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May 20, 2010
The Media: We ♥ Mikhail!
The Brooklyn Blog [NYPost.com], New Nets owner Prokhorov all smiles after first visit to site of club’s new Brooklyn arena
From Russia to Brooklyn with Love.
Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire who is now majority owner of the New Jersey Nets, paid his inaugural visit yesterday to the construction site of his team’s soon-to-be new home in Brooklyn.
...“He seemed thrilled with what he saw and what he sees for the future,” Borough President Marty Markowitz, who accompanied the billionaire, said through a spokesperson.
...Prokhorov quietly viewed the construction site from across the street, atop the Ratner-owned Atlantic Center Mall in Prospect Heights.
He was accompanied by a modest contingent that included Ratner and Markowitz, according to Ratner and Markowitz staffers.
NY Post, Nets' new owner dines with Mayor Bloomberg, Jay-Z
It's good to be the kings.
Multibillionaire and newly minted Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov convened a meeting of his peers yesterday morning -- breaking bread with partner Jay-Z and Mayor Bloomberg at a gathering whose net worth is larger than the economies of more than a few small nations.
...The retro-style mogul -- who doesn't own a cellphone, rarely uses a computer, prefers newspapers and writes his own letters -- also got his first look at the Atlantic Yards project, accompanied by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and developer Bruce Ratner. The whirlwind tour was part of just another day at the office for Prokhorov, who claims he needs just five to six hours of sleep a night....
NoLandGrab: Impressive, Mikhail, but you're a sleepyhead compared with Nets CEO Brett Yormark, who claims he sleeps but three hours a night. Imagine how bad the Nets would be if Yormark slumbered for eight hours like we mere mortals.
NY Daily News, New Jersey Nets' Mikhail Prokhorov dines with Mayor Bloomberg and Jay-Z, talks of renaming team
Mikhail Prokhorov is a man with tsar power.
...The 6-foot-8 owner shared a Gracie Mansion breakfast with Mayor Bloomberg and Nets minority owner Jay-Z.
"We are soul mates," he said of the hip-hop mogul. "I'm looking forward to hanging out with him."
NLG: Soul mates, maybe; equal decision makers, uh, not so much...
The Star-Ledger, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov outlines plans for offseason, beyond in meeting with media
In a brunch with reporters today, the Nets' new owner fired general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, lopped Mike Krzyzewski off his coaching shopping list, revealed his strategy for recruiting LeBron James, and essentially dismissed minority partner Jay-Z as being any part of that free agent process.
...And while he said he likes and admires Jay-Z, who is a friend to many players, Prokhorov said the rap impresario will not be involved in the free agent recruitment process.
“I think it’s more than enough that he is very passionate with the team,” the owner said. “I think it’s management job to look for free agent ... it’s a professional job. But of course Jay-Z’s passion is additional advertisement for the team.”
NLG: Don't worry, Jigga, when you're not firmly ensconced in your "bunker" suite, Micky will let you don the Sly Fox costume, and run around the Barclays Center.
NY Daily News, Mikhail Prokhorov not sure if 'Nets' nickname will stick, but is certain club will become a dynasty
...Prokhorov revealed that he initially had his eye on buying the Knicks.
Asked how he came to know former Nets majority owner Bruce Ratner, from whom he bought 80% of the Nets for $200 million, Prokhorov said one of his investment bankers recommended Ratner after it became clear that a deal for the Knicks was not possible.
"The idea was to buy Madison Square Garden and the basketball team and maybe the ice hockey team," Prokhorov said.
The Star-Ledger, Mikhail Prokhorov wants to change the Nets' culture, but can he do it as an absentee owner?
The Nets just rid themselves of an owner they wished would have disappeared in the Siberian wilderness. Now, they find one they want to stick around, and off he goes ... to Siberia.
Well, not quite that far, but close. Mikhail Prokhorov made a fine first impression in his whirlwind media tour, but just as quickly as he said privyet, he boarded his jet back to Moscow before we learned who he is and what he has planned for his new toy.
And, if you’re a Nets fan, you have to wonder: Can this long-distance relationship really work?
This franchise, a rotting carcass under predecessor Bruce Ratner, needs more than Prokhorov’s fat wallet. It needs a heavy dose of his swagger. It needs his presence and personality.
...Prokhorov made a solid first impression — lots of humor, lots of polish, but little substance.
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Prokhorov Would Like to Meet Brooklynites
After meeting with Bruce Ratner, Jay-Z and Mayor Bloomberg, after moving to Newark, Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov wants to meet you, Brooklynites.
...You know where to reach us, Mikhail.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Snake Eyes: Prokhorov, Nets Jilted by Lady Luck at NBA Draft Lottery
Posted by eric at May 20, 2010 10:16 AM