Texas Two Step

Mark Cuban appears tired of competing with the Arlington Cowboys (that football team that plays in northeast Texas). He and his Mavericks will always be second to Jerry Jones’ boys. But all that can change.

I can’t stand Dallas and the sports teams it produces, but as much as it would kill me to see this, the Dallas Mavericks should seriously pursue LeBron James. Cuban wants to win championships. LeBron wants to win championships. Perfect fit, right?

The American Airlines Center will sell out. Half of the Mavericks’ games would be nationally televised. Celebrities would wear Dallas jerseys. And Cuban and his squad would become a dynasty.

The pieces are there for the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most versatile big men to ever play the game. Jason Kidd can still create. Brendan Haywood is the big body that produces unlike Erick Dampier, who should have been out of Dallas years ago.

Either Caron Butler or Shawn Marion should be traded to clear up some cap room and then poof, give LeBron his max contract and become the best team in basketball.

There may be some salary cap problems with this, but Cuban is a smart man and can find a way around it.

Whichever team LeBron chooses to go to will be a contender. He could turn the lowly Nets in to the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. But he can make the Dallas Mavericks the favorite to win not just the 2011 NBA Finals, but many more.

It is unlikely that this will happen, and I don’t think LeBron is going to leave Cleveland. But it should not be surprising if Cuban chooses to go after LeBron and turn “The King” into “The Sheriff.”

The state of Texas is sending seven teams to the NCAA Tournament, tying the record that was set by California in 2002.

At least one team from the Lone Star State is guaranteed to advance to the second round as Baylor will play Southland Conference champion Sam Houston St. But beside one of them, it is very possible that the rest of the Texas teams could be eliminated in time for the second round.

Fifth-seeded Texas A&M in the South Regional begins the tournament against Utah State. If there is one team that is capable of making a little run, it is the Aggies who should stroll into the Sweet 16 where they would have a home-court advantage in Houston’s Reliant Stadium. But a likely matchup with Duke could turn into trouble for the Aggies who have struggled from long distance this year.

Eighth-seeded Texas in the East Regional enters the tournament with a big question mark. The team has fallen off and become only the second team to be the top-ranked team earlier in the season and end up being an eight seed or lower. Damion James has to take over if the Longhorns have any chance of advancing in the tournament. Longhorn fans may prematurely looking ahead to Kentucky, but cannot forget that Wake Forest is no walk in the park.

12th-seeded UTEP in the West Regional begins the NCAA Tournament against another mid-major team in Butler. The Miners are coming off of a disappointing loss in the C-USA finals to the Houston, but have what it takes to be a bracket buster and pull off an upset or two. UTEP has good size and an aggressive nature that should worry future opponents. The Miners just need to make sure they don’t let leads slip away and commit stupid turnovers.

13th-seeded Houston is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992. The Cougars will face Maryland in the first round in the Midwest regional. Although Maryland has not been very consistant on the season, the Cougars have not either. They showed they can win without the nation’s leading scorer Aubrey Coleman who struggled in the C-USA championship on Saturday, but Maryland and Greivis Vasquez should make it a quick trip to Spokane for the Cougars.

The Mean Green of North Texas enters the tournament for the second consecutive year. This year they will have a chance to shock the world as a 15th seed against Kansas State in the West Regional. The Sun Belt Champions will be well rested for the Wildcats, but should not cause much of a probably for Frank Martin’s squad. The Mean Green have four players who average at least 10 points, but do not have the size and athleticism that the Wildcats bring into the tournament.

But then again, it is March and anything is possible.