As hip-hop mogul Jay Z exits stage left as a minority owner of the Nets and enters the realm of sports agency, he is largely credited for rebranding the Brooklyn ballclub. The man who once made the brash claim, “I sell ice in the winter. I sell fire in hell. I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well,” did a wonderful job selling a franchise to the Brooklyn borough.
Even though Hov was largely seen as the the public face of the franchise, it’s been the behind the scenes work of Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King (and by “work,” I mean making it rain around the league) that have the Nets threatening to become the New York Yankees of the NBA.
Earlier this month, the Nets completed a blockbuster heist trade with the Boston Celtics that brought future hall of famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to town along with Jason Terry. They gave up virtually nothing besides draft picks, except for a diminishing Gerald Wallace, self-esteemless Kris Humphries and some other random guys.
The Nets didn’t stop there, however. They went on to sign Andrei Kirilenko, who opted out of a contract with the Timberwolves that would’ve paid him $10 million next season, in order to make $3.1 million in Brooklyn. Kirilenko and Terry will join newcomers Andray Blatche and Shaun Livingston to help bolster what now appears to be one of the deepest benches in the league.
Nevermind that the Nets have scoffed at the league’s salary cap, in true Yankees style, and will pay an unprecedented $80 million in luxury tax alone. To keep that in perspective, the league’s expected salary cap for the 2013-14 season is $58.5 million, with a luxury tax threshold of $71.6 million. Yes, Prokhorov’s Nets will pay more in luxury tax than most teams will spend on their entire roster – and he’s not batting an eye. That’s because the Russian-born billionaire made a promise when he purchased the team three years ago to earn a championship within five years.
While Pierce, Garnett and Terry are all seasoned vets, they will share the court with prime-aged stars Brooks Lopez (25) and Deron Williams (29). The current crop should give the Nets a two-year window of legitimate title contention. Keep in mind that the defending champion Miami Heat fielded the second-oldest roster in the NBA last season behind the New York Knicks.
The X-factor to the Nets’ success (or failure) will be first-year head coach Jason Kidd. Kidd, one of the best and brightest point guards in NBA history, will stop throwing lobs and start wearing them on the sidelines. Ironically he’s hoping to follow in the footsteps of Avery Johnson, who was fired as the Nets’ head honcho early last season. Johnson led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals during his first full-season as a head coach.
As a former player and future hall of famer, Kidd will instantly have the respect and credibility of his teammates. Still, regardless of his on-court brilliance, there’s a steep learning curve when it comes to coaching and success is not guaranteed – just ask Magic Johnson.
By the time the treads are worn out and the elderly Nets tire, Prokhorov and King will be ready with another bag of cash to toss to whichever stars are willing to catch it. Might LeBron James’ next decision be to play in Brooklyn black and white? It could happen. Would Carmelo Anthony cross over the Brooklyn bridge? I don’t see why not.
A year ago, I called Prokhorov the new Mark Cuban, but in reality he seems to be more like the late George Steinbrenner in that he has billions behind him and is seemingly willing to spend every cent to build a perennial champion.
To make matters worse, the Yankees’ current struggles – due to a badly aging and underperforming roster, steroid investigations and a slightly more fiscally-responsible approach – leaves an opening for NY fans to get behind a new team, a winning team. If the Nets can win a championship before their Knicks brethren, expect them to bully the league on the strength of the almighty dollar. Clearly Prokhorov is prepared to pay the price of prestige.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk and on Google+.
