Another Cuban Clean-Up: Is Everything ‘Fine’ With Luka’s Mavs?

Another Cuban Clean-Up, plus Draft Review, Fines and Cowboys Icon Emmitt Smith Joins First Lady Jill Biden in COVID Pitch - DFW Sports Notebook

Whether you’re at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt’s End 7.2.21 …

*After a lengthy investigation by the league’s front office, the team was fined $10 million for fostering a toxic workplace environment that included sexual harassment of employees. If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is. What Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder is charged with doing by the NFL in 2021 is largely the same thing the Dallas Mavericks under owner Mark Cuban got dinged for by the NBA in 2018. Even the identical amount.

Who did what isn't the same. But the vibe is the same and the fine is the same. You wouldn’t call them billionaire bad boys. Or would you?

We look forward to the Thursday, July 15 presser in which Cuban will surely be asked to address this issue, especially in the wake of the Jason Kidd hiring. Things seem a bit wobbly, relationship-wise, with so many involved.

The Mavs do not want a wobbly relationship with anybody involved with Luka Doncic. That goes for front-office people and their issues. It goes for the coach. It goes for the analytics guy. All of 'em.

*Emmitt Smith gets it, and so should you. The COVID vaccine, that is. Smith joined First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday to tour a vaccine site at Emmett J. Conrad High in Dallas Independent School District.

Said Emmitt, the Dallas Cowboys legend and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, “If you take of yourself, you take care of others.”

Cowboys Hall of Famer @EmmittSmith22 joining @FLOTUS to promote vaccines at Conrad High in Dallas this afternoon. “Didn’t hurt at all,” says 14-year-old WR.

Emmitt: “If you take care of yourself this way, you take care of others.” pic.twitter.com/pDWFOSeNTZ

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) June 29, 2021

This isn't a political issue. It's a health issue. So ... Amen.

*Speaking of financial punishment, the Dallas Cowboys have been hit. Again. This time it’s $100,000 for the team and $50,000 for head coach Mike McCarthy for violation of OTA guidelines. While the NFL didn’t specify the rules broken, we’re assuming they relate to more physical contact than allowed by the new collective bargaining agreement. The Cowboys will also forfeit an undisclosed amount of off-season workout days in the Spring of 2022.

This is not exactly the New England Patriots deflating footballs or the Houston Astros stealing signs, but it is a form of cheating. Almost 10 years ago, remember, the Cowboys lost millions of precious salary-cap space for illegally front-loading contracts during the uncapped 2010 season.

*I know, I know. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa should be an All-Star and Adolis Garcia should be an All-Star and now, with a late power surge that’s seen him hit seven homers in five games, Joey Gallo should be an All-Star. But despite their first series win in Oakland since 2016, the Texas Rangers and all these “deserving” All-Stars are a whopping 17 games under .500.

*The Cowboys are selling Micah Parsons as the highest-ranked defensive player on their draft board. Fine. But we also know they would’ve been more than happy with either of the draft’s primo cornerbacks, Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II. There are those around the league that are also certain the Cowboys were willing to accept drafting Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.

Remember on Draft Night, when the Cowboys boss Jerry Jones bet our Mike Fisher $1,000 that the owner was telling the truth about Parsons being up there ... while at the same time, Fish was writing that Dallas was trying to trade up to get one of the cornerbacks, Surtain or Horn? And we wondered ... Can both stories be true?

READ MORE: Sources: Dallas Cowboys Tried To Trade Up To 6 For CB - But Also Rated Parsons No. 1

And the answer, I've found, is that both were true.

Dallas really did have, on its official board, Parsons as its "No. 1 defensive player.'' His name was up there, physically. But at the same time, Dallas - in real life, not on the board but in their minds - coveted the cornerback more.

I believe this is called "Window-dressing'' the board. (Hat-tip Bryan Broaddus.) It also strikes me as sort of sloppy.

Were there that many can’t-miss players in the draft? Or did the Cowboys have two flimsy, mediocre plans instead of one good, cemented plan? And, in a sense, two different draft boards - one in writing and one in their minds?

*Before he was the Mavs’ three-time savior, Jason Kidd wanted to be a cowboy. A cowboy named John Wayne.

*Dallas radio lost a gentle soul with a booming voice in the sudden passing of Scott West this week. A 40-year veteran who worked at CBS, KLIF, KRLD and KVIL during the Cowboys’ 1990s stay there, West was just one of those charismatic personalities that oozed the perfect blend of calm and cool. If you’ve lived in Dallas for any amount of time, guaranteed you’d heard his unique voice.

You know you’ve got the pipes when Collin Powell asks you to narrate his audio book. Rest in peace, my man.

*Hard Knocks? Hard pass. The Cowboys are gonna be on HBO - and Fish explains here why it's an awful idea.

*How does the new rule allowing college athletes to profit from their own likeness immediately affect players? University of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King on Thursday signed a $20,000 endorsement deal with College Hunks moving company.

That sort of side hustle in the 1980s landed SMU on death row. Oh, and yes, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel is the guy who missed out most on the financial timing here.

*Seems everyone is in the chicken sandwich game these days. It’s Popeye’s this or Chick-Fil-A that or … Allow me to weigh in. Try the hot chicken sandwich at Trophy Park at The Star in Frisco. Thank me later.

*Hot.

*Not.

*Former Dallas Stars’ defenseman Stephen Johns, who announced his retirement recently due to post-concussion symptoms, is healing by … rollerblading across America? Different copes for different folks.

*DFW’s best-kept golf secret offers breathtaking lake views, $20 green fees, a scrumptious and expansive post-round menu, and only a 60-minute drive. The only 18-hole golf course in Wise County, RB Golf Club and Resort on Lake Bridgeport hosted me and my Duncanville High School buddies for an unofficial reunion tournament last week. We couldn’t have been more pleased. The course is immaculate. The service friendly. And the food – get the quesadillas and/or shrimp brochette, trust me – is way above anything you’d expect from a 19th hole. The place is a beautiful, bountiful bargain.

*The temperature hitting 115 in Portland this week is as shocking and debilitating as when we dipped below 0 last Winter. For what it’s worth, give me 115.

*Sorry, but I’m not buying the “win one for good ol’” Chris Paul. To me, the dude is – and always has been – an insulting flopper who disrespects the game. He’s a horrible actor in those State Farm commercials, but even worse on the basketball court.

*Never envisioned a time in my life where we’d shrug nonchalantly at widespread marijuana use, government confirmation of UFOs and an openly gay player in the NFL. But here we are. Kinda nice, actually.

*Former Rangers’ closer Neftali Feliz was back in a save situation this week for the first time since 2017 and … promptly blew the lead by giving up a grand slam for the Phillies. Turns out our 2011 wounds haven’t sufficiently healed after all. I had some PTSD just typing that sentence.

*The same “used” shortage fueling a frenzied housing market in DFW is having a similar effect in the car business. Though my lease wasn’t up until October 2022, this week I got out of my 2018 SUV early and into a new 2021 model while – get this – lowering my monthly payment. A dwindling supply of used cars has skyrocketed their value. If you don’t trust me, ask my good, long-time friends at Autoflex leasing.

*RANGERS RISK: We all think the Texas Rangers are going to be putrid this season. Our lil’ roundtable revealed predicted win totals of anywhere between 61 and 78, but no one thinks .500 is plausible. Let’s put our money where our mouth is. I’m going to bet a virtual $100 against the Rangers every game this season and, after six months and 162 games, see where I wind up. I’ll keep a running tab right there each Friday and come September I’ll (wink) disperse my profits to my most loyal readers. RECORD: 32-49 TOTAL: +$87.

*This Weekend? Friday let’s golf with dear ol’ Dad. Saturday let’s take in some fireworks from a rooftop patio in Las Colinas. Sunday, on our country’s birthday, let’s put political differences aside and be nice to each other. Deal? As always, don’t be a stranger.