NBA loses a great owner

Though few people in Dallas probably knew who he was, it was a sad day in the NBA Friday as Utah owner Larry Miller died after fighting health issues for several years.

He was one of the unique owners in the league in that he was always visible on the court, always hanging near his team, always near the huddle and sometimes even shagged balls in the pre-game warmups.

He invented the idea of the hands-on owner way before Mark Cuban came along. And Cuban respected that.

"He was a fiery owner and he stuck by his principles and wasn't afraid to jump in the huddle and say what was on his mind,'' Cuban said. "He's somebody I looked up to and a lot of the other younger owners looked up to, too.

"I respected Larry for the way he did things.''

--Eddie Sefko