It has been many moons since Mikhail Prokhorov bought the Nets, but he has just now officially been installed as owner. As such, he is only starting to introduce himself to Nets fans, as seen in the video above (via ProBasketballTalk).
Prokhorov is certainly not shy. In his short address, he claims the team will win a championship within five years (apparently he never saw this infamous SLAM cover), says that the franchise will be the envy of everyone else in the league, and posits the Nets as the first truly global NBA franchise. In other words, they will see the league's fastest turnaround and almost instantly become the NBA's marquee organization.
Kim Jong-Il called, he thinks Prokhorov needs to dial back the delusional hubris just a bit.
I don't know why people are up on this guys nuts. He hasn't done . I don't care how rich he is, he's not some ing wizard the NBA has rules. It's not like you can just go out and buy up a bunch of talent. There are a lot of rich owners in the NBA he's not the only one.
Exactly.
An owner like him would turn MLB totally upside down... imagine him getting his hands on the Dodgers now that they're up for sale. Or if he had been the guy who bought the Cubs.
MLB is one league where championships can be bought. No salary cap, no Bird rights, and no one who can quite step up to the level of Steinbrenner's spending.
The NBA is a completely different animal with a salary cap, Bird rights, first-round draft choices bound to their drafting team for 7 years, and an overall very compe ion-friendly CBA. You can't just buy up all the best players on the market.
So now we know what it takes for a net fan to get confidence.
3rd pick
no you moron, by watching them all season, maybe if you did that as well, you know the past season was just a fluke and they would have been better if half the players didn't get hurt in the beginning and if they had a true coach instead of ing Kiki. Nets will be much better. It will be like the 2001-2002 season all over again meaning they will get much better, not saying they will win it all because they won't, but they aren't down and out. Roddy Beaubois is more down and out then the NETS, I mean he didn't even really play this season
As Joe said, no way they win a le in the next 5 years.
Nets have as much of a chance as Spurs and Mavs to win in the next 5 years. Prob even more. Nets have a lot to work with just got to be smart in making moves and we are golden. I don't even know why I am telling you this, unless you actually watch the Nets more then 5 times a year you wouldn't know.
Why the would I want to watch the Nets this year? Some big new owner doesn't = le. I'm pretty sure teams like Oklahoma/Portland (if they stay healthy) and of course the Lakers will be dominating the next 5/10 years.
goddam this guy has "kgb nazi iron fist soviet mafyia" all over him .. that interview looks like tape you put to people in work camps for brain washing
Why the would I want to watch the Nets this year? Some big new owner doesn't = le. I'm pretty sure teams like Oklahoma/Portland (if they stay healthy) and of course the Lakers will be dominating the next 5/10 years.
I didn't say you would want to watch the Nets, I mean unless you did watch them this past year your not going to think they can be a good team. I watch certain teams Nets and Knicks and try to catch magic, Celtics, Thunder games when I can, but no other teams really. Nets have major talent from watching all games you can't see that from just watching a game or two you have to watch all season to see it. Major talent to win it all next year, prob not. Major talent to win in the next 5 years deff, but that's only if we make the right moves, but to know this about the Nets you'd have to watch most of the games. Lakers dominating 10 years, 5 at best i'd say, but I don't watch all there games so maybe the players are better some games then others
The daughter of a Russian diplomat was hired Thursday as president of the company that will oversee the New Jersey Nets.
Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim Group announced that Irina Pavlova will be the team owner’s representative in the New York area.
Pavlova has extensive experience in business and finance. She earned an MBA from Stanford, worked as a financial analyst with Prudential Investment Corp. and became Russia’s first employee for Google. She lived in Moscow and Washington as a child.
Prokhorov, a billionaire who is Russia’s richest man, has promised to revive the last-place Nets. His company described Pavlova as the “perfect bridge between Russia and the United States.”
“She will establish the company’s office (in New York) and cooperate closely with the Nets management to ensure they have everything they need to build a championship team,” Onexim said in a statement.
Pavlova will coordinate the development project in Brooklyn that is to become the Nets’ new home. The long-delayed arena is expected to open in 2012. Prokhorov agreed to buy 80 percent of the Nets and 45 percent of the arena project from developer Bruce Ratner last year.
Any chance they could trade for #1? I'm sure if they had #2 they could work out a deal with the Wizards since picking Evan Turner over John Wall when you have Arenas somewhat makes sense, especially if they could get a young player out of New Jersey out of it, but do they even have a chance at trading for 1 with #3?
New Jersey Nets team president Rod Thorn will take over as the team’s general manager.
Thorn told the Bergen (N.J.) Record and The New York Daily News that the franchise would combine the two positions instead of replacing ousted GM Kiki Vandeweghe.
New Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said Wednesday that Vandeweghe, whose contract expires June 30, would not be retained.
Thorn has been the Nets GM before and he’s done well holding both jobs.
In 2001, he traded Stephon Marbury to the Suns for Jason Kidd, who led the Nets to consecutive NBA finals appearances.
As Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov begins making an imprint as owner of the New Jersey Nets, he’s nearing an agreement with CSKA Moscow president Andrei Vatutin to take a senior-level, front-office job with the franchise, European and NBA sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Sources say Vatutin, 36, will join a revamped Nets front office after CSKA’s season ends in the next few weeks. With the firing of general manager Kiki Vandeweghe on Wednesday, Nets president Rod Thorn will take back his general manager duties.
The Nets are also retaining vice president of basketball operations Bobby Marks.
Sources believe Prokhorov wants Vatutin groomed to someday become an NBA GM. Nevertheless, most believe the young Russian is a long way from being qualified to run an NBA team.
Vatutin was the GM for CSKA, a European powerhouse, when Prokhorov operated the franchise. He helped put together a CSKA team that won the 2008 Euroleague le.
Sounds like Mark Cuban Version 2.0. Cuban made the same stupid predictions when he took over the team in 2000, and has yet to deliver on bringing a championship to the city of Dallas. I hope he knows what he's doing, and doesn't just throw money at any player who will take it.
To be a billionaire in Russia you definitely have to do something right. KGB style does work in the NBA, I'd say. The refs are old and easily influenced. Wave a few dollars in their faces and they start calling things your way.
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3rd pick
