Mark Cuban isn’t Russell Westbrook’s favorite NBA owner. But the brash billionaire remains a heavyweight in Dallas where, to paraphrase a Texas saying, he’s all-hat and all-cattle. When Cuban talks, you may not agree with what he’s selling or even like it, but he’s always worth a listen.

A year ago he stuck a finger in the eye of every basketball fan north of the Red River when he said Westbrook wasn’t a superstar. Then with Westbrook averaging a triple-double for Oklahoma City and chasing Oscar Robertson’s feat, Cuban doubled down on his assessment a week ago by crossing Westbrook off his MVP list. Cuban’s reasoning: Westbrook hasn’t won anything as a solo act, at least not yet.

“He’s putting up superstar numbers. That’s for damn sure,” said Cuban. “I’m not trying to take away anything that he’s been able to accomplish. But I’m not changing my definition … the criteria hasn’t changed.”

Cuban knew his comments would be fresh meat for sports talk shows and the internet, but of course Cuban never cared about how his opinions would be weighed by the public. Never has and perhaps never will. He has spoken his mind since purchasing the Mavericks in 2000, sometimes to a great disservice to his considerable wallet -- fines for knocking referees were commonplace early in his ownership -- but always to tell you exactly where he stands.

In that sense, Cuban is the rare owner who not only faces the music, he composes and plays it, and very often at ear-blasting volume.

This of course makes him a sought-after interview subject, and Cuban is extremely approachable, usually taking questions -- any questions -- while riding his stair master in the Mavericks’ locker room before games. In that sense, only Cuban can one-up Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, at least when football season is over.

He’s fiercely protective of the Mavericks and unlike other NBA owners will travel to road games, although increased family obligations have reduced that schedule. The other day, Cuban half-joked about the major changes in the Lakers organization, with Magic Johnson and ex-agent Rob Pelinka assuming control of the basketball operations.

“The worst it is, the better for me,” Cuban said of the Laker shakeup. “The more turmoil with 29 other teams, the happier I am. I hope they fail miserably. I hope they fail horrifically. But I do hope they lead happy lives.”

Here’s a Q-and-A with Cuban about his favorite subject, the Mavericks, and the newest member of the NBA’s 30,000-point club:

NBA.com: Dirk Nowtizki plans to return next season which means he’s virtually guaranteed to spend his entire career, nearly two decades, with the same team. Will we ever see a player do that again?

Cuban: I’m not sure we will. Dirk is a creature of habit. He’s also incredibly competitive and driven and loyal, not just to me but the organization and the city of Dallas. He gets it. He’s a guy who appreciates what he’s got. He’s also one of those guys who’s happy to give it back to the organization and city that has been loyal to him.