Russian billionaire and new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has a pretty full to-do list for his NBA team.
Sit in on the draft lottery tonight in Secaucus. Convince “the very best of the best” free agents that they want to be Nets. Get in the playoffs next season. Win a championship in one to five years.
That’s the message Prokhorov has in a video message for Nets season ticket holders. Prokhorov said the Nets “have taken the first step” with a lot more to come.
That includes the lottery, where the Nets hope their 10-year charm holds again. In 1990, the Nets won the lottery with the league’s worst record and took Derrick Coleman. In 2000, the Nets were slotted seventh, but won and grabbed Kenyon Martin.
It’s 10 years later and this time, Kentucky point guard John Wall looms as the top prize. And it could propel the Nets toward Prokhorov’s promises.
“If everything goes as planned, I expect us to be in the playoffs next season and championship in one year minimum and maximum in five years,” Prokhorov says in his 2:07 message.
Regarding free agents, Prokhorov stresses what the Nets can offer — and it’s a lot more than the recent sorry 12-70 record.
“We will have the desire to win that will be unmatched anywhere in the league. This will be the first-class organization with all the support it needs in terms of resources and stability in the front office and state-of-the-art arena to play in,” Prokhorov said. “This will be the first truly global team in the NBA with exceptional international exposure no other team can [match].
“There will be fans of the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn to Moscow, and I feel pretty sure I can convince the very best of the best that the Nets are the place they want to be.”
The rebuilding starts tonight and the Nets hope it starts with a shot at Wall.
“You would like No. 1 because you control the draft,” team president Rod Thorn said. “But I wouldn’t say not getting it ruins things because no matter where we pick, we’re going to get a really good player.”
The Nets, making their 12th lottery appearance, have a one-in-four chance of landing Wall — or a three-in-four chance of falling short.
“Obviously, it would be a real boost for our organization,” Thorn said. “We’ll get a lot of attention. It will be a real attractive drawing card.”
A drawing card for free agents and coaches. Thorn has delayed interviews with his short list of “five or six” coaching candidates for what has become a very attractive job.
“I’m waiting to see what happens in the lottery,” Thorn said. “And I’m waiting to see what happens in the playoffs.”
The playoffs reference could indicate Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau is one of the leading candidates. Jeff Van Gundy and Avery Johnson are two desirable former head coaches. But Thorn has said he is not certain Van Gundy wants back into the coaching ranks now. Johnson is considered a favorite for the job in New Orleans, his hometown.
Being lousy does not guarantee lottery success. In the history of the lottery, the eligible team with the worst record has picked first only five times.