Paul Pierce on The Prokhorov Effect

To suggest that Mikhail Prokhorov has turned the Nets around since he walked in the door on May 10,  2010 is not just an understatement but a fact that cannot be ignored. Nothing that marks the Nets makeover from 12-70 to a legitimate championship contender happens without him (and his righthand man, Dmitry Razumov).  Not the Barclays Center, not the Deron Williams or Joe Johnson or Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade. Nothing.

Nets fans know that, of course, but its refreshing to hear it from a player, and this week, LeBron James joined in the appreciation of what the Nets, i.e. Prokhorov, have been able to do in a very short time span. Increasingly, it's not lost on the NBA's best that the Nets are out to win, at all costs ... emphasis on the costs.

It's not just other players of course.  Here's what Paul Pierce told Tim Bontemps last week, and published Tuesday.

"Now they’ve got new owners, now they’ve got a new building, now they’ve got a new attitude," said Pierce. "You can definitely see a change in what’s going on, and I can see this organization really rising to the ranks of the respectability of the Lakers, of the Knicks, of the Celtics, that’s what they’re trying to build, but in order to do that you have to have the players, you have to have great management and you have to have great owners, and that’s what I see in place here in Brooklyn."

• Prokhorov has successfully changed Nets image and it started with championship-or-marriage declaration - Tim Bontemps - New York Post