Dallas Owner Fined for Gesture

DALLAS (AP) â€” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the action that played a role in his latest NBA fine was ``no big deal.'' <br><br>``I didn't make a derogatory gesture. I jumped up and

Saturday, April 14th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DALLAS (AP) â€” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the action that played a role in his latest NBA fine was ``no big deal.''

``I didn't make a derogatory gesture. I jumped up and grabbed my throat after a missed call, and that was it,'' Cuban told The Associated Press on Saturday.

On Friday, the dot-com billionaire received his seventh fine this year, this one for $100,000. It brought his total for the season to $505,000. He also was suspended one game for the gesture and publicly criticism of officials during Dallas' 111-106 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

``I didn't make a public criticism,'' Cuban said. ``I asked the question of how the league was going to introduce new rules, if we are having problems with the existing ones. I asked the question to the league, to other owners, and to the press.

``Unfortunately, no one gave me an answer, but because I asked it of a reporter, I got fined,'' he said.

Cuban has been fined as little as $5,000 and as much as $250,000 this year. He has matched the amount of each fine in donations to charitable organizations.

He served his suspension during the Mavericks' 101-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, the playoff-bound team's 50th victory of the year.