Mark already linked to this article for Nets on the Net, but I wanted to give my opinion’s on Dave D’s article regarding Mikhail Prokhorov and other executive’s opinions on him. First off, I love that Prokhorov is already making noise in a good way (we have seen him make bad news in the past – remember the ladies in France). Apparently other owners are happy as well, this coming from Mark Cuban via Dave D:
“They would love it,” the Mavericks owner replied in an e-mail. “It would show he is stupid money, and not a competitive threat.”
That gets to the point I really want to get at. It seems to me that other executives are underestimating Prokhorov and the man rumored to be the Nets’ next GM, Andrey Vatutin. Just take a look at this quote from an anonymous executive:
“With so much rumor and speculation going on with this guy, I have problems with the legitimacy of anything before he takes control of the team,” one executive said. “First they were going after Jerry Colangelo. Then they were hiring the Toronto GM (Mauricio Gherardini). They’ve already hired and fired three coaches, from what I’ve read. I don’t think they have anything remotely close to a strategy, but I know this much: If it’s not Rod Thorn who’s formulating it, they already have problems.”
Maybe the executive wasn’t aware of Prokhorov and Vatutin’s success with CSKA. In fact, it was one of the best runs in European basketball history. Granted, European hoops isn’t the same as the NBA, but these guys do understand the game of basketball and they do know what they are doing. One executive sees the logic in offering a guy like Coach K this kind of money:
“The Nets are different,” the second executive said. “They can’t sell their history, or even loyalty, since they’re moving to Brooklyn in two years and might take 5 percent of their fans with them. So they need something to hang their hats on. I think they know they have to overspend somewhere — that’s just the way it will be — and the coach might be the place to do it.”
Totally agree with this. If the Nets get themselves a coach like Coach K, Jeff Van Gundy, or Avery Johnson I can see most commercials featuring them instead of some of the players, at least until Brooklyn happens. One thing is for sure though, he has already made more “positive news” than Bruce Ratner has, and he doesn’t even “officially” own the team yet.
