Prokhorov: "I never panicked" ... Title still possible

Mikhail Prokhorov says he never panicked as the Nets season seemed to be spiraling into mediocrity or worse, never thought of firing Billy King or Jason Kidd, never thought of blowing it up.

"I'm realistic in sports," he said. "We have a lot of new players. We have unfortunately a lot of injuries, so it's not an excuse. But what, for me, is important is what was atmosphere of the team. It was positive, it was full support for Jason Kidd. That means, like, we need to wait."

He also revealed that at one point he called Kidd to give him a pep talk.Kidd was asked what it meant to get a phone call from Prokhorov telling him not to worry about critics. "I didn't know I had critics," deadpanned Kidd.

Prokhorov also responded to the most frequent criticism of his ownership (other than he makes fellow owners look like pikers), that he's an absentee owner.

"Frankly speaking, there's a lot of criticism that I am not in Brooklyn," he said. "But, I just have a question for you: Do you really think you need to be sitting in the arena to see a game?

"My friends, we are living in the 21st century. And, in spite of the fact I have no computer, I still have a subscription for the NBA games and for me, it's like enough to even have a look on the stats so you can understand what is going on."

He added that once the Sochi Olympics conclude, expect to see more of him. The Olympics run from February 6 thru February 23.

As for his championship dreams, he's not backing down.

"Our goal, we only have one goal, the championship," he affirmed. "So I am very committed, and I will do my best in order to reach this. I know there are a lot of rumors, a lot of discussions and that's good for the team, and I think you can criticize me as much as you care.

"But there is only one rule, and once I think the very famous film writer William Goldman, he was asked about making a good blockbuster. And he said, 'nobody knows nothing.'

"Why? Because you need to do your job. Collect the best people. You need just to make all the deals you like, and to invite the best people and maybe hope for luck will shine on you, and the pieces come together. But time will tell. This is the procedure for how to win a championship."

And being the man of 1,000 one-liners, Prokhorov compared Reggie Evans to "a Soviet tank ... Not pretty but he'll run you over." Evans was the only Net who didn't play vs. Atlanta.

• Mikhail Prokhorov on the Nets improving (Video) - YES Network
• Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov -- Atmosphere remains 'positive' - ESPN New York - Mark Woods - ESPN New York
• Prokohorov: Nets can win title this season if ‘stars align’ - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Prokhorov's patience paying off with Kidd - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
  
• Prokhorov, the Brooklyn Nets' Absentee Owner, Speaks - Alex Raskin - Wall Street Journal
  
• Nets boss Mikhail Prokhorov brushes off critics of his ownership style - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Mikhail Prokhorov defends himself against critics, remains optimistic about Nets - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• In Rare Visit, Nets’ Owner Offers His Support - John F. Burns - New York Times
  
• Mikhail Prokhorov says he's not out of touch with Nets - Rod Boone - Newsday
  
• NBA Expects More Foreign Investors to Buy Into Teams - Reuters
• Mikhail Prokhorov explains why he’s been patient with Kidd, still believes Nets can win this year - Brian Erni - SNY Nets
• Mikhail Prokhorov defends Jason Kidd… and by the way he watches the games - Kurt Helin - NBC Sports
  
• Mikhail Prokhorov Says He's All In And So The Nets in a 127-110 Win - Lenn Robbins - Brooklyn Nets