New Jersey Nets' Carmelo Cancellation: Brilliant Move by Owner Mikhail Prokhorov

By publicly breaking off Carmelo Anthony trade talks with the Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov made a brilliant move that will benefit his team for as long as he is in charge.

Forget how this non-deal affects the Nets on the court. Let's talk about how it helps them off the court.

Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire, is the first non-North American owner of an NBA franchise. Upon his purchase of the Nets, there were many questions surrounding the character of his ownership. 

1) Would he throw money around indiscriminately just because he's fabulously wealthy?

So far, yes, although Prokhorov hasn't been able to throw it in the directions he hoped. This summer he signed Travis Outlaw, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, and Jordan Farmar for $69 million.

Unfortunately, none of the big fish were interested in coming to New Jersey. It was like when you go to Blockbuster with a list of several movies you want to rent, but none of those films are in stock.

Still, there's no way you're going home empty-handed. You're going to get something to watch, even if you don't enjoy it all that much.

So you pick up some decent movies that hopefully provide at least a little entertainment and don't completely ruin your night.

(Please ignore the fact that no one goes to rent movies anymore. The everything-at-your-fingertips ethos of On Demand doesn't work for my analogy.)

2) Would he get involved in the minute details of running a team or let his GM call the shots?

So far, Prokhorov has had his hand in almost everything the Nets have done. He is a huge basketball fan and clearly intends to be a Mark Cuban-like owner.

Of course, that's without all the courtside histrionics, ridiculous feuds with other owners/coaches/commissioners, verbal sparring with opposing players' mothers, etc.

He's the executive chef of this restaurant. While he may not be cooking up every dish (you won't catch him chopping onions or apportioning spices), he's the one setting the menu.

3) Would he become the face of the franchise?

If the enormous billboard across from Madison Square Garden is any indication, then yes. Right now Prokhorov might be more recognizable than any of the Nets' players, which is more an indictment of the roster than a compliment to Mikhail.

How many NBA owners could you recognize in a prison lineup? How many NBA owners could you even name?

Most owners stay hidden behind the scenes, doing God knows what. I imagine them sitting behind enormous mahogany desks, reclining nonchalantly in overwhelming leather chairs wearing finely tailored Italian suits, casually signing multi-million dollar checks.

But I don't roll in those circles, so I might be wrong. Either way, Prokhorov is one of the few owners who is eminently recognizable, and he cares about remaining so.

Right now he is "the guy" in New Jersey. Just like Kobe is "the guy" in LA and LeBron was "the guy" in Cleveland.

Brook Lopez is the budding star center, Devin Harris is the former All-Star, and Derrick Favors is the young stud, but you could not claim that any of them is the face of the Nets, or even the future of the Nets. Those labels firmly belong to Prokhorov.

4) What would he do if he couldn't sign any of the big free agents last summer?

Ah, the big question, at least as far as the upcoming trade deadline goes. I previously thought (and wrote) that New Jersey would pursue a Carmelo deal to the death just so Prokhorov could finally have his "Look at me, I'm a legitimate NBA owner" moment.

I thought he would spare no expense to land a top-flight superduperstar, prioritizing prestige over performance. Since free agency didn't treat him kindly, he would make sure to score through a trade.

I expected him to be like those "Survivor" villains who reach the finals but receive no votes. They backstab throughout the game, blindsiding people right and left, establishing themselves as power players and threats.

With about five or six people left, they have done enough to almost guarantee that they will make it to the end, but either due to the desire to prove they can make yet another big move or sheer paranoia, they stupidly screw over someone in their alliance and ruin any shot at the million dollars.

Then they claim they "played the game the best," even though the objective is to win.

Had Prokhorov acquired Carmelo under the proposed circumstances, especially without a long-term commitment from Anthony, it would have definitely made a statement: "Ha, I got the guy everybody wanted. All you other teams are jealous of me. I win."

Until he realized his team, the Nets, never actually won. (OK, I'm presuming that Carmelo would not be able to lift New Jersey to a title, but look at the squad he'd be left with and look at Miami, Boston, and Orlando. Not gonna happen.)

There are three types of owners in professional sports:

A) Those who want to win championships (i.e. Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss).

B) Those who want their franchises to become global brands (i.e. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones).

C) Those who want to run financially successful businesses (i.e. Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling).

The three types are not mutually exclusive, especially since you usually need some measure of on-court success to become a global brand. That said, I wasn't sure whether Prokhorov was more A or B.

But this move shows that Prokhorov wants to win and may really know how to do it. His press conference announcing his team's ostensible withdrawal from the Melo sweepstakes proves that he will be a significant player in the NBA for years to come.

Voice in my head: "Wait, you're claiming that this little trade cancellation will assure the Nets a bright future? You do realize that all Prokhorov is doing is keeping the same 14 guys that are currently 12-31? Your readers are going to think you're blowing this way out of proportion!

Me to the voice in my head: "Shh, let me finish. It actually makes sense."

With this press conference, Prokhorov is demonstrating that he will not be taken advantage of, that he will not be exploited, and that he will not be played for a fool.

He is obviously a savvy businessman (you think he made his billions without brains and resolve?) and his instincts appear to carry over to the basketball world.

Running an NBA franchise is a lot like a game of Monopoly. The game is rarely decided by which properties you choose to simply buy. Rather, it comes down to trades.

Can I convince you to exchange Vermont Ave. and St. Charles Place, giving me light blue and pink monopolies and essential control over an entire corner, just for Boardwalk and the prospect of a dark blue monopoly? (For those of you less familiar with the game board, here's a refresher.)

However, if you're A. Constantly throwing out ridiculous proposals (want Baltic Ave. for Park Place and two railroads?), B. Easily getting suckered into stupid deals, or C. Spending all your playing time arguing over details, then A. No one will take you seriously, B. Everyone will try to take advantage of you, or C. No one will want to play with you in the first place.

Prokhorov has avoided all three potentially disastrous scenarios. Although there's obviously some work to be done before we call Prokhorov the messiah, he has set himself up excellently.

Players will want to play for him, front offices will want to deal with him, and David Stern can feel more confident about the Brooklyn experiment.

You shouldn't expect Carmelo Anthony to play for the Nets (but let's not rule him out completely, either) yet you shouldn't blame Prokhorov or call it a missed opportunity.

The stars will come. Believe me, the stars will come and New Jersey will become a serious contender.

When? I cannot say. But it will be sooner rather than later. Mikhail Prokhorov will make sure of that.