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March 29, 2010
More Russian (Window) Dressing
The Sports Section [NYMag.com], Mikhail Prokhorov Reminds You of What Is Coming
The real news was Mikhail Prokhorov's interview with 60 Minutes, which did little to stop us from thinking he's going to be our city's 21st century Steinbrenner. In fact, we wrote a whole column about it for the magazine this week. Enjoy kicking these Nets around while you can, Knicks fans. They won't look like this for long.
New York Magazine, The Miracle Nets
As much agita as the Knicks have caused their fans this season, it’s nothing compared to the pain in East Rutherford. The team lost its first eighteen games (a league record), has employed four different coaches, is last in the NBA in attendance by a substantial margin (the Nets barely outdraw the WNBA’s New York Liberty), and needs two wins in its final eleven games to avoid the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers’ mark of 9-73. For a franchise as traditionally inept as the Nets, this, at last, is the nadir.
...But those are all just roster machinations, the front-office push-pull that every team goes through; change, sure, but not metamorphosis. The real Nets transformation is on the executive and geographical levels. This team is about to get Ivan Drago–ed.
Prepare yourself, New York, for the force of nature that is Mikhail Prokhorov: The next-generation George Steinbrenner is a six-foot-nine Russian bachelor billionaire with a taste for the nightlife, metal music, and $19,000 lunches on the Upper East Side.
...Bruce Ratner might have only wanted the Nets as a residential-zoning bargaining chip, but he’s set Prokhorov up for an easy alley-oop. Prokhorov is buying into a perfect situation, and he doesn’t even have to be seen as the bad guy: Ratner was the one on all the protest signs, not him.
NoLandGrab: To be fair, he was on some of the protest signs. Something about Russia's richest man being the beneficiary of eminent domain seizures and hundreds of millions of dollars in state and city subsidies.
Deadspin, Correction: Mikhail Prokhorov Is Your New Favorite Sports Billionaire
Last week, we pondered whether software tycoon Larry Ellison would soon become the NBA's craziest billionaire owner. Not a chance, once Mike "Mad Dog" Prokhorov suits up for the New Jersey Nets.
...Prokhorov got his start selling acid-washed jeans in the late '80's (seriously) and then worked his way up through financial circles until he and a partner "won" a rigged auction to buy a gigantic mining operation from the state.
NLG: Very reminiscent of Bruce Ratner "winning" a rigged auction to buy the Vanderbilt railyard — and then renegotiating the payment terms with the money-starved MTA when he couldn't come up with the cash at closing.
Daily Transom [Observer.com], More Mikhail! Meet the New Nets Owner, Over and Over Again
He tells all three outlets that he's not an oligarch, but it's Bloomberg TV's Ryan Chilcote who grills him on how he made his money. Asked how he was able to avoid the country's corruption, Mr. Prokhorov replies: "Do you know the difference between a rat and a hamster?" And then answer it himself: "A hamster has better p.r."
NLG: Presumably, Chilcote meant Russia's corruption. Does this mean we have to start calling the Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Hamsterner?
Deal Journal [WSJ Blog], A Russian Oligarch Buys Low in Brooklyn
Mikhail Prokhorov knows a good trade when he sees one.
...Will he be as lucky with his deal to purchase 80% of the New Jersey Nets and a 45% stake in the team’s soon to be built stadium in Brooklyn for $200 million?
He’s certainly buying low in terms of quality. The Nets are the worst team in the NBA.
Can't Stop The Bleeding, Mikhail Prokhorov Is Very Ready For His Close Up
It’s been quite a whirlwind media tour for Russian zillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, aspiring owner of the Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. Profiled last night on CBS’ “60 Minutes”, Prokhorov answered questions about his pending Owner With A Boner status by saying, “I like women.”
The Internets [Daily News Blog], Nets can begin to look ahead now
If Nets fans are hoping that [John] Wall becomes the next Jason Kidd, then they are praying that Prokhorov becomes the next George Steinbrenner. He hasn't even taken over the team yet, and already Prokhorov has taken on as high a profile as Steinbrenner had back in the old days. Okay, not quite. But close.
Gothamist, New Nyets Owner is Excited About the Terrible Team He Bought
NLG: For good measure, the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers clinched the title of all-time worst NBA team when the Nets managed their 10th win of the season a few minutes ago, defeating San Antonio 90-84.
Posted by eric at March 29, 2010 9:52 PM