The graph above was done by Sleepy Freud of the Warriors blog Golden State of Mind, and it displays visually the Nets chances at the different picks (every lottery team is done over at the blog). As you can see, there are only four colors represented on the Nets’ chart, meaning that the worst the Nets can do is the 4th overall pick. The Nets really need the number one pick though. It isn’t because of John Wall though, sure he is a fantastic player, but in all honesty I’d be happy with any of the players rumored to be in the top 4. The reason the Nets need to win the draft lottery is that they need to keep this “momentum train” rolling.
Think about it. The Nets are coming off one of the worst seasons in NBA history. They had an owner who was more focused on making money than winning and it showed. Two years ago, the Nets just missed the playoffs and instead of retooling they decided to strip everything down. They kept a coach who was in “lame duck” status because they didn’t want to pay two coaches at once and when they eventually got rid of Lawrence Frank they filled the position internally with Kiki Vandeweghe. After all of this, the Nets finished with just 12 wins.
That all seems light years away, as things really has started going the Nets’ way. First and foremost, Mikhail Prokhorov has taken over and he means business. The Nets have a young core with some great players (Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams, and Devin Harris), and the Cleveland Cavs choked in the playoffs prompting rumors of LeBron leaving.
If the Nets win the draft lottery, the good mojo continues and this new feeling that Nets’ fan have (I think it is called hope) keeps going. If the Nets lose, it is just the other shoe dropping, something Nets’ fans are used to. Win 2 Eastern Conference championships, get smoked in the finals twice. Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson made for the most exciting triple-threat in the NBA, couldn’t really do much in the playoffs. I (and most likely other Nets’ fans) have been conditioned to wait for that other shoe to drop during Bruce Ratner’s reign as Nets’ owner.. I think winning the lottery is what will help Nets’ fans finally close the book on the Bruce Ratner era for good and confidently start the Mikhail Prokhorov off on the right foot, optimistically.
Our new owner is in the middle of a busy week. Between landing in the United States, fielding multiple press conferences, an appearance at the NBA Draft Lottery, making time Wednesday night to visit Yankees Stadium, and weathering a spit storm from having a conversation with Mike Francesa, oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov is a hot commodity in the New Jersey area these days. Finally approved as the first international owner of an NBA team last week, I think all Nets fans would agree after dealing with the last six years of Bruce Ratner at the helm that any shift in ownership is a welcome change. It’s not just for the sake of difference, though; The allure of the Russian billionaire is what Jay-Z would call “far too much for (us) to ever ignore.”
I must say, my new favorite defining piece of the Prokhorov madness is a gem. It’s not another wild, thrill-seeking stunt (although I do love that we have an adrenaline junkie for an owner), or an appearance with some TV or radio personality. It is a personal, two-minute message that Prokhorov made – for us, the fans – to kick off playing with his newfound toy.
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Following on the heels on Dennis’ post on Coach K yesterday (unlike Dennis, I’m not even going to attempt to spell his surname), I’m going to take a look at Tom Thibodeau, someone I’ve been slowly starting to come around on as a candidate to the point where I’m starting to think he would be a very smart choice for the organization.
Currently, the assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, he’s also been an assistant with the Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks. A disciple of Jeff Van Gundy, who’s a candidate in his own rite, Thibodeau is all about defense, defense and defense. And as the Celtics and the Magic are proving in the playoffs currently, defense rules in the Eastern Conference. Thibodeau’s defensive schemes were credited in limiting Kobe Bryant’s offensive production in the 2008 NBA Finals, and I think a case could be made that Thiboeau’s planning played a role in LeBron James and the Cavs demise last week. Off the top of my head, the Nets haven’t had a head coach that was this dedicated to the art of defense since the late Chuck Daly in the early 90s.
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Two really solid links this morning. First the great Jared Wade (who writes for HardwoodParoxysm.com and EightPointsNineSeconds.com) wrote up a little something on Mikhail Prokhorov forh his site Bothteamsplayedhard.net:
Mikhail Prokhorov, the $13-billion man who is now officially the new owner of the Nets and a guy Bill Simmons has dubbed the Russian Mark Cuban, has good news for Nets fans. Your favorite team will be in the Playoffs next season and will also soon win a title. This, too, will probably happen next year, but you can never be sure what the future will hold so it’s possible it might take up to five years. He explains it all in the video below. Sorry for the wait.
(Mostly, I think this is awesome because it reminded me of that fantastic, long-ago SLAM magazine cover story: “Generation Nets: Champs by 2001. Count on It.”)
Wade also breaks out the Google Translator and has at it with Prokhorov’s personal blog. Some really good stuff. While Wade had his attention on Prokhorov, the guys at The Basketball Jones were focused on the lottery and they went to see a psychic to figure out how things play out. Click the link to see the video, but the psychic says, “New York or close by.”
