Prokhorov: "No One Has a Right to Judge LeBron"
by Net Income on Jul 28, 2010 11:20 PM EDT
in 2010 Free Agency
102 comments
In a letter to the editor of USA Today, Mikhail Prokhorov defends LeBron James' decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on a super team in Miami.
Yes, you read that right.
The Nets owner is clear he hoped to sign James, but writes, "I respect their choice, and no one has the right to judge them. I want to say that I support LeBron, the best athlete in the NBA. He had a truly difficult choice to make."
It doesn't end there.
"I wish them success and give them my moral support," he concludes. "I will be happy for us to beat the Miami Heat in the conference finals, maybe not this season, but in the very near future."
- NBA team owner backs LeBron James' decision - USA Today
- Nets owner writes letter defending LeBron - New York Post
- Mikhail Prokhorov sticks up for LeBron - Rob Mahoney - NBC Sports
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yup
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
um
how are we going to beat them with our current team “in the very near future”?
Proky has something up his sleeve named Chris Paul
by corky_romano4life on Jul 28, 2010 11:40 PM EDT reply actions
That exactly what he wants
He wants a superstar and isn’t going to go into the season empty handed he looks like a guy that wants the best. Miami has argubly the best at three positions Lebron James at the Small Forward Dwayne Wade at the shooting guard no disrespect to Kobe aka best player in the league but im worried about that Finger and all these other injuries and Chris Bosh so he is going to try to get the best Point guard in Chris Paul and hope he makes Brook Lopez the best Center in the league.
This obsession for a big name needs to stop.
We couldn’t compete against Miami, even if we landed CP3 (esp at the cost trading for him would require). Also, I find it funny that you you’re worried about Kobe’s finger and “other” injuries but don’t seem worried about CP3’s obvious health issues, that are NO joke as anyone who watched him play after returning from surgery could notice.
Agreed, that we need to stop this nonsense, at least for another year and see what talent is already on the team.
Proky is just saying the right things, so that 1, 2 or 3 years down the road it might pay off (when LeBron is free to leave Miami) and in the meantime the Big names will think more favorably of him and the Nets. Noone should conclude Proky has any hope of of getting any Big name before the trade deadline, without selling off the team – with its unknown talent.
I would Rather Dirk, Pau or Duncan at the 4
Bosh isnt the best 4 IMO. And besides he like LeBron quit on their Teams last Season and I can’t vouch for any player who does that.
The NETS are coming!
why do people assume that this will be the same roster for the next 5 years?
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Proky is just trying to live up to his promises, one of which is to make the playoffs this year.
In order to make the playoffs without jeopardizing the future of the team, Proky needs to allow King/Avery to use some of that 14-15 million in cap space to trade for a Big PF with an expiring contract, if not trade for someone who would be worth keeping.
And the Nets shouldn’t need to trade one of their hopeful young players to get this stopgap PF.
I don’t see any other choice as some 3rd string PF is not going to get the Nets to the playoffs.
I still haven’t see anyone post a name better than Troy Murphy,whom it was recently posted in a Boston Globe article that Indiana may be willing to clear cap space.
If someone has a better idea, I’d like to see it. A lessor and cheaper option is the expiring 5.5 million Nanad Krstic (who was the starting Center for the Thunder in last year’s playoffs), which would free the quicker Petro to play a Big PF.
Can we Stop With Troy "Molasses" Murphy???
This is being built as a fast, Athletic Densive Minded Team.Non of those things are said about Murphy’s Oil Soap. Not a game changer and may Eat up too many minutes from Favors. We need to help him a bit not stunt his growth! Besides reports are Indy is NOT INTERESTED in moving him. They want to move T.j ford and Dunleavy.
The NETS are coming!
Not true. Indiana is getting calls (probably from Nets) about moving Troy Murphy. Andres found the story.
http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/archives/2010/07/pacers_trying_t.html
The article says that Indiana first wants to see about the Health of Hansbrough and Jeff Foster before moving Murphy.
Murphy has been good enough to start exclusively for the past 6 years and has played 72-75 games during the past 3 years. How can he not be more valuable than any PF the Nets have had since KMart?
I’ll bet Nets management would love to have Troy Murphy and his 15/10 game and spread the defense with his 3 pt. shooting. He’s a nice complement to the defensive minded Favors.
It might only be for 1 year, but I can’t think of anyone better without having to give away talent. Avery IS going to get someone to be his PF starter. Who do you recommend, not named Favors?
Proky is a confident man
"I want to win, I want the team to win and I'm in complete control."
-Coach Avery Johnson.
Hahaha love that he took a shot at James
Made the decision of a sportsman, not a businessman.
by eLonepb on Jul 28, 2010 11:42 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I got that drift
He still wants him in Brooklyn.
"Beat the Heat!"
by faNETicS on Jul 28, 2010 11:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I await the stinging rebuttal from Isaac
It’s a disgrace!
by Net Income on Jul 28, 2010 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm sure it's coming
I love the Nets, as long as Ratner or Prokhorov aren’t involved lol
Keep up the great work NI
-Say man when I was growing up we wanted a Jacuzzi, we had to fart in the tub.
We haven't talked Brooklyn in a while...
I’d rather talk about he Favors scored more than TD in his freshman year and what a great coach Avery is.
OT – Why is Avery so convinced TWil is not a SF. Seems like Avery is the anti-Frank and hates undersized lineups.
by rundmc00 on Jul 29, 2010 8:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm outraged!
at something..whatever.
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
oh not this again
please, no, my nets brain can’t handle talk of bronaqueen joining us
by corky_romano4life on Jul 28, 2010 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
exactly. Smart.
I hope this time though, we don’t break our necks to sign him. By then we’ll be one of the young hot teams in the league, if he still wants to piggyback off of other guys, that’s his problem.
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, so lets not jump to the conclusion that Proky expects to get any superstar before the trade deadline.
Its not happening and most Nets fans don’t want to give up their young unproven talent just yet.
Beat the Heat
Right now!
And keep trying.
=)
"Beat the Heat!"
by faNETicS on Jul 28, 2010 11:44 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Damage control
He might have written that as a favor to Jay Z, who’s trying to repair what’s been broken. Like his and LBJ’s brand.
"Beat the Heat!"
by faNETicS on Jul 29, 2010 12:16 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
to me it's seems that he's positioning himself
as the ultimate player’s owner. i.e. putting himself at the opposite end of the spectrum as dan gilbert’s remarks. proky understands that this is a player’s league and knows that the new generation of stars veer more towards the lebron’s than the jordan’s. the significance of “The Decision” may actually be a paradigm shift in the league in terms of how star players maneuver and teams acquire them. proky wants to be sitting in the driver’s seat as we get ready for NBA 2.0
imagine something extremely witty here
Jay's Brand is fine... Lebron's Brand is a different Subject
Last I checked Jay is still making hit records so he is at the top of his game for what he does. That won’t be threatened anytime soon. Drake needs to put in 10 more years at this Level to be in the conversation…lol
The NETS are coming!
To add to this very slow news day...
Amare is Jewish.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/28/amare-stoudemire-jewish_n_662698.html
Btw, so is Jordan Farmar.
Is it me or is the NBA actually getting cooler and more interesting?
Amare is Jewish???
My jew senses make me like him more now, even though he is on the Knicks. Cool to have Farmar on the team. Besides them Casspi is (obviously) and the Dukee Jon Scheyer is also jewish.
Still cant believe Amare is jewish!
Consequences will never be the same.
by NetsMets4Life on Jul 29, 2010 2:12 AM EDT up reply actions
The UPDATE at Huffington Post says that Amare denies being Jewish and he says "there may be SOME Jewish blood on his mother's side and he is researching it"
However, he still wants to go to Israel and study some Hebrew. I thought he would have plenty of opportunity to study Hebrew in New York – anything to take his mind off of losing about 52 games this season.
So is Amare going to learn Hebrew like LeBron studied to speak Chinese (he can say Hello so that no one can understand)?
They would make it clear that he ISNT Jewish
Consequences will never be the same.
by NetsMets4Life on Jul 29, 2010 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
i think the Knicks management are telling
him to pretend he is jewish so all the jewish people in NYC will fallow them because he jewish. I m just saying
Funny...He doesn't look Jewish!
As long as Amare doesn’t “drink the cool-aid” and go Orthodox on us. There are too many Holidays in September, as well as Friday nights and Saturdays before dark that he couldn’t play. Obviously, I knew about and have been rooting extra for Casspi. Now I have a more reasons to root for Farmar too. Funny, he DOES look Jewish. Would love to get a HEBREW Jersey with Farmar’s name IN HEBREW. I could wear it to the daily Minyan at my Shul.Wait….there are millions and millions of RUSSIANS who don’t know their Jewish heritage….Maybe even Proky?
Paul from Delray Beach
Farmar's mother is Jewish
and he was raised a Jew by his mother and his stepfather. His parents were divorced when he was 2.
His biological father is African-American, a former minor league player in the Dodgers organization who helped him navigate the waters of professional sports.
Ohhhhh..That's why Farmer has........
such great court awareness…….When he was little his Mom used to make him dribble back and forth in the full court and he had to keep his head up straight to keep that yomicha from falling off……..
Owners get fined for talking crap about players...
So since this letter was complimentary, do we get a credit, or something?
by JohnFromLongIsland on Jul 29, 2010 7:25 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Sets himself up as the anti-Dan Gilbert
Takes the high road, makes it easy for LBJ to want to jump to Brooklyn in 2013, proves that the Nets have no ill will toward Jay-Z (not that I ever thought they did – especially when the story came from a gossip columnist) and finally gives a signal to Paul that he’s the kind of enlightened/modern owner that a star player should want to play for. (Love the soft business decision jab.) In addition, he keeps the Nets in the news yet again.
+1
jasonrak, read fastbreak above. Smart move by Proky
by yankeesnets on Jul 29, 2010 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, but...
There is something about him talking about crushing everyone in his way and building a championship in 5 yrs yada yada yada and then wishing LeBozo and the Heat, their competitor, “luck” and giving them his “moral support”. I dunno. Maybe its just me and I’m old school. Doesn’t sit all that well with me. Although I do love the cagey Russian ;)
Talk sofly but carry a big ass whuppin' stick!
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
What is Prokhorov supposed to say?
This comes from the man who made billions of dollars in back-handed business deals after the fall of the Soviet Union and and takes strippers with him on the road. I wouldn’t imagine that he would be a judgemental person.
why not?
I like that he engages the fans, BS or no BS, at least he’s talking.
7 years Ratner owned the team, we heard from him twice (KMart and VC extention)
-Say man when I was growing up we wanted a Jacuzzi, we had to fart in the tub.
any man that is able to travel across the globe with strippers in tow is cool in my book
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
oh crap not this again
hahahah so three years for now we bend over again for Lebron?
Fool me once shame on you.
Fool me twice shame on me.
by killa kadafi191 on Jul 29, 2010 10:25 AM EDT reply actions
Mikhail has been busy lately
Talking to young people at national youth congress (above); running a contest to name his new hybrid “City Car”; announcing plans for a $100 million resort in Turkey; selling his coal mining assets to an Indian group for $400 million.
But he says he’s been spending 85% of his time on the Nets.
I love Proky but...
Does he REALLY have a sweater tied around his waist like an old lady that walks laps at the mall??? C’mon Proky… YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT!
by JohnFromLongIsland on Jul 29, 2010 11:05 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
he's a billionaire
he could wear an all pink outfit like Robert DeNiro did in “Casino” and no one would say anything.
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
As"interesting" as the man is...
…he is clearly a super nerd at heart. No Bill Gates, but no Richard Branson either. Proky rides jet skis with a film crew in tow, Branson is building personal spaceships.
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah Prokhy needs to own his own island
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
He's more involve now, than what's initially expected
otherwise this investment will turn into a “nickel”.
He knows what’s at stake, and he believes on the return if he can make it a successful venture.
He’s still a businessman at the end of the day.
"Beat the Heat!"
Show me someone who has never failed...
…and I will show you someone who has never tried anything difficult.
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
bam!
"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."
by MrDollarBills on Jul 29, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice try, but not really
There’s nothing wrong in trying to build a championship team from a club with sad history like the Nets.
The problem is how Proky (plus maybe JayZ) allowed a con-man like Yormark talk him into fronting a brash display (like the billboard) BEFORE getting any results. Yormarket has a history of promoting big before getting the hard results (see how the Nets promoted Yi as an international icon when Yi was 1st traded here).
Mohammad Ali was brash, but that’s fine because he backed it up. Otherwise, you just look like a fool.
If Mikhail Prokhorov
offered you 1 night with him – what would you do and why?
-Say man when I was growing up we wanted a Jacuzzi, we had to fart in the tub.
Why "night"?
…sounds sketchy. If I had a day with him I’d have him pull some strings and get us a round at Liberty National Golf Course ($500,000 initiation fee).
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions
If the day works for you then so be it
Some of us work lol
-Say man when I was growing up we wanted a Jacuzzi, we had to fart in the tub.
Of course I work...
…how else can if find time to hang out at NetsDaily? Certainly not on my own time!
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, other than something completely out-of-reach for me, like that...
…there’s nothing I’d like to do with a billionaire that I wouldn’t rather do with my friends.
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d rather do stuff with my friends. Proky seems a bit odd or is it just “out of my league”?
not "that" Jersey Shore...Point Pleasant, 10 refreshing miles north of Seaside.
by John at the Jersey Shore on Jul 29, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
proky needs to shut up and start walking the walk !
lebrons deal is for 3 years? if thats true hes makin more than 35 mil a yr …. luxury tax?
he has a 3 year out clause
chill
-Say man when I was growing up we wanted a Jacuzzi, we had to fart in the tub.
Proky's PR firm at work
Due to the proximity of the release of this letter, and from the gossip that went around yesterday, I would say that Proky’s Public Relation is doing a good work. Seems they’re on top of it, responding quickly to bad publicities.
</conspiracy theory = off>
"Beat the Heat!"
They meant that it’s 6 year guaranteed, but he can opt out after the 3rd year.
But per this article, he can’t opt out until after the fourth year.
“The contract has an early termination option. James’ contract has a six year term, but he can terminate after four years. "
http://business-and-finance-1357.blogspot.com/2010/07/lebron-james-miami-contract-110-million.html
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