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February 14, 2010
Nothin' but Nyets, Nothin' but Post
NY Post, Krzyzewski: Saying nyet to New Jersey 'would be easy'
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski essentially rebuffed the Nets' interest yesterday before ever hearing what the team and incoming Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov might have to offer.
"The guy's Russian, right? You think he'd hire a Polish guy?" Krzyzewski, clearly the Nets' leading choice for head coach next season, said jokingly to reporters in Durham, N.C. yesterday after Duke manhandled Maryland, 77-56. "No one's contacted me and if they do, I think 'nyet' would be easy for me to say."
Lots of people joke about the Nets these days. Hey, they're 4-48.
NY Post, Prokhorov's learning curve
Authorities never pressed charges against Russian billionaire and new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov after arresting him in 2007 on suspicion of hiring high-class call girls to entertain his guests in the Swiss Alps. But now, Prokhorov himself admits that he has some experience in the flesh trade. "I had sex for money once. I was young, hotblooded, curious. The representative of the ancient profession was brilliant and read Nietzsche in the original," he recently told the magazine he owns, the Russian Pioneer. "And she gave advice on how to be successful in life: 'Keep your back straight and don't fuss.' I have learned not to fuss, but I am still working hard on the spine. There's still time." The 6-foot-8 bachelor skipped the NBA All-Star Game and its surrounding hoopla in Dallas, as the 4-48 Nets limp toward the worst record in the league's history. Prokhorov was in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics.
NoLandGrab: Prokhorov was allegedly going to meet with Nets' President Rod Thorn while attending the NBA All-Star game, but according to the Post, "Prokhorov's planned trip to Dallas to meet with Thorn was called off because of travel difficulties and to avoid the overwhelming throng of NBA media for All-Star weekend." They just realized there was going to be press?
NY Post, Prokhorov's next moves remain a mystery
You have got to be extremely wary of sources claiming they're privy to the preferences of Mikhail Prokhorov about anything or anyone. Come on, other than commissioner David Stern, who in this country would the Russian tycoon trust enough to seek counsel or share confidences concerning the right people to facelift the Nets' image once approved as controlling owner by the NBA's Board of Governors?
Posted by eric at February 14, 2010 11:28 PM