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April 2, 2010
Mail's In (Nets April Edition)
The Star-Ledger
by Dave D'Alessandro
The Star-Ledger's Nets beat reporter answers reader mail.
Hey Dave: Very suspicious about this Prokhorov guy, aren’t you, my man? You just warming up to be the killjoy next year?
TullyNeither, Tully. But even you have to admit this cloying affection he’s received has a Jonestown vibe to it. Obviously, it’s nice to have an owner with a bank account and a competitive nature, and I love the idea of an owner coming from another culture, because that’s what a global league should be about. But it’s not so nice to have an owner who readily admits he could cash out in five years because he’s operating this venture as a business and nothing more – which in the end will look like a metaphorical middle finger directed at his fan base. I’m not naïve enough to think that owners operate their teams as a public trust anymore, but anyone who uses the term “strategic investment” when it comes to sports deserves some strategic skepticism. Let’s just wait to see what he does with management before we pull out the pom-poms: If he brings in his gaggle of junior managers to learn the ropes under Thorn (who, by the way, should be given the courtesy of picking his own staff, if not his successor) this could easily turn into a debacle. It will be Mikky’s first big decision, and it will speak volumes about whether he cares more about “strategic investments” than he does the NBA virtues as tradition, management discipline, team chemistry, fan loyalty, etc.
How quickly Nets fans forget. The current owner is about to divest himself after six years of owning the team — the ultimate "strategic investment" that greased the skids for an epic Brooklyn land grab.
Click thru for more Q & A on the Nets, Mikhail Prokhorov, Bruce Ratner and more.
Related coverage...
Atlantic Yards Report, From Dave D'Alessandro's mailbag: on Prokhorov and the Brooklyn move
Posted by eric at April 2, 2010 11:09 AM