Mikhail Prokhorov, the NBA's Russian Revolutionary

Blogger Bethlehem Shoals writes in GQ about how Mikhail Prokhorov has changed the post-lockout dynamic of the NBA with his free spending - $180 million plus in salaries and luxury taxes this year.

"Make no mistake, Prok is playing hardball. He has, based on the way the owners worked during the last round of CBA negotiations, turned his back on the cartel ...

"Prokohorov won't need a lockout to make sure nobody else competes with him, assuming the Nets do in fact get much, much better. Short-term, it's a smart move. Long-term, it positions Prok as an owner with an unmistakable advantage over his peers. Peers, lest we forget, he is competing against for wins, television slots, apparel sales, and general notoriety."

Will it work? The writer doesn't know. What he does know is that things have changed around the NBA because Prokhorov, the Russian revolutionary, wants to win at all costs, literally and figuratively, that he's in-your-face with other owners, "a correction against last summer's lockout greed."

"It's a shame that they don't recognize this and the league encourages this kind of behavior. That's why Prokhorov is as reassuring as he is terrifying. Sometimes it takes a madman to make us all sane again."