Cuban delicately labels Barnes best player on Mavericks

It was subtle, but Mark Cuban still said it - Harrison Barnes is the team's best player. And as it goes with being the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Cuban's word goes a long way.

From ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Cuban compared his forward with the guy who has been the best for the better part of his career: 38-year-old Dirk Nowitzki.

"We've always talked about, 'when is Dirk going to be our second-best player?' I think we're past that now."

At 21-32, the Mavericks aren't entirely the same team they were with a full-time Nowitzki, but Barnes is making a mark on the young starters.

The 24-year-old is averaging 20.4 points per game after signing a four-year, $94-million deal with Dallas in the offseason. Barnes scored 31 points in Thursday's win over the Utah Jazz – his sixth game recording 30-plus points this season. In four campaigns with the Golden State Warriors, Barnes managed only one.