Mark Cuban might have cost Mavericks shot at Deron Williams

Mark Cuban was too busy filming a reality show to meet with one of the five best point guards in the NBA.

OK, OK — there are commitments and whatnot that need to be factored in here. But Deron Williams told New York reporters that Cuban's absence from his negotiations with the Dallas Mavericks played a role in Williams' decision to stay with the Brooklyn Nets.

From The New York Times:

Asked if Cuban's absence affected his decision, Williams said flatly, "Of course."

Williams added: "A lot of the questions that me and my agent had for them really didn't get answered that day — you know, pertaining to the future. And I think if he was there, he would have been able to answer those questions a little bit better. Maybe would have helped me."

Cuban gets pegged as meddlesome more often than absentee, but he was busy filing reality show Shark Tank when Williams met with his team executives. Shark Tank is about entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, and Cuban was a panelist. At least that's what Wikipedia tells us.

This twist could serve as a rebuttal for those on the side of Nets owner Mikhail Prokohov in his running feud with Cuban. Most recently, there was this weird Nets.com thing for which no one is quite sure who was responsible.

Considered the best free agent available, Williams narrowed his choices to the Mavericks and Nets this offseason and would have filled a major void for Dallas. He averaged 21.0 points and 8.7 assists a game last season.

The Mavericks instead added Darren Collison to replace Jason Kidd at point guard. Collison's fine. Really, he's fine. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 assists a game for the resurgent Indiana Pacers last season. He can shoot, and he's fast, and he's smart.

But he's not Deron Williams.