Opinion

Cuban's plan to have Romo sit on Mavs' bench an insult to sports

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Only Mark Cuban could be this arrogant and clueless.

Only an NBA loser out of Dallas could be this dumb.

Tony Romo's also involved, which tells you everything you need to know about the pitiful little circus the 32-47 Mavericks will reportedly try to pull off this week.

In case you were living real life Saturday - another perfect-weather day in Houston, by the way, where the 53-26 Rockets are the third-best team in the NBA - here's the ridiculous recap that has me sadly shaking my head.

In honor of another pointless Mavericks season, Cuban's team plans to make Romo a "Maverick for a day" on Tuesday, according to ESPN and multiple reports.

That news immediately caught my eye, primarily because Romo (to the best of my knowledge) isn't on the verge of death and the world isn't ending any time soon.

Some kind of tribute

Then I clicked the link and wanted to puke.

It appears in this 2016 photo that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't want to let go of Tony Romo, but the QB retired. So Mark Cuban, right, found a place for Romo on the Mavs' bench for a night. It appears in this 2016 photo that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't want to let go of Tony Romo, but the QB retired. So Mark Cuban, right, found a place for Romo on the Mavs' bench for a night. Photo: Mike Coppola, Staff Photo: Mike Coppola, Staff Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Cuban's plan to have Romo sit on Mavs' bench an insult to sports 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Mavericks intend to pay "tribute" to Romo by allowing him to sit on the team's bench during their home finale.

I stopped reading for a moment and immediately scrolled upward, searching for an April 1 date or late-published April Fools' joke.

Of course not. It was Cuban. So it was real and only got worse.

The Mavericks plan to have Romo in uniform against Denver at the American Airlines Center.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Say what?

In uniform?!!

I could go on some simple tirade about how millions of children, teenagers and young men spend countless hours, days and years of their lives endlessly dreaming of wearing an NBA uniform, would do almost anything to sit on a pro bench as the never-playing 15th man for just a few minutes, and never come close to even touching that impossible dream.

I'll just say that out of all the lame, pathetic and idiotic things we constantly have to stomach in sports, this sounds like the stupidest idea I've ever heard, and it hasn't happened yet.

It makes LaVar Ball look humble, gracious and wise.

It makes Kendall Jenner popping a can of Pepsi during a glossy TV "protest" look good.

It's absolutely begging for Adam Silver to instantly step in and shut this whole farce down.

I know the commissioner is tied up with superstars resting and multiple teams blatantly tanking at once, though, so I'm sure it'll take a screaming call from David Stern to wake the new guy up.

Wrong to do anywhere

I'm sure I'll receive a few equally pathetic emails from raging Mavs lemmings, blindly taking up for their gaudy billionaire owner and a DOA team that's just a few defeats away from being one of the worst squads in the league.

In response, I'll just cut and paste what follows.

I'd be saying the same thing if the Rockets, Astros or Texans tried to pull this crap. But they're not as dumb as the Mavericks.

It has nothing to do with the fact Romo will forever be 2-4 in the playoffs, only has one more postseason victory than Brock Osweiler and never even sniffed a Super Bowl.

It has everything to do with the idiocy of the idea, which is as insulting as it is demeaning.

Trying to pull off this stunt in baseball would get a general manager fired and cause a clubhouse revolt. NFL players fight tooth and claw for every 53-man roster spot, and more than 200 players are inactive every game day. Real pro jerseys are never given out - they're always earned.

I'm surprised that Rick Carlisle would allow this. But I guess starting 3-15 this season and always signing the wrong free agents dims a coach's fire.

The fact that Cuban's Mavericks think this is a cute honor and novel idea says everything about how lost Dallas' season has been and how little respect the team's owner has for the paying fans attending a worthless game.

No wonder the Mavs haven't figured out how to live without 38-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, and haven't been past the first round of the playoffs since their lone NBA title in 2011.

Taking it too far

Honoring a star during a pro game is one of the easiest events in sports. Just think of all the times the Rockets have briefly flashed a famous face on the jumbotron this season to arena-wide applause, or conducted a classy halftime show for some of the franchise's biggest names.

That's all the Mavericks had to do for the just-retired Romo, whose bigger-than-advertised ego would have been fine with an extended standing ovation and thousands proudly chanting his name.

Giving a 36-year-old former quarterback an NBA jersey, letting him sit on a crowded bench and officially making him part of the team?

That's straight out of Loserville. And just another arrogant, clueless act by the NBA's biggest brat.