I grew up in Dallas and while the cowboys were obviously king, the Mavs started playing at exactly the right time in my life (I was 7)for me to fall in love with the team, and I had a connection to it I don’t have with the Cowboys. We grew up together. I root for the Rangers and the Cowboys, but I love the Mavericks.
Anyway I disagree that Jerry wouldn’t do anything this stupid. He would. But he wouldn’t and won’t do anything this painful for the fans, for better or worse, because he’s one of us, and his life is in the city.
I think he understands that even though he owns the Cowboys, the star is bigger than Jerry Jones, and, the star is not The Star without the city and the fans. Thus to hurt the fans and the city diminishes him.
That was even more true with the Mavericks, because there is no national brand. The Mavs are essentially a large market version of the Hornets or Pelicans. Nobody outside of Dallas really cares about the Mavericks, and local ownership from Don Carter through Marc Cuban understood that. And I believe the Adelsons understand it too, which leads them in a very different direction, because they aren’t local to the city. The Mavericks are a piece on a chessboard for them, and nowhere near the most important piece.