Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is a self-made billionaire who doesn’t have any patience when it comes to failure. In May 2010, Prokhorov became the majority owner of the Nets and he oversaw the team’s relocation from Northern New Jersey to Brooklyn. Prokhorov didn’t waste anytime at the helm of the Nets as he immediately placed a billboard across the street from Madison Square Garden in New York City which is the home of the New York Knicks as a turf war was being established. Prokhorov vowed to win a championship in five years and he hasn’t left any stone unturned in his pursuit. Prior to the trade deadline in the 2010-2011 National Basketball Association season, the Nets acquired All-Star point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz. Last summer as the Nets were preparing to begin playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, there was a failed attempt by Prokhorov and Nets general manager Billy King to acquire All-Star center Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. The Nets didn’t stop there as a blockbuster trade to acquire shooting guard from the Atlanta Hawks was orchestrated.
Prokhorov picked up Johnson’s $20 million a year contract along with re-signing Williams to a five-year, $98 million deal and All-Star center Brook Lopez to a four-year, $60 million deal. The people of Brooklyn now knew that they would have a formidable basketball team with Prokhorov leading the way.
After a 14-14 start last season, the Nets fired head coach Avery Johnson who was replaced by assistant coach P.J. Carlisemo. Carlisemo guided the Nets to the playoffs where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Nets did improve last year, but improvement alone wasn’t enough to satisfy the successful appetite of the billionaire from Russia.
After deciding to part ways with Carlisemo, Prokhorov flirted with bringing in Phil Jackson as the Nets new head coach. However Jackson refused Prokhorov’s vault of money in favor of retirement.
Fresh off of retiring after 19 seasons an NBA player, former Nets guard Jason Kidd reached out to King about the Nets head coaching vacancy. Without any head coaching experience to speak of, Kidd was able to woo King enough that he became the new head coach of the Nets last month.
The NBA Draft was held at the Barclays Center last Thursday and once again Prokhorov stole the show. Yahoo Sports had reported earlier in the day that Nets were on the verge of acquiring forward Paul Pierce, center Kevin Garnett, and guard Jason Terry from the Boston Celtics. By the end of the night the trade had been agreed upon by both teams as it cannot be made official by the NBA until July 10, but that didn’t stop the buzz in the arena that was in favor of the Nets.
Prokhorov is that certain breed of sports franchise owner that will not stop at any cost in making a contender. I liken him to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner as these men have done whatever it takes to win. When Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973, he was a visionary that turned around a struggling franchise and by 1977 the Yankees had won the World Series. Steinbrenner came into power at the beginning of free agency in sports and he wasn’t afraid of spending money in the hopes of acquiring talent. Like Steinbrenner, Cuban took over a struggling team in the Dallas Mavericks that had been extremely unsuccessful. Cuban became Mavericks owner in 2000 and by 2011, the Mavericks were NBA Champions. Last season marked the first time that the Mavericks missed the playoff under Cuban’s ownership.
Aside from spending the money, Prokhorov has created a buzz around the Nets. While they were the New Jersey Nets, this team seemed to lack flavor; even when Kidd led them to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. Under Prokhorov’s watch, the Nets are showing that they are no longer the little brother of the Knicks as the two teams are on equal ground in the biggest media market in the world. After the first-round loss to the depleted Bulls, changes needed to be made as the Nets were a “soft” team. Although Garnett is 37-years old, the “soft” moniker won’t be attached to this team anymore with his presence as you need toughness to win a championship. Prokhorov is building this team in the same way that he made his fortune; which was by being smart and being relentless in the pursuit of success. When a man like Prokhorov became a billionaire on his own, there isn’t anyone alive who is going to tell him how to run his basketball team which means that it is time to stand back and watch the magic happen.
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