Prokhorov Making Good On His Promise – WIN
The words of Mikhail Prokhorov back in 2010 are becoming crystal clear to Brooklyn Nets fans and especially NBA fans. He will do whatever is necessary to win and cost is not a factor in that desire to become a champion.
There has never been an owner in the National Basketball Association quite like Prokhorov with his salary cap and luxury tax be damned mentality, he wants a title and will do whatever is necessary to make that happen, sooner rather than later.
His words from his message to Nets season-ticket holders back in 2010 no longer ring hollow.
With Prokhorov’s wide-open wallet funding the move, the Nets swung a blockbuster trade, acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry from the suddenly rebuilding Boston Celtics for an assortment of spare parts and future first-round draft picks.
The move — which increases the Nets’ payroll to nearly $180 million with luxury tax payouts — shows Prokhorov’s resolve to win at any cost.
Money seems an afterthought to Prokhorov, who has made more than his fellow NBA owners can dream about. Since he arrived, the Nets have stressed promoting the franchise and Brooklyn and carving out their share of the New York market.
Now they boast a team that can legitimately lay claim to being contenders for the title — and the oddsmakers agree, dropping the Nets from 40-1 odds to win the title to just 10-1, tied for the third-best in the NBA, and maybe just as important, ahead of the Knicks.
For all of the “Hello Brooklyn” hype, the Nets now hardly resemble their sports heritage in the borough, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the “Dem Bums” label. Prokhorov is a Russian version of George Steinbrenner and they are the Yankees, and an easily adaptable version of the Evil Empire.
Some teams draft, some teams chase free agents. But what Prokhorov and the Nets have done now is break out the money and imported the stars. The headlines are theirs. The stars are theirs. New York is theirs.
Now, there is just that matter of trying for a title and, yes, the money that that would mean for the already vibrant checkbook of Mikhail Prokhorov.[/quote_simple]
