When Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov bought a majority stake in the Brooklyn Nets before the 2010-11 season and set 2015 as the year by which he wanted the team to win a championship, it was unclear why he chose that season.
As it turns out, Prokhorov's projection may have been based on another Russian's massive overhaul. In an interview with the YES Network, Prokhorov said (seemingly seriously) that he was inspired by Vladimir Lenin's Five-Year Plan.
"But, it didn't work good in the Soviet economy," Prokhorov said, "and I hope it will work much better here."
As Prokhorov noted, Lenin's Five-Year Plan, which was meant to industrialize the country, is not always viewed in a positive light. But it did inspire other Five-Year Plans, which were a tenant of Russian development for decades to come.
Five years is optimistic with the current rendition of the Brooklyn Nets. Starters Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are both north of 35 years old, and the Eastern Conference is stacked with title contenders. But there will be a wave of free agents looking for new homes after the 2013-14 season, and as we've seen before, Prokhorov is not afraid to break the bank to get what he wants.
When asked if he was concerned about spending $190 million this year on salary and luxury tax, his response was "Heck no."
Prokhorov has joked that if the Nets do not win a championship by 2015, he would "punish" himself by getting married.
