Cuban says that his sideshow battles with officials are only a symptom of the larger issue of communication, and when he says that, you start to hope he will acknowledge that the NBA product is not what it was 20 years ago and needs to be restored.

That, it seems, would at least be something worthy of a few confrontations.

But Cuban says otherwise.

"I think the league is 100 times better than it was 20 years ago," Cuban said. "Columnists ... have a very selective memory about the good ole days. Although a few franchises are underperforming, the problem is not with the product."

One could argue that notion without too much strain, but that's not the point. If Cuban believes that the league is actually a great product, and it's true that he owns one of the five best teams in the league, why does he insist on continuing a no-win war with the commissioner?

The longer you look at it, the more Cuban appears a rebel without a cause.