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Mark Cuban Has Realignment Plan For NBA

By Phil Watson

Oct 30, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during the game between the Mavericks and the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Jazz 120-102. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during the game between the Mavericks and the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Jazz 120-102. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has never been shy about thinking outside of the box, but his NBA realignment plan seems a bit self-serving.

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Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks wants to head east.

According to a realignment plan the Mavericks owner suggested, the Dallas Mavericks and the other two Texas teams—the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs—would join the New Orleans Pelicans in a move to the Eastern Conference.

In return, the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks would go to the Western Conference.

"“It’s not like it’d be the first time we’ve ever realigned,” Cuban told ESPN Dallas. “It’s happened many times before, so there’s precedent and I just think it shakes things up and makes things interesting.”"

If it seems a little self-serving on Cuban’s part, that would be because it is.

The Mavericks were the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs last season despite a 49-33 record. In the Eastern Conference, that would have netted the Mavs the third seed.

However, Cuban says that that the teams he suggests go to the Western Conference are roughly as far from Portland as Dallas is and are closer to the home of the Trail Blazers than New Orleans, San Antonio or Houston.

Cuban is also right about the precedent.

In 1980-81, San Antonio and Houston moved from the East to the West, with Milwaukee and Chicago leaving the West for the East.

That was also the season the Mavericks debuted as an expansion team and was placed in the Western Conference’s old Midwest Division.

Indiana moved to the East in 1979-80, when the Jazz left New Orleans for Utah and were moved to the Western Conference. Detroit left the West for the East in 1978-79.

New Orleans was in the East its first two seasons after the then-Hornets moved from Charlotte before being reassigned to the West when Charlotte was awarded an expansion team to replace them in 2004.

Cuban said he hasn’t floated the idea past anyone at NBA headquarters as of yet.

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