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Avery Johnson dropped in on his boss in smoggy Moscow last week, played some hoops, coached some too. We assume it was a way for the New Orleans native to get a helping of Russian culture (and not part of some Fires of Hell tour). He even showed up on the Russian version of ESPN and described his first impressions of Mikhail Prokhorov...all of it posted on the Nets website.
The two men shared something else Sunday. They are among the newest members of Steve Politi's annual "Juice List," his compilation of the most influential people in New Jersey sports. Prokhorov checks in at #6, Johnson (not Billy King) at #21. Johnson is likely to become the team's face this year in the absence of a superstar player and Prokhorov unlikely to be at more than 10 home games.