Mavs owner Mark Cuban was very critical of NBA official Ken Mauer before Dallas took the court Wednesday.
Mauer gained attention Tuesday night when he ejected Clippers coach Doc Rivers in overtime, but that's not what Cuban had an issue with. The outspoken owner was upset with the very first play of the game when Nets shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic blatantly double-dribbled (and traveled) and it wasn't called.
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"Refs are going to miss things because there's other things going on, but there was nothing else going on. It was the first or second play of the game, and he was standing right there," Cuban said, via ESPN.
Cuban also made comments to those by Doc Rivers, who hinted there was more at play than just a typical foul call that led to his ejection. Rivers said Tuesday about the call, "What the league is going to do, they're going to fall back on, 'He crossed half court.' You'll see tomorrow, that's what they're going to say. And we're going to all know that's not the real reason."
Rivers didn't elaborate on what "the real reason" is, but Cuban appears to agree with whatever it is.
"This wasn't just a missed call. This was something else," Cuban said Wednesday. "I don't know what it was. Sometimes it's the problem; sometimes it's the symptom of a problem. I think this is more reflective of a symptom of a problem."
As for punishment Mauer?
"Suspend him, demote him, make him ref a game in the D-League," Cuban said.
