Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

On paper it’s not nearly the sexy matchup it once was. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks have a rivalry going back to the late 80s that has featured plenty of memorable contests in the regular and postseason. However this year with both teams below .500 and out of the playoff picture the games just don’t have the same weight as years previous.

Thankfully for ABC who will nationally televise today’s Lakers-Mavs clash, the interest for the game has been peaked by Mark Cuban’s comments regarding Kobe Bryant and what the Lakers should do with his contract. Seems Cuban thinks Bryant’s $30-million salary is ripe for amnesty next season.

The Lakers took offense to his words and the league will likely have something to say too.

But what’s bad for an NBA owner to say is good for the viewing audience that ABC is looking to attract on a Sunday morning.

Cuban’s outspoken nature as landed him in hot water far too often but his success as an owner is undeniable and his many misguided rants have upped the ante for an otherwise meaningless game in the grand scheme of things. Not all press is good press but what’s good for ratings is great for the NBA. So just consider Cuban and his comments a necessary evil from a marketing standpoint.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Cuban must be happy because the Lakers are losing (D-Wade sulking voice). It you want to get technical about it then the last time we saw a Lakers team taste victory it was 5 moths ago when they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the best of series they’d eventually lose in 5. Since then it’s been a winless summer league, a winless preseason and now one game in it’s a winless regular season.

Obviously that won’t be a permanent situation. The Lakers are going to win their chunk of games this season. We’re not looking at the Detroit Lions of the NBA. There is no 0-82 season in the cards but the likelihood of a 73-9 season looks highly impossible.

That’s all music to the ears of Cuban who didn’t shy away from his feelings on his longtime rivals in Los Angeles. Cubes called it the way he sees it when discussing the Lake Show and you wouldn’t expect anything less from the outspoken billionaire.

“I don’t know, I don’t care, I just hope they suck. You know, like any other team.”

For the record Cuban gave the above quote while laughing so it’s not as inflammatory as it might seem. But as we all know there is always some truth in humor.

Cuban truthfully wants the new looks Lakers to suck. Most of the hoops world does. That’s nothing new.

What is new is a shorthanded Mavericks squad pushing around the Lakers on opening night. Where was the competitive fire last light? I’m still trying to figure out how Eddy Curry was so effective after having been singed only days ago.

Luckily for Mike Brown he’s got plenty of time to get his team up to speed. Unfortunately the excuses are over though. We know this Lakers team is flawed. We know the bench is no better than last season. We also know that a starting five boasting Kobe, Pau, D-Howard and Steve Nash should be boat racing a team of scabs like the Mavs squad that walked the Lake Show last night.

So get your laughs in now, Cuban. Things aren’t going to be like this forever…I hope not at least