NBA: Why Mark Cuban's latest statement is wrong

Socio-economic constraints

Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Two

There is a small percentage of college basketball players whose parents can afford to pay their aspiring basketball star of a son’s college bills which is why so many of the collegiate draftees in the NBA go to college on an athletic scholarship. Economics is also a strong determining factor in why so many NBA draftees declare for the NBA Draft after one season. They and their families come from modest means. The opportunity to earn a multi-million dollar contract at 19 or 20 years old is a life or family changing opportunity.

For Mark Cuban to suggest that even if at age 11, a child is assessed to have exceptional basketball skill or IQ that you should send them to Slovenia ignores the reality that if the player’s parents couldn’t afford college in North America without their son getting a scholarship who pays to send these kids to Slovenia?

How do they get visas to attend elementary school and high school in Slovenia? Will they live there from age 11-18 years old and perhaps beyond to work in the Euro Basketball Leagues until the NBA comes calling? Mark? Cuban may not have thought this statement through.

Further, while Luka Doncic is doing splendid things in a Dallas Mavericks' uniform pools of talent like winning and losing streaks can be cyclical. For instance, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was the former Yugoslavia National team that supplied the NBA with star talents like Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja.

In the first decade of the 2000s, we saw a number of Spanish stars coveted in the NBA like Jose Calderon, the Gasol brothers Marc and Pau, Sergio Rodriguez, Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez and Serge Ibaka. Five years from now it is likely another nation not named Slovenia who will supply the NBA with multiple talented players.

If Mark Cuban wants to make an investment in ensuring high-quality coaching, basketball facilities, and player development in Slovenia that would be a great thing for the game of basketball worldwide.

If Marc Cuban was reminiscing about 2011 when his roster included star players like Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Dirk Nowitzki was in his prime he picked a strange way to try and recruit star players for the future. Most potential free agents may have simply heard from this statement that Cuban might prefer European players. This adds a self-inflicted wound to trouble Cuban is already facing as:

“According to Sports Illustrated, employees were subjected to all kinds of unacceptable behavior and had to work in a locker room culture. “It was a real-life Animal House,” said one Mavs employee who left after a five-year career with the organization. “And I only say ‘was’ because I’m not there anymore. I’m sure it’s still going on,” she said.”

Mark Cuban’s statement to Eurohoops.net does not help recover the Dallas Mavericks' glory days. It does not help attract new talent from a pool in which Mark Cuban may have made the fish allergic who he wants to bite at his future contractual offers if the Mavericks are to be competitive again.