"Yeah, he's a very interesting man. So, for me to just be in the room with him and just have a conversation with him, I would have loved that." - Carmelo Anthony
"This was no white knight sashaying into the States on a horse, but a basketball dummy on a donkey. This franchise has a long, illustrious history of sitcom moments, and this ranks with the most entertaining of all." - Adrian Wojnarowski
"So like the stern headmaster in a really wacky private school, he announced that he’s canceling the prom because his recalcitrant students lobbed a stink bomb into the science lab." - Dave D'Alessandro
"The Russian smelled a rat from an ocean away, and Mikhail Prokhorov swooped in Wednesday to stomp on it." - Ken Berger
"The deal is dead. Done. Denver, ‘Melo, Chris Sheridan, Woj, et al, shove it. The buck stops here... [Prokhorov] earned his stripes last night and he proved what should have been obvious from the get-go – no one becomes a billionaire by being a patsy." - Mark Ginocchio
One Game We Will Definitely Watch Tonight: Civil War Part II: New Jersey Nets vs. New York Knicks
Finally, for the first time in a long time, things are looking up for the two NBA teams geographically located within a few miles of the Hudson River. And for a staff full of avid Knicks and Nets fans, we couldn't be happier. Personally, having no horse in this race (Let's Go Celtics!), I thought it would be interesting to point out some of the newly found similarities between the two ball clubs which suggest what may or may not be impacting each team's improvement.
First similarity: Russians. Prokhorov and Mozgov. Both newcomers to their respective franchises. Prokhorov has made an immediate impact on the Nets and declared that they must do whatever it takes to win a ring within five years. Conversely, Mozgov received a warm welcome to the league from Blake Griffin and the illest posterizing dunk of the year.
"They probably shouldn't put the lyrics 'lose control' on that video screen right as the Pistons win the tip."
A fair point by my girlfriend, and just another early detail to worry an eager Nets fan like myself on opening night in Newark. Aside from the glossy new intro video for the Nets and the shiny veneer of the Prudential Center, there were enough clues early on to make me question how much new the Russian and coach Avery Johnson had really brought to the team.
Shaquille O'Neal got on Twitter yesterday to let us all know that he has figured out how to shrink a Giraffe. This makes him the second man to master this trick in a month...
Is that guy supposed to be Prokhorov?
Just some food for thought. Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend.
This evening, LeBron James is slated to take up an hour of the world's time to tell us where he's going to be rapping and sleeping for the next couple of years. This gesture has so far been called vacuous, despicable, ego-maniacal and poisonous to sports. At No Regard, we think it's hilarious and have imagined some of our favorite possiblilities. Check back as Bron's 9 PM deadline approaches for more predictions...
Immediate Impact: Bron throws up the Roc. Newark mayor Cory Booker gleefully screams, "This is Newark, New Jersey!" then delivers an impromptu speech to his staffers that rivals Obama in his heyday. Prokhorov keeps smiling. Devin Harris keeps playing Call of Duty 3 on his PS3. As for the actual season?
IYSSSS is our semi-regular Internet intelligence report, a liberal arts approach to following the NBA on the Web. E-mail us at jewsforjesusshuttlesworth@gmail.com if you've got any suggestions.
Yahoo Sports (via Slam): No matter how negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement pan out, it's clear that this is going to get a whole lot messier before anything is resolved.
FreeDarko: The most talented NBA writer on the most talented NBA player playing basketball in June 2010. This piece is the equivalent of Kobe going off in that third quarter.
"I had a major breakthrough: Physically, Rondo isn't an alien, or a dinosaur. He's an alien-dinosaur. Or, as Kevin corrected, a dinosaur-alien. Alien-dinosaur would just be a space lizard; dinosaur-alien is creature from other realms overlaid with the qualities of a raptor. This is the first of several times I will repeat this statement: This is no physical being like Rondo. Yes, his arms are long, his speed beyond speech. But there's also his wiry strength, his internal gyroscope (at its best when spooling along with a bit of wobble), those impossibly broad shoulders, calculating gaze, and a face too smooth and empty for this town.
We are nearly arrived at the point of actual basketball. There's a pause here, a beat, and then no turning back. Here's what astounds me most about Rajon Rondo: He is pure style, with an almost nasty disregard for formalism."
Steve Nash YouTube Video: From itsrhymetime: "I love that Steve Nash is 36 years old and yet he still loves making short films with the fervor of a teenager. This commercial, along with his Avatar spoof, make me wonder if Alvin Gentry is instituting the league's first mandatory film history course."
Another Steve Nash YouTube Video: We'll double dip. Steve Nash plays a douchey version of himself who berates Robin Lopez for missing passes and not being as awesome as Steve Nash. He also wears inexplicably tight jeans and forces his crotch in Fropez's face the entire time. The title: Balls Talk.
We at No Regard love the New Jersey Nets: About 1/3 of us grew up in NJ and/or live there now, and the rest have adopted the state as their spirit animal. We consider the 2007-2008 season magical because one of us had season tickets and we got to watch J-Kidd give up in person. Anyway, we're close to New Jersey's lost children, so we know what we're talking about. And believe me when I say:
This was the best season ever to be a Nets fan. Oh just relax. I have my reasons.
Each Win Was Euphoric. Yes, those first 18 losses in 18 games weren't easy to sit through, but after win number one? Kiki's Delivery Service (trademark) took the notion of "no expectations/no pressure" to an entirely new place. Once they secured that worst out-the-gate record, every loss was a familiar face and each win was delicious gravy. That Saturday afternoon Celtics win was New Year's Eve, the first bite of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a Flaming Lips concert rolled into one smorgasbord of happy. In all the years since those two Jason Kidd-led finals runs, Nets fans have been faced with constant underachieving and disappointment. This year, though, we reverted back to what Nets fans are supposed to be: Sad people with a very measured expectation of our team's limits.
The Kidd-Jefferson-Vinsanity era was a painful purgatory; this year the four horsemen of the apocalypse were played by Kiki, Devin Harris, Bruce Ratner and the ghost of Lawrence Frank; and next year is said to be the rapture.
The Promise of Next Season. Each loss carried with it the largest of all caveats: Next year will bring a high draft pick, a savior free agent and a tall Russian man with $8 billion ushering in a future filled with gold toilets and championship rings. For this one season, all Nets fans got to ignore the probable reality of next season: Overpaying for Rudy Gay or Joe Johnson, Demarcus Cousins' starring role as Derrick Coleman 2.0 and Prokorov pissing off every tangible coaching candidate by offering the mirage of Coach K $12 million... then $15 million, then $17 million.
So yes, I'm worried about next season. As established, I'm a Nets fan: Optimism has no place in my psyche and disappointment could start tonight with the draft lottery. Do I worry that tonight will be the first of many instances when Nets beat writers are forced to write those dreaded "Yeah, this isn't what we wanted, but there's a silver lining" stories? Absolutely. Derrick Favors means nothing to me.
But then, as if the Russian could read minds, owner Mikhail Prokhorov showed up at either my grandmother's old house or the clubhouse at Augusta National Golf Club to record this message:
