April 2013: Playoffs, “One Good Player Away”
Before the blowout victory over the Bulls in Game 1’s Blackout in Brooklyn on April 20, Prokhorov spoke to the crowd at Barclays, saying that he came to “keep the lights on.”
A day before, Prokhorov went on Bloomberg Television and in his usual candid fashion said that the Nets were “only one good player” from being an elite team. Perhaps you may question the timing of such a comment, one day before his current team played the first franchise playoff game in six years, and the Borough of Brooklyn saw its first playoff action for a major professional sports team in over half a century.
But Prokhorov don’t care about no timing.
And it’s that combination of bravado/honesty that has made these three years of Mikhail Dimitrievitch Prokhorov’s ownership interesting, if nothing else. Combine that with his insatiable desire to win at all costs, and you have the makings of some serious fun. For example: do you have any idea where will be in another three years from now?
If Prokhorov delivers on his promise of a championship, despite not currently having a head coach and roster flexibility hampered by the cap, we’ll be celebrating the first NBA title in franchise history. If he doesn’t, will he get married? Will he ultimately end up being Russian President? Will he die in a heli-skiing accident? Will his wealth turn out to be some elaborate Ponzi scheme?
Here’s to it being the first option. Happy Anniversary, Mickey P. You may not be able to commit to a woman, but you’ve committed to the Nets.
