Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has recognized that the Western Conference has dominated the east over the recent years in and has proposed conference realignment to balance the power in teams.
In a recent interview, Cuban suggested that his Mavs along with the Spurs, Rockets, and Pelicans join the Eastern Conference, while the Bulls, Bucks, Pacers, and Pistons switch over to the west.
“It’s not like it’d be the first time we’ve ever realigned,” Cuban said. “It’s happened many times before, so there’s precedent and I just think it shakes things up and makes things interesting.”
Last season, the Mavs finished with a 49-33 record good enough for the eight seed in the west. The Toronto Raptors finished the season at 48-34, the same record as the Phoenix Suns who missed the playoffs, and were the third seed in the East.
“It’s not like you’re reducing competition,” said Cuban, who noted that the teams he suggested moving to the West are approximately the same distance from Portland as Dallas and closer than New Orleans, San Antonio and Houston. “You keep Cleveland, Washington and other good teams in the East. It kind of shakes things up in terms of not just interest but also in terms of how people rebuild.”
Cuban hasn’t discussed his idea with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver about his idea, but it is something that could be taken under heavy consideration.
