Wendell Maxey, who covered the Nets for HoopsWorld and now writes on international basketball, says Andrei Kirilenko has verbally agreed to a three-year deal with the Nets, tweeting that he "spoke with two contacts in russia close to andrei kirilenko. say AK to brooklyn nets deal in place. plans to sign 3-year after euroleague."
We're focused, in this week's Off-Season Report on how to read Russian tea leaves about CSKA Moscow's signing of Andrei Kirilenko; who to look for when amnesty takes effect; why we think the Nets almost made two of the worst free agent signings last year, where to check out videos of European prospects, etc. We look at Mikhail Prokhorov's continuing political ambitions, too.
In an exclusive NetsDaily interview with Sergei Kushchenko, the newest member of the Nets' board says that while he will have a vote on "the major issues facing the team", expect him to focus his talents on "ideas about how to tell the story of the Nets to an international audience and grow our fan base", but not at the expense of winning.
Besides the three players drafted by the Nets last week, Monday's press conference also served as a meet and greet with the newest member of the Nets' board of directors, Sergei Kushchenko. Kushchenko is Prokhorov's chief sports advisor and someone who knows professional basketball. His teams got to the Euroleague Final Four eight straight times.
In our Off-Season Report, We take a look at Marshon Brooks, Sergei Kushchenko, Billy King's record with international picks, Knicks' arrogance, and a lot of other stuff, including how many roster spots will likely be open.
In spite of losses exceeding $60 million a year, the Nets' new owner believes the team can eventually make money, says an aide to Mikhail Prokhorov. Sergey Kushchenko ran CSKA Moscow for Prokhorov and now runs the Russian Biathlon Union for him.
Mikhail Prokhorov became principal owner of the Nets on May 12, 2010. Since, he has developed Team Prokhorov, a disparate group of Europeans and Americans devoted to the team's success.
