Cuban racks up 5th NBA fine this season

DALLAS — Dallas owner and IU alumnus Mark Cuban has received another fine from the NBA, this one totaling $100,000 for sitting on the baseline during the Mavericks game in Minneapolis, last week. \n"I wasn't aware this was finable, there isn't a rule against it," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "They said it wasn't fitting for an owner to sit there. Ridiculous." \nIt was the fifth time this season that commissioner David Stern has fined Cuban. So far, Cuban has been assessed $395,000. The previous four fines, including one for $250,000 Jan. 4, were made for criticism of officials.\nCuban stopped donating money to IU last spring after the University blocked the Napster computer program from campus computers.\nHe was also upset with IU's decision to remove former basketball coach Bob Knight.\n"They took someone who gave 100 percent, no compromises and they left him out to burn in the media," said Cuban to the IDS in a September 2000 interview.\n"Coach Knight is exactly as advertised. He is volatile, intense, incredibly knowledgeable and caring for his players," Cuban said.\nThe dot.com billionaire owner said he is not concerned that the increasing number of fines might detract from the Mavericks' success on the floor this season. Dallas was 24-16 after a 116-105 loss to Sacramento Monday night and have lost three straight games. The Mavericks now sit third in the Midwest conference behind Utah and San Antonio. \n"The Mavs' play stands on its own. When the ball goes up, the cameras are on the players, and no one cares what I do but David Stern," Cuban said. \nCuban sat alongside Dallas trainers and reserves during his team's 106-86 victory against the Timberwolves last Wednesday night, claiming there were no open seats behind the bench and he did not want to take one of the coach's seats. \nCuban's collision with the league began Nov. 14, when he was fined $5,000 for criticizing officials. Nov. 20, he was fined $15,000 after being escorted off the court following the game. Two days later, the price went up to $25,000 for verbally abusing and publicly criticizing officials. \nJan. 4, Cuban was fined $250,000 when he criticized officials and showed replays on a scoreboard of a disputed call that went against the Mavericks. \n"He's a player's owner, and he's going to do whatever it takes for us to be a better team, from the front office to the team he puts on the court," Mavericks forward Michael Finley told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "So if he's willing to do that, the guys are willing to go out and give 110 percent effort."\nCuban became a billionaire in 1999 when the company he co-founded, Broadcast.com, was sold to Yahoo!. He created Broadcast.com as a way to keep in touch with IU sports from his home in Texas. Broadcast.com sends audio feeds of all types of events over the Internet where they are accessible to any user for no charge. \nHe has said the league needs to monitor officials better. He claims to have charts showing how his team has been treated unfairly.\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.