Cuban: 'If Adam Silver wants to get rid of Hack-a-Shaq, he's wrong'

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been outspoken in the past concerning his views on the dreaded "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy, saying players should simply learn to hit their free throws to avoid being constantly fouled.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told attendees of The Associated Press sports editors meeting Thursday that the league is looking into changing the rule so teams don't overuse the controversial blueprint next season, as it adds unnecessary time to the end of games.

"If Adam wants to get rid of Hack-a-Shaq, he's wrong. Dead wrong," Cuban told reporters prior to the Mavericks hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of their opening-round series Saturday.

"There's a thousand ways to speed up the game. One way that won't do it any better is rewarding somebody for not being able to shoot a free throw like a 10-year-old. That's wrong in every which way, shape, or form. If we want to solve making the game faster, which I would tell you when a fan comes to the game, sees a great game, they ain't looking at their watch."

The sometimes offbeat billionaire is never one to shy away from his stance on a particular matter, and in the case of "Hack-a-Shaq," he's certainly not open to having his opinion swayed.

"We're trying to solve a problem that doesn't need to be solved," Cuban added. "Adam's right on a lot of things. But if that's his position, he's wrong. And anyone who thinks it's about saving time is wrong. Not maybe wrong. Not could be wrong. Not possibly wrong. Not smart minds can take different viewpoints. It's just wrong.

"We had a guy throw up an air ball. We've been on the other side of Hack-a-whoever before. You work on it. Basketball is a mental game. If you take that out of the game, you take a lot of the mental discipline out of the game. And that's wrong."