EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Could the New Jersey Nets become the Nyets? The basketball team once known as the New Jersey Americans is a step closer to being owned by Russia's richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov, who on Wednesday said he has a deal to buy 80 percent of the NBA team and nearly half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn. The proposed blockbuster deal would give the Nets' current principal owner, Bruce Ratner, the needed cash to move forward with the centerpiece of his Atlantic Yards development, which includes plans for retail and residential projects. It would make Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire and former amateur basketball player, the NBA's first non-North American owner.
Before I get started let it be known that I have no problems with the Russians. 25% of me is an ex-soviet. Try to tell me that Ukraine aint weak. We can go out back and sip our pints from the Irish motherland and pick a fight or we can throw some shots of stoli down the shoot and praise Vladimir Putin. I'm down for whatever. Just don't bring up Chernobyl. I digress. Why the fuck would you want to but the Nets? They don't even have Vince Carter aymore. You want to build a franchise around Devin Harris? Don't get me wrong, he's on the rise as a superstar but he'll never reach a Chris Paul level. He just can't. Guys from Wisconsin don't have it in them. It's science. If this dude has so much money then I don't see why he just doesn't buy the entire league. That's what I would do if I had the cash. I just hope this doesn't end in typical Russian fashion. Think cold war. I don't want this guy to threaten to buy the team only to have everyone else here boost their offers. I'll call his bluff right now if I have to. I'm not gonna have to resort to hiding under my desk because some Russians like to fuck around.
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