Mikhail Prokhorov has seen his win-now philosophy blow up in his face.
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Centre Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 18 points and forward Joe Johnson added 16 for the Nets, who lost their 10th consecutive home game.
It was a fourth straight defeat for Brooklyn, who are now 10-27 for the season with the second worst record in the Eastern Conference. The last time Sloan got a starting gig came on January 4, 2015 when he was with the Indiana Pacers. San Antonio has been relevant for almost 20 years because of great players, certainly, but also because the teams doesn’t lose sight of the future for short sided goals.
“This isn’t my first rodeo, I’ve been here before”, said Young.
When Mikhail Prokhorov purchased the then-New Jersey Nets in 2010, he was hailed as the second coming of George Steinbrenner: a personality made for the tabloids, with deep pockets and a win-now mentality neatly summed up in his bold prediction upon becoming owner that the Nets would earn a title within five years.
He’ll try to do that with new leadership that he hopes will help clarify what kind of team the Nets want to be and what kind of personnel they will need. He recently was approved to take over full ownership of both the Nets and Barclays Center, but there’s been speculation he could be looking to sell. “A challenging day. Lionel Hollins is a good friend of mine. For me. That was a very important lesson”. “I am all in”.
Two days ago, the Nets’ biggest problems enveloped nearly everything under the sun; by Sunday, somehow, things had gotten even worse and they hadn’t even played the 32-6 San Antonio Spurs yet.
In the meantime, top assistant Tony Brown will be filling in for Hollins in an interim basis. He said his perception was that it works better if those positions aren’t consolidated. (Calipari denied rumors of his interest in the Nets’ job earlier on Monday).
Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) fouls San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in NY. “We put a lot of names on [our] list”.
Whether that patience and discipline only applies to the hiring process or becomes an overall theme for this franchise will likely determine whether Prokhorov and the Nets make the same mistakes again.
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While the results may not be much different under Brown than Hollins, the Nets certainly will look like a different team – one that will give all players a fresh opportunity. But at no point did Prokhorov express a desire to change his aggressive strategy. After the game, Marjanovic commented on the cheers saying, “This is good because if people love you, you are good, and I feel great”.
