In one sentence, Mikhail Prokhorov threw his full support behind his current coach, while hinting at the issues that befell his last one.
“What is important (is) that (coach) Jason Kidd, he is becoming more and more comfortable, and what is important is that he has the support of the players,” the Brooklyn Nets owner said to reporters at the O2 Arena in London before his Brooklyn Nets defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 127-110. It was Prokhorov’s first meeting with the media in months.
Prokhorov supported Kidd when asked to contrast last season’s tumultuous winter with this one. The Nets fired Avery Johnson after a 14-14 start, but decided to keep Kidd on despite a worse start from a team with higher expectations.
After letting Johnson go on December 27th, 2012, Nets general manager Billy King admitted that he’d noticed Johnson had lost his grip with the team.
He admitted he wasn’t happy with the team at the beginning of the season, putting his own spin on Kidd’s oft-used “it’s a process” turn of phrase.
“Frankly, I wasn’t jumping over the moon,” Prokhorov said of his team’s 10-21 start. “But I’m realistic in sport, it’s a procedure, and now team is playing much better. So we’re on the right way.”
Prokhorov added that he still thinks the team has a shot at a championship, if “stars align.”
Though it’s not the full interview, watch some snippets broadcast by YES Network above.
