Dallas Stars Sale: Report Says Chuck Greenberg "Kicking Tires" on Mark Cuban Partnership

When the rumor first surfaced last week that former Texas Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg was looking into purchasing some unknown portion of the Dallas Stars, sports fans familiar with his sudden resignation from said baseball team wondered aloud: "With whose money?"

Which isn't to say that Mr. Greenberg can't put up a significant portion of the funds necessary or doesn't have the credit required to assume the debt the lenders are looking to unload. For all we know he is fully able and willing. The perception, however, is that he owned only a very small portion of the Texas Rangers (The DMN's and Sports Illustrated's words, not mine) and therefore a similar, minority investment in the Stars is what's expected in such a scenario.

Enter the Dallas Business Journal yesterday and an interesting rumor on with whom Greenberg could partner...

Greenberg, the former CEO of the Texas Rangers, is currently reviewing the franchise's financial documents to decide if he's interested in an ownership stake in the team, according to the source.

He's also kicking the tires at potentially partnering with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the bid for ownership of the National Hockey League team, according to the source.

Cuban has previously stated he would be interested in a minor ownership stake in the Stars for more control over the American Airlines Center, where both teams play. [DBJ]

The proposed partnership is an interesting one precisely for the reasons that the Business Journal states: Cuban is looking at (perhaps) a minority ownership stake; something to help him get control over the AAC, while Greenberg is also theorized to be more of an organizer and a leader than a primary financial backer, much like Jim Lites would be with the Quinn group.

In that scenario Greenberg and Cuban add up to two guys not (supposedly) interested in investing a heap of money into a hockey team that could easily lose money in the next two or three seasons. They seem to add up to an incomplete picture. Who would play Ray Davis and Bob Simpson behind such a pairing?

Mark Cuban was asked at Mike Modano's charity baseball game last weekend about the Stars and issued a quick "no comment."

This is all academic, of course. Tom Gaglardi is still the front runner and Stars fans everywhere anxiously await word of his signed purchase agreement with the lenders any time now. Still, the thought of the two enigmatic executives on the same team is intriguing on many levels, and somewhat ironic given that just under a year ago the two sat on opposite sides of a Ft. Worth courthouse trying to win the Texas Rangers bankruptcy auction.

In the mean time, TSN reports that three new bids for the St. Louis Blues have been entered and that people close to that situation think some of that interest came from those who were previously interested in buying the Stars but aren't now because it's assumed that Gaglardi will win the team. Interesting...

Update: Rich Phillips via Twitter (of Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket) says that Mark Cuban, via email, denies talking to Chuck Greenberg about the Stars. So take that, Dallas Business Journal, I guess...