Nowitzki likes the quiet Cuban

Bombastic Dallas owner Mark Cuban faded into the woodwork during the Mavericks’ playoff sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mavericks leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki prefers for his owner to continue his silence.

The Express-News’ Mike Monroe earlier this week. And the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Nowitzki was happy that a “silent and backed-off” Cuban  during the recent Lakers’ series.  

“Yeah, it should be about the players and not the owner,” Nowitzki said. “We played a great series. We fought hard and battled. That was fun. I haven’t seen Mark since then, and that’s probably a good thing.”

Cuban became a huge storyline during the Mavericks’ loss in the 2006 NBA Finals, bitterly complaining about officiating after his team squandered an early 2-0 lead by losing the final four games to the Miami Heat.

Since then, Nowitzki said that Cuban hasn’t been nearly as vocal.

“He is still fired up,” Nowitzki said. “He is still such a huge fan. He is still in it with his heart. He is positive. Sometimes he yells. He picks his spots better.

“He is not as hands-on as he once was. He is still hands-on for an owner but not as hands-on as he used to be.”

But what about it Spurs Nation?

Would you prefer for Cuban to be a major part of the playoffs, or merely a quiet afterthought?