Mark Cuban vs. the bottom line

Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images Is owning an NBA team about fun and games, profits, or both? There are a couple of lawsuits going on down in Texas, and it's much ado about nothing -- except for one huge thing. It began not as a fight about the Mavericks, but about the arena they play in. Mark Cuban owns the majority of American Airlines Arena. Unlike the Mavericks, the arena has made some money in recent years. When you own a business that makes money, the nice thing is you typically get some of it. But not in this case. That led to the first lawsuit, last summer. Cuban took money from the arena and, instead of handing it out to arena ownership, loaned it to another business he owns most of: the Mavericks. Ross Perot Jr. (the son of the presidential candidate with the ears cartoonists loved) is Cuban's minority partner in both businesses. He didn't like that move, and sued, saying that loan was not it was fair and proper. Cuban chastised Perot for whining about all that,...