Kushchenko: "I Will Be Part of Any Major Decisions That Take Place"

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 adviser and someone who knows professional basketball.  His teams got to the Euroleague Final Four eight straight times, winning it twice.

And expect him to be a big part of the Nets basketball operations in the future. Kuschenko told reporters he’s going to try and help the Nets win a title and "be a part of any major decisions that will take place."

Although he didn't detail his role, he was clear about his area and level of expertise: "I will be involved where I feel my expertise is the greatest: team-building, structure, building the organization," Kushchenko said through translator Vitaliy Darkovskikh. Kushchenko was GM of CSKA Moscow from 2002 through 2009, winning two Euroleague championships and being honored as the Euroleague executive of the year in 2006.

• Meet Prokhorov's trusted basketball voice, Sergey Kushenko, the foremost Russian power player in Nets organization - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets
• Meet the New Nets - Al Iannazzone - In the 'Zzone
• Kushchenko speaks with media - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York