Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban released on Saturday the animated video used in the team's pitch for Dwight Howard. Cuban also said Howard, who signed with the Houston Rockets, is much smarter than people think.
Howard was the top free agent this summer. The Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Houston and Dallas were the top teams contending in the Howard sweepstakes. Cuban described in his blog the risk-reward prospect of signing Howard.
"We saw it as somewhat of a risk, but felt like because Dwight by all appearances and checking we did, is a good guy and with our support systems we believed we could make it work." Cuban wrote. "If not, he was obviously a very trade-able asset."
The idea of pairing Howard with Dirk Nowitzki was enticing, and it could have made for a dominant front court.
"When we asked him what his goal was, his response was very specific 'I want to be Epic,'" said Cuban.
The Mavericks had an answer to that. The team put together a comic book-style, animated video that depicted Howard as a super hero.
Cuban also shed some light on Howard's personality behind closed doors.
"I do have to say meeting with Dwight was very interesting. He is a smart guy. Much smarter than people give him credit for. He is also a very, very good listener. Unlike most people, he spent far more time listening than talking."
Dallas signed free agent center Samuel Dalembert after Howard's decision to play elsewhere. The Maverick's also made splashes in free agency this summer by signing Monta Ellis (3-years, ~$25 million) and Jose Calderon (4-years, $28 million).
