Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, ex-coach Jason Kidd trade barbs
Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov says he is not mad about the way former head coach Jason Kidd left the team this summer, and is not looking back at the year Kidd spent with the franchise.
There were reports that Kidd was seeking more power within the organization, an accusation Kidd denied. Kidd admitted he was close to being fired after the team lost 10 of its first 21 games last season.
Kidd was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks in 2015 and 2019.
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"I think there is a nice proverb in English: Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord has split you," Prokhorov said on Monday, according to the New York Daily News. "So I think that each side, we did what we thought was the best and I like what we have now.”
Prokhorov, who has owned the team since 2010, was also asked if he was disappointed in how the situation ended with Kidd.
"I think we shouldn't get mad. I think we should get even," he said. "And we will see it on the court."
Kidd responded to Prokhorov's comments at the Bucks' shootaround on Tuesday
"I'm no longer in Brooklyn. Unfortunately they keep talking about it. I don't," Kidd told TheMilwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"Now if it was me and him playing 1-on-1 on the court, that would be fine."
The Nets eventually replaced Kidd with former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, and the team continues to spend big in hopes of winning a championship.
This season, the Nets' roster has $93 million worth of contracts, the highest in the NBA. The luxury tax threshold for 2014-15 is $76.829 million; the team spent $90.57 million in luxury taxes last year.
Prokhorov believes that he made a good investment for the team, even thought it was reported that the Nets lost $144 million in basketball operating costs last season.
"It's not a big deal," Prokhorov said. "Because I personally compensate this money from my pocket. It was a great investment in Brooklyn. For me it was very important to invest some money to make the team better and invest some money in the Brooklyn Nets."
Kidd returns to Brooklyn with his new team on Nov. 19.
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