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Unless you're a sports fan who has been living under a rock for the last six years or so, you probably already know that Mark Cuban is a rather unconventional team owner. I say this because I am not even an NBA fan and never go out of my way to read basketball-related sports articles, but I even I know a lot about what Cuban has done for the Dallas Mavericks franchise.

Cuban is one of those personalities that people either love or hate. I don't know any basketball fans that don't have an opinion about him. That's because unlike other sports team owners who generally remain in the background throughout the entire season. Indeed, we usually only get a glimpse of other team owners at selected games or during the playoffs. At those times, the owners are dressed in fine suits and seated in their private luxury sweets way above the court or field.

But watch any Dallas Mavericks game at any time during the pre-, regular, or postseason, and you're likely to see Mark Cuban right in the middle of things. He doesn't sit up in  luxury skybox, but instead opts to plant himself right behind the players' bench. He doesn't dress in expensive suits, either. His wardrobe of choice seems to be t-shirts (or the occasional player jersey) and jeans. And, Cuban isn't one of those reserved owners who clap politely for each nice play turned in by the athletes. Instead, he is likely to throw his arms in the air and cheer wildly, as if he were just another avid Mavericks fan.

From this basic sketch, it probably sounds like Cuban is a pretty decent guy. How many of us regular sports fans have ever dreamed of owning our own franchise someday? I'd venture to say that a lot of us have, and a lot of us would probably act in much the same way Cuban does. I know if I ever came into hundreds of millions of dollars, I'd want to buy an NFL team. And, like Cuban, I wouldn't watch games from a skybox, but I'd be right there on the sidelines taking in all the action.

So why is it that some people harbor such dislike for Cuban?

Well, one reason could be the fact that he is so outspoken. Cuban often says exactly what's on his mind without pausing to consider the consequences of such actions. I can understand this. It probably stems from his enthusiasm for the game. His initial reactions are that of a fan, not that of a team owner, which gets him into a lot of trouble. In Dallas' most recent playoff run, for example, Cuban was fined heavily by NBA Commissioner David Stern for criticizing league referees. In one recent article I read, it was estimated that Cuban has been fined more than $1 million since becoming owner of the team. Those who dislike Cuban say that his "antics" are a distraction to the Mavericks players and could affect the team more than anyone realizes.

I can certainly understand why people would have that opinion. I was able to catch a few quarters of the NBA Finals, and in the games I saw, the Miami Heat players definitely appeared to be more calm and collected than the Dallas players. The Heat players were an extension of their coach, the usually unflappable Pat Riley, while the Dallas players seemed to be an extension of Cuban's outspoken, emotional personality. It was an interesting study in contrasts, especially for a casual viewer like myself.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't go so far as to pin Dallas' collapse in the Finals on Mark Cuban's criticism of the referees. In fact, most sports analysts agree that Cuban had a point about the officiating seeming to go in favor of the Miami Heat. I believe that he was just trying to make sure that his team had a fair chance to win.

The bottom line here is that Cuban generates interest in basketball, and therefore the NBA needs Cuban, and needs more owners like Cuban. As I mentioned above, I am not much of a basketball fan at all. But if I had to choose a game to attend and a team to root for, I would make the Dallas Mavericks my first choice!