Team Prokhorov - The "30-Somethings"

Sickening that this guy was allowed to stroll in here and rescue a real estate project that has nothing to do with the NBA and that was literally on its last legs if not for this guy who obviously has too much money and time on his hands.

Stern has really made a mockery of his league (yet again) by allowing Ratner into it in the first place and then allowing this guy to save him. All in the name of greed based on his desperate desire for international expansion (since the NBA simply can’t rate in the US up against the NFL and MLB) and at the expense of the New Jersey Nets and their longtime, loyal fans.

Right, let’s not have international expansion for the NBA because that makes no business sense…

@Isaac
You are sickened by what? A rich owner who wants to spend money on the Nets? Is that your problem? Perhaps if the Little Sisters of the Poor bought the team and moved them to a high school gym or your local rec center, you’d be happy? Almost certainly not.

Your funniest line, out of many, is that the NBA needs to seek investment overseas because the NFL and MLB are overwhelming them in the US. The reality is that the NFL and MLB are DESPERATE for overseas revenue. You think the Yankees took the World Championship trophy to Asia this month because it needs frequent flier miles?

And Isaac – how long has the NFL tried to break into the European markets…

The NBA is going to be, if not already is an international brand.

The Nets will be at the forefront of that brand beacuse of Mr. Prokhorov

your “beloved” Nets will be the model NBA Franchise in a few years

Isaac, I don’t… get… you.

hey my comment was deleted…lol

I’m from Britain, and I can tell you that in both the UK and the rest of Europe, the NBA is by far the more popular, accessible league out of the big 3. NFL is considered too complex/slow and has very little appeal to many Europeans, whereas Baseball…well noone knows what the heck is going on in that sport.

I am glad you found my comments so amusing Net Income. What you fail to understand is that I am a sports fan – you follow sports from the business perspective and for some reason even though you claim to have no affiliation with management always seem to spin things in terms of how can this team and this league best market itself and make money?

As a fan – that should not be your concern. As a fan, I would like my team to remain in New Jersey, where I have supported it for 20 years. Despite my opposition to a temporary move to Newark, I am convinced as many are that the team could succeed if a long-term move there is announced due to the existing fan base rallying around a new arena with nearby dining options, easier means of transportation and a influx of an inner city community to the current fan base – mainly from suburban North and Central Jersey.

Prokorov has no interest in allowing that to happen and that is why I am sickened by him being allowed to buy this team. Him spending money on a team that might be playing in Brooklyn does me – as a fan no good since I do not plan on supporting them if they play there.

I agree with NetIncome. The Nets are lucky someone came in to save the franchise. We’re lucky some other group didn’t swoop in and move us completely out of the area.

And I understand guys like Isaac are strong fans but the fact is there just aren’t enough die hard fans in NJ. The ones that root and go to games are just a small percentage and do not generate enough revenue for the franchise.

If you think the Brooklyn project has nothing to do with the NBA then you really do not understand the business aspect of all of this.

Isaac as a fan you should want your team to be the model franchise for how an NBA team is run, both nationally and internationally.

This is bigger than your love for NJ, this is about globalizing the NBA (more than it already is) creating a national and international platform for the Nets and building a winning team.

You are a fan, we all are fans but please understand that this is a BUSINESS

Good thing Russia is known for it’s basketball…oh wait…

In communist Russia you dunk ball into vodka!

“If you think the Brooklyn project has nothing to do with the NBA then you really do not understand the business aspect of all of this.”

I said the real eastate project which was Ratner’s sole reason for buying the team has nothing to do with the NBA and I stand by that. Whether or not, Brooklyn becomes a success as an NBA city if the team moves there remains to be seen. It is a fact that it is Knicks country and the demand for a team there has at times been vastly overblown on this site and by cheerleaders like Markowitz.

Why keep talking about Proxy when he doesn’t own the team yet? Wasn’t the transfer of ownership supposed to happen over the allstar weekend?? I really doubt that the team will move to Brooklyn and if it does move it will be a failure because the Knicks will always be proffered over the Nets. The knicks have more cap space and already have a bonafide superstar in Tracy Mcgrady. If they move to Brooklyn where will the fans come from??? Most Nj fans will not support this team and with the knicks doing well management cannot depend on disgruntled knicks fans switching over alligence.

The Knicks are hardly doing well. T-Mac will be gone in the summer, and they have completely mortgaged their future on the slim chance that Lebron chooses them over other teams in free agency.

@Andriew

Oh really you think the Knicks are in bad shape. They have a coach that everyone wants to play for. They have over 30 million dollar to spend next year. They play in the most famous arena and city in the USA. They have hollywood stars sitting in front row. Now why in the right mind people dont’ want to play for the Knicks??

Now also why do you think the Nets want to move to Brooklyn??

@andrew

At least the knicks aren’t 5-51. If we don’t land Wall then the chance of making a significant free agent signing will diminish greatly .

Tmac has said that he will take a significant paycut if it improves the teams chance of picking up some free agents.

@ Netincome

I will continue to support this team as long as it is here in NJ . What I disagree with is the way management has disrespected NJ. The last straw for me was when they took Nj off the the road jerseys. Not only did that upset me but I’m also very upset on how government is able to kick people out of their homes for private interests and count on taxpayers to foot the bill.

let me preface this by saying I despise the Knicks and never want them to do well but they are not in such bad shape. First off, they are going to win roughly 30 games this season. Nothing to be proud but a FAR cry from the absolute atrocity that is the Nets right now. They have a solid coach that a lot of players would be happy to play for, the most cap space and they are the KNICKS – they will always be the top dog amongst fans/media in the five boroughs, Long Island and Southern CT. With the way this ownership group has treated the fans they are probably the most popular team in Northern jersey too.

at Net Income:

Keep laughing at my comments – very insightful for you to respond that way but you never seem to address any of the facts that I present. All you do is pick apart the one or two lines that you totally disagree with without ever admitting there is plenty of truth to what I say – it just doesn’t happen to back up any of your theories or best interests.

Guys lets be real. I’m upset about the Nets leaving NJ as well and with the way management has disrespected what’s left of the NJ fanbase but lets face facts: I’d rather have the Nets in the hands of a billionaire who wants to win championships and is keeping the Nets at least in the NJ/NY area instead of them being sold out of state or being owned by some shmucks that could care less about what product they put on the floor. The lack of a good product being put on the floor, for YEARS, is why the fanbase is NJ is not where it should be in the first place. The Nets being so cavalier about putting a 5-51 team on the floor has all but put the nail in the coffin. I had five free tickets to the Nets vs. Grizz game yesterday and I couldn’t attend, tried to give them away to friends and no one wanted any parts. These were GOOD seats too.

I don’t think that the Nets will be selling out every night in Brooklyn like some people would want you to believe, and if the Knicks land LBJ or even a combo of Bosh and some other FA we can forget about it, but I’ve come to accept that if I want to see the Nets win a championship in my lifetime letting the Russian take over will be the best for everyone.

and people are quick to drink the T-Mac Kool Aid after one good game. That man is auditioning. He has the dullards that comprise the Knicks fanbase fooled but Nets fans should know better than to judge a player by just one game back from severe injury.

The Knicks have guts, I’ll tell you that much because you have to have serious pair of balls to mortgage your future on a sucker bet. Hopefully when the Russian is in charge, we’ll have a mix of guts and common sense at the helm.

@ Issac, while I agree the nets could certainly survive long-term in New Jersey, they’d still be in a smaller market and at a disadvantage to many clubs financially. Moving to Brooklyn will give them a huge advantage financially. They don’t have to sell out every night or overtake the Knicks in popularity, the Mets aren’t nearly as popular as the Yankees and they’re still, by a pretty fair margin, the second most valuable team in MLB. All they have to do is be the Mets of the NBA, which isn’t hard to do considering how poorly run the the mets are, to have a much bigger financial advantage than being in Newark will likely ever give them.

Also I don’t understand the anger over them moving across a river, there are numerous fans from their Long Island days, my family happens to be one of them, that remained loyal when they moved back to New Jersey. If they were moving cross country I could understand but I really just can’t grasp how New Jersey fans can feel betrayed that their team wants to move a few miles away to gain a better financial advantage. It might not be as convenient to fans in New Jersey but overall the franchise gains by doing it and we’re not talking about that big of a move.

Also I agree with Mr. Dollar Bills, we all know T-mac, when healthy, is probably a top 5-10 player in the league, but when was the last time the man lasted a full NBA season? Of course he looks refreshed after missing nearly 2 full seasons but what are the odds of him keeping it up. And if he doesn’t then the knicks are going to be relying heavily on signing two max level players, without many contingency plans if they fail to do so, which is a pretty likely scenario. It’s really not that hard to imagine that the Nets will turn around quicker, and be better than the knicks in the near future.

That being said, what happens if the Brooklyn deal falls though? Are we just stuck in limbo with no owner?

@Mr. Dollar Bills
all basically true, but that is going to make the Knicks a LOT more interesting the rest of the way and through July 8, when players get to sign.

Gina -

If BK falls through you can kiss Proky goodbye, in turn you can kiss the Nets becoming a global franchise goodbye and any shot of a free-agent because we’ll be in transition to a new owner who may or may not want to keep the Nets in NJ

now prior to having an apt in brooklyn.. i lived in Long Island my whole life….. and i was still a DIE HARD NETS FAN… prior to having YES Network…for 4 years i listened to the Net games via radio…every game on my radio in my house… and call me crazy i’m coming to watch the Portland game tommorrow… why would i do that ?? cuz i’m a DIE HARD FAN…

the nets are moving to Brooklyn…not Alaska…. so calm down.. its getting really annoying… yes management suckz but there is hope….and that hope is all we have…his name is Porky

@smartnets fan

Not true! Proxy will still purchase the team even if it stays in Newark. But I believe he prefers brooklyn.

Mike looks like an Undertaker in this picture…..He is coming to save this dying franchise…..

@ Hex, where did you hear that? I’ve heard multiple reports that the deal hinges entirely on the Brooklyn Arena project.

@ Hex

That is NOT TRUE

the offering statement for the Nets franchise states (as reported by NI/Oder/and all parties involved) that the deal hinges on Brooklyn breaking ground

@ gina

Actually I read it on this website. Now I don’t remember exactly who wrote the story but it was written. On that same story it also said that if the nets stay in newark and proxy is the owner then vanderbeek will make an offer regarding the Devils.

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2009/11/would-prokhorov-buy-nets-even-if-they.html

here is the link

Proky and the NBA haven’t gone this far to back out now. If somehow the Brookyn move fell apart, Proky would still buy the Nets but at a much cheaper price. Not to many people can afford losing many millions a year including Ratner and most other potential investors. Proky can and will.

@Hex
The Nets have a lease that can be extended, but who know what the lease says about the lack of a sale, lack of a move. They could have all sorts of “outs”.

There has never been a story about Vanderbeek offering to sell the Devils to Prokhorov. Vanderbeek is still losing money and the arena lease will help…but not that much. So Vanderbeek may want to sell, but there is as much likelihood that Wang will sell the Islanders.

As for the story you posted, it is now how many months old? Not saying he wouldn’t renegotiate a deal if Brooklyn fell apart BUT DO YOU SEE ANY INDICATION THAT THE NETS OR PROKHOROV BELIEVE IT’S NOT GOING THROUGH?

PS No superstar will play for an extended period in Newark.

@ Netincome
“S No superstar will play for an extended period in Newark.”

Jason kidd and Vince Carter played at the izod center for many years. What makes you think that no other" superstar" will play at Newark for an extended period of time? At the end of the day winning matters and the Nets are in a good position to win very soon. Also the Rock is a state of the art arena and New Jersey isn’t a bad place to live.

Why do people keep implying that LeBron has to choose to play with the Knicks or elsewhere. Seems the media is just trying to bring excitement.

LeBron has a 17.2 million player option. He negotiated that option for the exact reason he will end up using it, and staying in Cleveland for another year with Jamison and company. It is the same as with Boozer last year, except in this case everyone in Cleveland wants him to stay.

I believe LeBron would need to give his intention by the end of June, so July should be an uneventful month as far as LeBron watchers are concerned.

And DWade is not going to be LeBron’s Robin.
Ideally DWade wants Bosh to come to Miami, but may have to settle for Amare or Boozer (Miami already revealed their hand last week).

@Hex:
Jason Kidd and VC had no choice but to play for the team that traded for them. Once there, and offered big money, of course they would stay (team was competitive then).

No Star (much less superstar) FA has ever signed with the Nets.

@ jerry25

Both Kidd and Carter resigned with the Nets and over the past decade these two players where top 20 players for the league. Kidd is the best point guard of the last decade and his best years was with the Nets. Kidd also had the chance to sign with the Spurs and( maybe win a couple of titles but decided to stay in Nj.

Kidd and Carter weren’t FAs.
We are talking FAs at this time.
There is a big difference.

Wow I knew that Proky had the russian Mafia but he also had a the corporate mafia two. He has built a team of people that what they touch turns to GOLD. Here is lookin got the platnum Nets in Brookly for the next great storied and historic franchise of sports.

well we all knew these were the three possibilities. one Brooklyn did not go through and an investment group bought the team and had them in prudential. Two Brooklyn does not go through investment group moves them to St Louis or Kansas city ect. Or they go to Brooklyn. at least they will be in Newark for two years and we will not have the rat nickle and diming the team. instead we will have one of the richest and one of the most competetive owners.

at Gina:

The Nets aren’t simply going to arrive in Brooklyn if the move goes through and become the “Mets of the NBA”.

This has been explained many times. The situation in baseball was very different. New York City and Brooklyn specifically had National League roots dating back for decades and as a result half of the city hated the Yankees and was longing for a replacement for the Dodgers AND Giants, who both departed for California.

There is no such demand for a 2nd NBA team in Brooklyn or the rest of NYC. It is a Knicks town, always has been and always will be. I grew up in Brooklyn and aside from a few people (like me), the Nets were largely ignored at best and considered a laughingstock at best. So to think all of a sudden people are going to be lining up all of a sudden to turn in their Knicks gear and follow this team is a pretty big assumption. You must be asking different people than I have ebcause almost all of the Knicks fansd I know are planning on remaining Knicks fans regardless of whether the Nets move to Brooklyn and they don’t even give it a second thought when asked.

In the Daily News, Delia Hunley-Adossa wrote the typical blame the opposition and defended Ratner just like any other paid supporter would.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/letters/index.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/letters/index.html?page=1

Prokhorov is a basketball fan and willing to spend money to win. Compare that to Ratner. I hope Prokhorov picks up a few tips from Mark Cuban and Roman Abramovich.

I’m a Nets fan because I’m from NJ, but what has kept me a fan was first Drazen Petrovic and later, Jason Kidd. That won’t change in Brooklyn; though I would also prefer Newark.