On the same day the Mavs rode Jason Terry’s double-double (16 points, 11 boards) en route to a 106-89 defeat of the Sixers, Dallas’ Owner With A Boner took a break from ragging on D-Wade to voice his support for the author of “Man In The Middle”. From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Dwain Price.

“From a marketing perspective, if you’re a player who happens to be gay and you want to be incredibly rich, then you should come out, because it would be the best thing that ever happened to you from a marketing and an endorsement perspective,” said Mark Cuban. “You would be an absolute hero to more Americans than you can ever possibly be as an athlete, and that’ll put money in your pocket.

“On the flip side, if you’re the idiot who condemns somebody because they’re gay, then you’re going to be ostracized, you’re going to be picketed and you’re going to ruin whatever marketing endorsements you have.”

“When you do something that the whole world thinks is difficult and you stand up and just be who you are and take on that difficulty factor, you’re an American hero no matter what,” remarked the Dallas owner. “That’s what the American spirit’s all about, going against the grain and standing up for who you are, even if it’s not a popular position.”

Cuban invoked the name of Jackie Robinson, who broke major league baseball’s color barrier, when discussing the possibility of an active player coming out.

“It’s got to be somebody who’s strong-willed,” Cuban said. “He’ll put up with some grief. But at the same time, I don’t want to compare him to Jackie Robinson, but it’s the analogy in a lot of ways. He becomes a role model.”

Thanks to Ricky Davis, Boston’s losing streak is at 18 and counting.