Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov shows team weird pushup exercises (VIDEO)

Before his life as an NBA team owner, Mikhail Prokhorov was known as a pretty decent ballplayer on the court. So when the Brooklyn Nets owner showed up to the team's practice Wednesday, he didn't just stand around scratching his chin.

Instead, the Russian billionaire joined in on the workout — introducing the players to some mildly strange, new pushup drills.

This is an example of what Mikhail Prokhorov is doing right now at Nets practice:

A video posted by Tim Bontemps (@timbontemps) on Sep 30, 2015 at 9:18am PDT

Prokhorov used volleyballs, tennis balls, boards and sticks in what the New York Post's Tim Bontemps described as "martial arts exercises," demonstrating each one before letting his players give it a shot.

This is an example of what Mikhail Prokhorov is doing right now at Nets practice:

A video posted by Tim Bontemps (@timbontemps) on Sep 30, 2015 at 9:18am PDT

Now let's see Putin give it a shot — if he isn't too busy.

Nets drawing interest from China, Qatar and Hollywood: Report

It looks like Mikhail Prokhorov's five-year window for a Brooklyn Nets championship is about to close without a title, even though the Russian billionaire will still come out a big winner himself — at least financially.

The Nets are for sale and there is no shortage of suitors showing interest as the free-spending Prokhorov gets ready for his own big payday.

Via the New York Post:

Chinese conglomerate Fosun and the Qatari government’s investment fund have signaled an interest in buying the pro basketball team from majority owner and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.

Interest is also coming from music mogul David Geffen, who considered a bid for the LA Clippers last year before the NBA team was sold for a record $2 billion to former Microsoft chieftain Steve Ballmer.

Even former Time Warner boss Dick Parsons, who was interim chief executive of the Clippers when the NBA forced then-owner Donald Sterling to sell the team, has eyed the Nets, sources said.

While Parsons has a long business resumé and the likely blessing of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, he doesn’t have the cash and would need to line up investors, they added.

At least two wealthy US families have also expressed an interest in the Nets.

Prokhorov, the first foreign owner of an NBA team, holds 80 percent of the club and 45 percent of the Barclays Center, its 2 1/2-year-old arena which next season will house hockey’s New York Islanders. Only the Nets franchise is reportedly for sale.

The NBA hasn’t given Prokhorov, who has controlling ownership of the Nets, clarity on whether he can sell his stake in the team separately from his stake in the Barclays Arena, where the Nets play, said one banker close to the sale process.

The league requires an owner to sell the same ratio of team and arena ownership as he originally bought, although it can waive that rule.

The NBA told Prokhorov he had to sell both. But the banker told The Post the league hasn’t made a decision.

“The NBA never told the Nets to sell them together,” the banker said, adding the league has promised Prokhorov a decision soon.

Prokhorov does not want to sell them as a package because fewer buyers can afford both. The Barclays Center alone would be $1.2 billion on top of the team’s $2 billion asking price.

Meanwhile, Forest City Enterprises, which owns the remaining 20 percent of the team, is also shopping its majority 55 percent stake in the Barclays Center.

It's hard to put a price tag on the team, which valuations expert Peter Schwartz thinks it is worth about $1.3 billion. The arena is worth even more, said Schwartz, a managing director at Boston-based Christie & Associates, adding that the commodity tycoon’s combined stake is worth about $2 billion.

Because of the Nets home in the No. 1 U.S. media market, and the infrequency with which marquee sports franchises become available, the Nets could even get more than the record $2 billion former Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer paid for the Los Angeles Clippers in a highly-publicized auction sparked by racist comments made by former owner Donald Sterling.

The Nets and Forest City declined to comment. The NBA and AEG did not return calls to The Post.

Andrei Kirilenko: LeBron isn't ‘the toughest’ to guard

After 11 seasons as one of the NBA's top defenders, Andrei Kirilenko is no stranger to covering some of league's premier wing scorers.

The 6-foot-9 forward with the eight-foot wingspan is set to make his Brooklyn Nets debut Friday night in the team’s home opener against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. When Kirilenko was asked whether LeBron James is the toughest player he has ever been asked to face, Mikhail Prokhorov's favorite Russian had a Cold War reviving answer about the Heat star.

“He’s definitely one of those guys who is tough to guard,” Kirilenko told the N.Y. Post. “I wouldn’t say he’s the toughest to guard 1-on-1, but he’s definitely in that category.”

So, if not James, then who?

“For me, personally? I would say Kevin Durant and Kobe [Bryant], because they’re very motivated to play with the ball,” Kirilenko explained. “LeBron is way unselfish, and he will pass it as soon as the guy is open.

“Kevin and Kobe, unless the guy is wide open, like wide open and ready to shoot, they will keep going at you. They’ll keep going at you. That’s why it makes it harder to play against those guys.”

Kirilenko, who has been dealing with back spasms since playing in the second preseason game against Detroit on Oct. 12, went through a complete workout Thursday during practice and said he should be ready to go Friday night at Barclays Center.

“I got the green light, so slowly we’ll start to get into games,” he said.

“I’m planning to play. I’m not sure about how many minutes I’m going to play, but I’m definitely worth a try.”

LeBron will be the first to test those minutes.

Jay Z selling Nets share to head coach Jason Kidd: Report

It sounds like Jay Z is taking this whole sports agent thing pretty seriously. The entrepreneurial rapper is selling his minority ownership in the Brookyn Nets to head coach Jason Kidd, sources told Page Six of the N.Y. Post.

The sources claim Kidd will take over Jay’s .067 percent (1/15th of a percent) stake in the team for about $500,000.

The move comes as Jay was forced to sell his Nets shares over a conflict of interest after he started a sports agency, Roc Nation, signing clients including Yankee Robinson Cano and NBA star Kevin Durant.

"Other owners want to give Jason a part ownership of the team, and urged Jay to sell his shares to him," said the source.

Goodbye Brooklyn.

Page Six said:

Amazingly, Jay was introduced to the team in 2003 by Drew Katz, the son of one of the Nets’ principal owners, after Kidd, then the Nets’ marquee point guard, suggested the music mogul buy the team.

According to reports, Jay helped design the team logos and choose the Nets’ stark black-and-white color scheme, and personally appealed to National Basketball Association officials to drop their objections to it.

The Times reported Jay’s influence stretched so far, he courted top players to join the team and even counseled execs on music to play during games.

"He is it,” Bruce Ratner, the Barclays Center developer, said in an interview. “He is us. He is how people are going to see that place."

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov bought 80 percent ownership of the team in 2009 and appeared on billboards around the city with Jay Z.

Meanwhile, Kidd, who signed on as Nets coach in June, added to an impressive lineup including Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Brook Lopez. 

Unlike Jay Z, the coach owning minority shares in the team would not be seen as a conflict of interest.

A rep for the Nets had no comment, and Kidd’s spokesman, Nets VP of public relations Gary Sussman, also declined to comment. Reps for Jay Z didn’t get back to Page Six.

Paul Pierce: My hatred of Knicks has 'grown a little' since joining Nets

Paul Pierce hated the New York Knicks as a Celtic but now, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, he's ramped-up that loathing of the Garden dwellers even more — or at least that's what he told Michael Kay on ESPN Radio. 

"I think the hate [for the Knicks] has grown a little," he said,  reports ESPNNewYork.com. "Everybody knows how much I disliked the Knicks when I was with the Celtics, but I think it's grown to another level... I think it's time for the Nets to start running this city."

Pierce later told reporters at a Sprint H-O-R-S-E event in Manhattan: "The only thing that separates the two teams is a bridge. And both of them are in the same division and both of them are considered contenders. You can't help but say this is probably gonna be the best rivalry in sports next year."

The Nets and Knicks will meet four times in 2013-14. The first game of their regular-season series will be Dec. 5 at Barclays Center.

Both teams made upgrades in the offseason. Brooklyn acquired Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry from the Celtics and also added Andrei Kirilenko in free agency, while New York acquired Andrea Bargnani and signed Metta World Peace.

At first glance, the Knicks may not have the big-name signings this summer of the deep-pocketed Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, but they're coming off a better season than their East River rivals and have a more solid core of younger players.

The Nets aren't "running" New York yet — but this is finally becoming an interesting cross-city rivalry. 

Prokhorov shows his frustration from owner's box at Barclays Center

Mikhail Prokhorov just sold his share of a Russian gold business for $3.6 billion, but he may soon find himself showing his star point guard Deron Williams how to close a deal when a game is on the line.

The Brooklyn Nets owner could only watch, from his private box at Barclays Center Sunday night, when Williams  — who scored a game-high 24 points — couldn't come to terms when it counted and the Nets dropped a heartbreaking 76-72 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Old Prokie's reaction says it all after Williams drove the lane, with the Nets behind 74-72, and his sloppy pass to Mirza Teletovic was intercepted by Tayshun Prince allowing Memphis to get the win.

While Prohorov was dropping to his knees saying, "Nyet, nyet, nyet" in his luxury box, D-Will was seen limping on his bad ankle down the court.

The Grizzlies scored 11 straight points to finish the game while Brook Lopez was benched by Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo.  The Nets (33-24) were held to a season low 72 points and shot a miserable 37.7% from the field.

It must be hard waking up $3.6 billion richer and still helpless to do anything to help your million-dollar hobby win.

Avery Johnson's son goes on Twitter rant about dad's firing

Avery Johnson took the high road when he addressed the media Thursday after being fired by the Brooklyn Nets.  The ex-head coach claims he never saw the firing coming and said, "This is the ownership's decision.  This is what we signed up for."

Johnson's teenage son didn't take the news as well and went thumbs-out on his Twitter account to vent his anger after the news broke that his dad had been relieved of his coaching duties by owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

I'm sorry are best players couldn't make open shots. Yeah that's my dads fault totally...
— Avery Johnson Jr. (@itsaveryjohnson) December 27, 2012

The younger Johnson went on to defend his dad's reputation by tweeting:

"This is a f------Outrage.  My dad is a great coach, he just got coach of the month and they Fire him. #Smh. Completely new team he had."

Junior wasn't the only one surprised at the firing.  LeBron James echoed the son's sentiments with this tweet.

Avery got fired? He was just coach of the month wasn't he? That's like a player get Player of the Month then gets traded the next month #NBA
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 27, 2012

"The expectations were way too high for this team.  We didn't even have a losing record... Didn't even give my dad a full season.  #OUTRAGE," Johnson Jr. continued.

His father was fired a day after the Nets fell to .500 (14-14) after an 11-4 start to begin the season.

Johnson's release comes on the heels of the Nets All-Pro Deron Williams saying he was never comfortable playing in Johnson's style of offense and insinuating that his shooting slump was because of the system.

The fact that Williams' whining and his father's canning came so close together wasn't lost on the teenage Johnson or NBA analyst Reggie Miller who tweeted:

"So will coaching change for Nets improve Deron Williams shooting percentage??"

It sounds like the ball is in Williams' court now.

Mikhail Prokhorov gets his own comic-book

Mikhail Prokhorov has shown the world the extent of his super-human talents.  From turning the fall of the U.S.S.R. into capitalist gold and moving a whole basketball franchise from New Jersey to Brooklyn in a single bound, the obscenely wealthy playboy  is worthy of some kind of Tony Stark-type notoriety.

Now, you can add comic-book star to the Brooklyn Nets owner's list of accomplishments because the publisher of Bluewater Productions has released a comic-book about the life and times of the Russian tycoon.

"Orbit: Mikhail Prokhorov" will tell the saga of Prokhorov's rise from a metal-mining entrepreneur to one of the world's wealthiest people in the world — covering all the details of his life including sports team owner, ascending force in Russian politics and, hopefully for fanboys, exploits from his parties with top fashion models.

Kids may scared off by the cover of the Prokhorov comic which makes it looks more like a homework assignment rather than a short escape from reality.

Darren Davis, the publisher of the $3.99 Prokhorov comic said he got the idea for the comic-book when he saw Prokhorov on "60 Minutes" a couple of years ago.

Prokhorov is the latest in a long line of celebrities, politicians and businessmen the independent production studio has profiled in comic-book form.  Hillary Clinton, 50 Cent, Steve Jobs and Justin Bieber are just a few of the famous names that have been featured.

"I just think his life story is a comic book," said Davis.  "He is sort of like the Russian Bruce Wayne."

If the Barclays Center is his Batcave, then Jay-Z must be Robin.

Superpowers or not, Prokhorov, who saw into the future and predicted an NBA title for his Nets in five years, will first have to do battle with his arch-rival Little Man (James Dolan) and his army of minions — the Knicks.

Prokhorov wants nothing less than NBA East finals at Barclays Center

Leaving year two of Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov's five-year quest for NBA world domination, the team had about as bright a future as a gulag road gang.  But escape from Siberia — um, Newark — and a new identity now has the Russian megalomaniac setting goals once again.

The mostly heard —but rarely seen — owner was actually in his luxury box to watch his Nets play the Toronto Raptors in the first regular season game at his Barclays Center showcase Saturday night.

Old Prokie — who has already declared that Deron Williams is the league's best point guard and his revamped $330 million squad is one "that can put together the great story of a championship" — is starting year three of his five year plan for an NBA championship.

Asked what would define the Nets' success after the first season in their new Brooklyn home, Prokhorov was straightforward.

"A conference final," he said.

The billionaire owner sounded like the Nets 107-100 win in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 was a small step towards his grand plan of bringing an NBA title to the Nets by 2015.

"We are waiting for the ring," he added. "I am the most devoted guy for the championship to happen."

Prokhorov took what also sounded suspiciously like a dig at his arch-rival, the New York Knicks, before the tip-off of last night's game when asked about the Knicks rout of the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden a day earlier.

"Yesterday, I went to bed at 8 o'clock (tipoff time) in order to be up at 4 a.m. for my great workout," he said, suggesting he didn't even care to watch the game.

Prokhorov is backing up his words with cash — and plenty of it.  Penalties for the NBA luxury tax be damned.

"It concerns me only to the level we can reach championship or not," he said.  "That's it.  My (money) is still in very good shape."

Nets owner Prokhorov calls Knicks owner Dolan 'that little man'

The Brooklyn Nets might have lost out on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes but another big man is making noise on the team— and it ain't Brook Lopez.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov already moved the team across the the Hudson and East Rivers into the the city that the New York Knicks once called their own.  Now the Russian billionaire has gone out of his way to take a shot at Knicks owner James Dolan by referring to his shorter counterpart as "that little man" in a New York Magazine article.

The 6-foot-8 Nets owner reportedly stands a full 14 inches over the diminutive 5-foot-6 Dolan.

"Prokhorov told me back in November that he plans on attending a quarter of the regular-season games and 'all the playoff ones,'" the article's writer, Will Leitch, wrote.  "He also made sure I heard him call Dolan 'that little man.'"

What Prokhorov doesn't lack in height, he seems to lose in tact.  He has already warned the Knicks that once the Nets are ensconced inside their new $1 billion Barclays Center, Knicks fans would be coming over to Brooklyn in droves and at his introductory press conference, he predicted the Nets would have an NBA championship in five years.  That was three years and a 58-172 record ago.

In 2010, he had a huge billboard— featuring Prokhorov and minority-owner Jay-Z— painted with a bird's-eye view of Madison Square Garden.  Over the pair were the words, "The Blueprint for Greatness."

Jay-Z has been the most visible Nets owner— doing everything from designing the team's logo and uniforms to choosing the music which will be played during games— but it is Prokhorov who is pulling the Knicks' tail.

The teams open their seasons on Nov. 1 when they will meet at the Barclays Center.  Let another New York rivalry begin.

New Jersey Nets: Kiss Those Forty-Three Cent Seats Goodbye

By Tony Mangia

New Jersey Nets tickets went on sale yesterday for their future home in Brooklyn.  The long delayed Barclays Center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2012 and start hosting the Nets that season.  The team is offering  a variety of "All-Access" seating packages which run from $99 (in the lower deck) to $1500 (courtside) per game.  The team's new slogan should be "Come For Vujacic; Stay For A Kardashian."

The Nets are offering the few die-hard season-ticket holders first crack at the 4,000 All-Access premium seats which offer perks like unlimited food and soft drinks, private entrances, concierge service and early access to the arena.

If you are one of those embarrassed Nets fans — you know, the desperate ones hiding their faces in what is basically the NBA witness protection program at Newark's Prudential Center, and are used to snagging a 43-cent ticket on StubHub, fugeddaboudit.  There will be 2,000 tickets priced about $15 at the team's new location, but the chances of snagging a bargain-basement Nets ticket for the newer and trendier Brooklyn locale will be out of the question— no matter how bad the team is.

The flash factor alone will go through the fast-rising roof top.  The Knicks may boast their Big-Three, but the Nets have Jay-Z.  The rap star mogul and a state-of-the-art arena.  That means Beyonce and a slew of shiny new celebrities not named Woody, Dustin or Spike.  The curiosity factor will draw new Nets fans in droves, even if the 43-cent tickets will have as much of a chance as a Net victory.

Years of legal haggling and zoning red-tape had turned the 18,000-seat Barclays Center project into a construction quagmire even the woeful Nets front office couldn't get into.  But it was the Nets image which has really gotten stuck in the mud.

New majority owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, and his partner, Jay-Z, took over a team that hadn't contended since 2006-07 season and failed to land a big-name player last year.  Deron Williams is a start.

The Nets watched as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony played footsie with the Nets big aspirations, only to be left at the PATH station.  The Knicks had the hubris to taunt their incoming rivals by placing a billboard of their prized player, Amar'e Stoudemire, staring down at the giant hole at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic--the site of the Nets new home.

The Nets are counting on luring fans, new and old,  by not charging personal-seating licenses. They said the All-Access deals are just as good and will allow purchasers first-shot at buying tickets for other non-Nets events like concerts and boxing matches.

"I think this is the best entertainment buy in all of New York," claims Brett Yormark Nets CEO, "Especially when factoring the ability to see top acts like Madonna before tickets hit the secondary market."

If you are a Nets fan, that is definitely a perk---maybe the highlight of the deal---especially when you have to commit to purchasing the locked-in priced seats for the first three years. 

The average price of a current Nets ticket is $60---one of the lowest in the league.  The new average price at the Barclays Center will be around $132--more than the Knicks current average ticket price of $88 and one of the highest in the league.

The Nets cross-borough rivals price will be rising next season after the Knicks announced a 49% increase to cover the on-going renovations at Madison Square Garden. 

The Los Angeles Lakers currently get an average price of $113 per seat--the costliest ticket in the league.

It's hard to believe the Nets, in their inaugural season will be getting more than Kobe and company, but if more money means more wins...Go Kris Humphries.

Knicks Declare Billboard War On Nets

By Tony Mangia

The New York Knicks have taken action against the New Jersey Nets by placing a billboard on a warehouse near the Brooklyn construction site of the Nets' new arena...two years before it's planned completion.  The obscure Knicks billboard looks like retaliation for the giant poster promoting the Nets and it's new billionaire owner.  That sign was hung with a pigeon's eye view of Madison Square Garden last July. 

The Knicks billboard features new Knick star Amar'e Stoudemire glaring out from in front of the Manhattan Bridge with "Brooklyn Represent" written underneath and "YOU, US, WE, NOW" scrolled along the side with the team emblem.  The Knick's  newest acquisition and face of the team could be a dig at the Nets inability to land a big-name free-agent this off-season.

The Nets billboard, which hung from a Manhattan building on 33rd Street, was much larger and featured Nets owners Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z staring directly down at the Garden.  The Knicks owner, James Dolan, was so incensed by the huge sign, he filed a complaint with the NBA.  He claimed it gave his Jersey competitors an upper hand in recruiting free-agent LeBron James last summer.

Dolan probably wishes he could have tacked Carmelo Anthony's face onto his new black and white promo.  The Knicks haven't commented on why they put one up near the Nets future home, but did say they put similar ones up around the New York Area.  They probably won't have to worry about putting any up near the Nets' current home, the Prudential Center, in Newark.  Today, on opening day,  some tickets on Stub Hub were going for .45 cents.

The Nets CEO Brett Yormark called the Knicks billboard a "defensive measure."  "I'm glad to see they know where Brooklyn is," he said.  "Clearly they know what's coming.  It's fair play."

The "YOU, US, WE, NOW" slogan is a bit confusing.  Maybe the Knicks should have slapped a head- shot of their Russian center, Timofey Mozgov, to lure some of his comrades from Brooklyn's Russian enclave in  Brighton Beach.  The big man has recently done a public relations tour there. 

The Nets' new Russian owner isn't waiting until the new arena's ribbon-cutting to entice his Russian fanbase.  Prokhorov is publishing a Russian-language magazine called "S.N.O.B."  The magazine is geared to generating Net fans within the community.  The name is an acronym for the Russian words, "Accomplished , Independent, Educated and Thriving."  A Bloomberg report said the  Nets owner--who is already well-known in Russian society--has already sunk $100 million into the project.