Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov is “planning to attend more than a quarter of the team's home games this season, trying to work his schedule to coincide with the team's longer home stands -- but he is unsure about what he will do in the spring, when the playoffs begin, and when he expects his team to still be playing,” according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Prokhorov appears “determined to re-enter the political world in his native Russia, so he may have other commitments.” Prokhorov said, “The team is not only about business. It's about people, the atmosphere, about feeling. And of course, Brooklyn is our home.” He added, “For me, it's very important to have this feeling of community. And we hope, and we want this place [to] be the heart of Brooklyn, and the heart of the community. I am lucky we are on the right way.” Prokhorov said he would tell those opposed to building of the recently opened Barclays Center, “It's their team. It's a part of the community. … I think it's a matter of getting used to it. So please come to the arena, have fun with the Nets, and I think we'll change your mind.” He said, “What we need first is to change the team's mentality. My approach in any business (is) to find the best people on the market and let them do their job. So with [GM] Billy King, I have a great guy with excellent feeling of players.” When asked about the “budding rivalry now with the Knicks,” Prokhorov said, “I think it's really great for the city, for the fans, to have, like, crosstown rival. And I don't think [Knicks Owner] James Dolan is crying. He really understands that it's great for the Knicks to have such a rivalry, just for business, for pleasure, for fun, just for the city” (NBA.com, 11/5).
