"Mark Cuban would probably be better off assembling the next Jamaican bobsled team than what he is trying to do, but the Mavericks owner likes fighting the system.

He's become very self-righteous about banning NBA players from international competition. His star, Dirk Nowitzki, has missed a stretch of games to strengthen his tender right knee. The forward admits the soreness resulted from German national team duty last summer. All of this after the Mavs lost their French guard, Rodrigue Beaubois, for all of the 2010-11 season because of a broken foot suffered while playing on the French national team.

If Cuban had it his way, NBA players would be banned from the Olympics, though forever globally focused NBA commissioner David Stern hasn't been receptive."