Prokhorov Asks Fans for Patience
Despite the mystery and intrigue, it still remains to be seen what the NBA’s second-richest owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, will do with his new acquisition, the New Jersey Nets.
There has been some flash to his entrance, but more than anything, Prokhorov has made structural changes rather quietly. His debut came in May, and was followed by some bad luck when the Nets, despite having the worst record in the NBA and a 25 per cent chance of winning the No. 1 pick, lost out on the lottery and ended up with the third overall selection, thus losing out on the chance to get John Wall — widely believed to be a franchise changer.
During the free agency, like rival teams the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, the Nets were unable to successfully acquire any of the big three—LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, even though rapper Jay-Z, who is a minority owner of the team, met with “the king” and discussed possibilities.
But now Prokhorov and co. are making moves, as a large billboard of him and Jay Z went up the other day, a stone’s throw away from Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks. Sources say it is hard not to see the advertisement as sparking a rivalry. Prokhorov had already said that he wishes to steal Knicks fans and make them Nets fans.
“I think Jay and I look really great, and I am looking into the possibility of buying this building and having it shipped back to Moscow,” Prokhorov said about the billboard. “I want to put it across the Red Square near the Kremlin.” The tone was one of sarcasm, but admittedly Prokhorov’s words were hard to gauge.
In an interview at a hotel in Midtown, Prokhorov did not seem negatively affected by a lukewarm start with the Nets. He spoke about upcoming plans for the team, and praised the NBA’s salary cap structure, although it limits the amount of money teams can spend.
When asked what he would say to his fans, Prokhorov asked that they “be patient,” and “support” the team. He continued: “we will win for sure. And trust me, next season will be completely different: aggressive, young. Now we have really good ambition to beat Miami Heat.”
The words come off as anything but modest, and to some, hardly believable. At least at this point.
Specifically, Prokhorov said the main thing this season was to make the playoffs. He said a championship could be won within five years. Jokingly, he said that if the team did not succeed in a championship by then, he would be personally responsible and would get married.
Prokhorov is often depicted as a ladies’ man, travelling around the world with women in his jet.
Nets fans have endured years of lacklustre play, cap purging, and general malaise. Rock bottom was hit last season, when the team managed to scramble only 12 wins out of 82 games. Before free agency it was expected that the Nets would lean heavily to change their roster with huge stars, but instead they have ended up with more modest players, as well as Derrick Favors, the third overall pick. As well they obtained Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, Quinton Ross and Travis Outlaw.
Prokhorov also made sweeping infrastructural changes, hiring Billy King as GM and Avery Johnson as coach.
With the opening of free agency, the Nets met with the three the whole world wanted to meet with: James, Wade, and Bosh. James was seen in Ohio, and the other two in Chicago. Second tier free-agent prospects were not pursued, as the idea was to maintain salary cap flexibility. Prokhorov said it was only after losing out on the stars that cap space flexibility in free agent acquisitions and trades became a primary objective.
“I take all the responsibility of what is going on with the team, but it is coming,” said Prokhorov. “It is coming soon.” Presumably, he means success.
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