An unannounced appearance at the Mavericks' practice Monday by NBA commissioner David Stern was followed by a couple of bigger surprises.

No. 1: Stern has quietly moved the first Board of Governors session of the season to Dallas, starting with an owners' dinner Monday night and concluding with Tuesday's meetings at the Adolphus Hotel.

No. 2: The unexpected visit set up Stern to be led on a tour of the new American Airlines Center by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The same Cuban, you'll recall, who was fined $505,000 by Stern last season.

"There weren't any blows thrown or anything like that," the Mavericks' Michael Finley quipped.