"It was (Dallas president of basketball operations/assistant coach) Donnie (Nelson) and Saint," Cuban said before the Warriors' season opener against Dallas. "Any deal that big, the owner's going to have to give the blessing in the end. What made that deal different was that it died down for a while, then happened quickly."

Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban is blaming the Lakers Organization for the feud between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

"If the president and the CEO of a corporation were speaking publicly like that, you'd have to say the board of directors was doing something wrong," Cuban said. "By the time a problem grows in an organization to where the most visible figures are venting publicly, it means ? people are not doing their jobs. The organization didn't deal with the problem. If you don't recognize it in advance, it's going to come to a head. If someone has to vent publicly, it's probably not the first place they looked to vent. You would think they first tried to deal with it internally."

Cuban also believes the feud is something bigger.

"There's something bigger there," he said. "They are smart guys and there is something they are not getting. And I don't think it's about shots and I don't think it's about whose team it is."

Donn Nelson Jr. has been honored with the Commander Grand Cross (the nation's top honor) by the office of Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas for his contributions to Lithuanian men's national basketball team during their quest in winning the European Championship this past summer.

Nelson, who's an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks, played the same role with the Lithuania national team, which won its first title since 1939 with a 93:84 win over Gasol-led Spain in the finals. Nelson had been the assistant coach since the country first separated from the USSR in 1992, and had taken part in winning 3 Olympic bronze medals.

The remainder of the national team received the same honor in September, shortly after triumphantly returning from the competition in Sweden.

Translated by Davor Nincic (ORL).

The Mavericks will unveil new, shimmery, silver uniforms Tuesday night in the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavericks have been trying to coax 7-3 Arvydas Sabonis to return to the NBA, but vice president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said Monday there is virtually no chance of the Lithuanian legend coming back.

If ever Antoine Walker had a catch word, "pressure" is it.

He shouldered too much of it in Boston. He won't carry nearly as much with the Mavericks. Walker, acquired in Monday's five-player deal with Celtics, is experiencing a change in expectations with his first uniform change in seven years.

Antawn Jamison, available to the Charlotte Bobcats in the veteran-dispersal draft.

OK, it's a long shot, perhaps even a pipe dream. But work with me here for a minute. The concept isn't as ridiculous as it might have been a week ago.

There's talk that the Mavericks might be interested in clearing the logjam by trading Michael Finley. And the Bulls could use a defensive-oriented shooting guard.

While admitting the club might not be as strong in the short run, Ainge, the new director of basketball operations, said he believes the move will pay bigger dividends during the course of this season and the coming seasons.

"Who would ever think you would have a chance to play along side Antoine Walker, Mike Finley, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki?" said Antawn Jamison, who came from Golden State in August. "That's an All-Star lineup right there."