Prokhorov: "Do Not Be Afraid...This Will Be an Outstanding Draft"

Mikhail Prokhorov chaired a meeting of the Russian Biathlon Union Tuesday morning in Moscow, giving Russian reporters an opportunity to ask him questions about the Nets. 

The Nets new owner expressed confidence that the Nets will do well in the draft and reiterated that he wasn't that disappointed the team had lost in the lottery.  He declined to comment on whether Andrei Vatutin would be joining the Nets, saying it was "a rhetorical question".  Although he declined to name any free agent targets, he did cite Rudy Gay as an example of a player who was drafted after the first pick but turned into a "star". 

"Do not be afraid, I am absolutely not disappointed," Prokhorov told a press conference.  "This will be an outstanding draft."  He seemed to suggest that losing John Wall was not such a big problem because the Nets already have "a strong point guard in Devin Harris".

As for the Russian basketball refereeing scandal, Prokhorov declined comment,  "It is difficult to comment without knowing the details."

• Prokhorov: "The Draft is Outstanding" (Machine Translation) - Rustam Sharafutdinov - Gazeta
• Prokhorov: "No fixed place for Russian managers in the Nets" (Machine Translation) - Lion Savary - Championat
• Prokhorov: Vatutin not guaranteed post of manager of the New Jersey (Machine Translation) - Rustam Sharafutdinov - Gazeta
• How to Get Rudy Gay - Net Income - NetsDaily