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May 22, 2010
NJ Nets: Deconstructing Mikhail Prokhorov
The Star-Ledger
By Dave D'Alessandro
This article dares to ask, aside from having deep pockets, what qualities does Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov possess to enable him to successfully run an NBA franchise?
We keep reading these stories about his bold vision and his savvy business sense and his urbane countenence – which is all fine, because the media always leads this ludicrous pep rally mentality.
But we think everyone might be missing something that might be relevant about Mikhail Prokhorov:
This guy knows less about the NBA than Bruce Ratner did when he showed up, and you know how that turned out.
To put it politely, with the possible exception of Sean Williams, the Russian gentleman is as ignorant as anyone we’ve ever encountered that had some connection – big or small – to the NBA.
...
Honestly, we liked him just fine. He used the same lame jokes throughout every stop on his media tour that day, but he’s charming – intuitive in some ways. He communicates very well – we loved his use of our colloquialisms (“I am looking forward to hanging out with him,” he said of Jay-Z). He has an air of casual arrogance, but he’s not condescending. And, yes, he's unintentionally amusing, with a voice and manner that sounds like it’s out of central casting: When he says, “You must have multiple strategy,” he sounds like he’s saying, “Drop gun and put money in lacquer box.”
No, the only thing that bothers us is that he’s just very NBA dumb. And if you don’t think that’s a problem, you have an exaggerated sense of whether money can fix this team anytime soon.
Posted by steve at May 22, 2010 4:38 PM