a major newspaper website is ‘no better or worse’ than a random fan who blogs for fun with 27 readers is ridiculous, as everyone knows

  14. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:51:18 pm

    omg dont hate let us vent some people here know more then the professionals if you ask me…he prolly works for cuban or avery who cant stand this site lol and i know a lot of people who come to this site and read it so there is prolly more then 27 readers!! and ya we will be right there w/ miami the next couple years like i said before season ticket holders get ready to upgrade for cheap!!!

  15. By T on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:40:29 pm

    James=Avery

  16. By T on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:43:20 pm

    Avery is a great person but he just is not the right fit for the current Mavs. If he could take some advice on ways to utilize his players correctly and play to their strengths, this website would not exist.

  17. By Ronald on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:13:35 pm

    James, I myself am a person of color so please stop that nonsense…
    To address your point about the winning percentage here’s a post I made on another discussion that explains it in my mind:
    “… and Avery is just the perfect example of what one of my favorite author of financial books calls “Fooled by Randomness”… in other words he’s like those dumb CEO’s that are put at the head of great company that’s already running perfectly before they get there, and suddenly Wall Street praises them for being geniuses for the company making profits… until eventually the CEO’s mistakes outweigh the advantages that the well oiled machine has and suddenly everybody realizes that the CEO was at the best a below average leader…”
    And to respond to your point even further, even though Avery is a .700 winning percentage man; he is also a man who doesn’t see anything wrong with his team, time after time, being limited to an iso and Howard shooting from 20 ft. down the strectch when all the other teams we play get something actually moving to the basket (are we wrong on this?); he is also a man that thinks that a good move after Damp blocks 2 shots and Dunks the ball and looks set to do a good job against smaller Warriors players on the block decides to sit him for 20 minutes straight (are we wrong about this also?)

    And if you check out our comments on the website (at least the smart ones) you’ll see that we’ve only been criticizing his play calling and the way he is coaching and that is our right. So please keep race out of this and contradict the points that we’ve been making…

    I’m not even sure that Avery will go on to be a good coach anywhere if he doesn’t himself grow as a coach… He’s been ok when he had people like Del Harris with experience next to him to try and balance a bit what is going on during games, and by this I mean his nonsense… Now that he managed to get rid of Del Harris look at what’s happening to the Mavs…

  18. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:18:00 pm

    Oh Ronald you just made miss Del Harris and i was just starting to get over it lol!!!! I really did love that guy!!!

  19. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:21:55 pm

    and James wow race has nothing to do w/ this. I have two black nieces and a black nephew that are adopted I have nothing against anyone who is ethnically different then i am and im sorry but this is about basketball not race…so i guess good try to try and make us look bad but if Avery was white, asian, indian, or any other race i would not agree w/ his coaching styles. So please no more mention of that it has nothing to do w/ anything we talk about in here.

  20. By Stephen on Mar 31, 2008 at 10:39:46 pm

    If you want to be taken serious enough to have credentials to get in the locker room, you should run your blogs through a spell/grammar check. It’s the least you could do.

  21. By max on Apr 1, 2008 at 3:50:10 pm

    I agree with Stephen. Greg, no offense, but youve got to do a better job of editing your posts. Spell check just would seem like common sense these days….

  22. By James on Apr 1, 2008 at 10:51:33 pm

    Actually you people need to lighten up because I didn’t say that he was a racist. It was just a question to get his attention actually.
    Now don’t act like this city (or country for that matter) doesn’t have a history of being more biased against athletes of color and being relatively quiet on white athletes doing wrong. You don’t have to look beyond the recent MLB steroid scandal. I know you all have been keeping tabs on it. Barry Bonds-no evidence but villified because of a single book….Clemens–material evidence and much more credible witnesses but tepid response from the media… Need I say more? But I digress.

    Ask Greg to post our 4 email exchanges. He just posted the first exchange on this blog. I’ll let our dialog speak for itself on what my intent was really about.

  23. By James on Apr 1, 2008 at 10:58:37 pm

    Ronald:
    Clarence Thomas is a “person of color” as well. So what does that suppose to mean when you “as a person of color” makes an argument on the same?

    I’m just having fun with you though on that.No need to call me out or anything like that. :)
    You do make a valid point about Del Harris absence and AJ’s lack of self-control. He’s allowing himself to revert back to the first time he took over the team where he was nearly about to get kicked out of every game due to his temper. Who can forget the time during the first round against the Rockets when he was so upset that he slipped and fell onto the court and was ejected from the game….he had several choice words for that ref when he got the boot…
    At the beginning of this season, Avery has made a point to try to be more calmer and do less yelling….well we see where that got them…

  24. By James on Apr 2, 2008 at 6:39:04 am

    WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO DELL HARRIS? READ IT HERE:
    Dallas Morning News Link

  25. By arthur on Apr 11, 2008 at 3:20:41 am

    Seems different from your previous posts. Did YOU write this post, or someone else did? Anyway, I think your readers really enjoyed reading it.

  26. By best internet savings accounts on Aug 25, 2008 at 3:10:36 pm

    Nice site
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