Flamboyant Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov fired the first salvo at the Knicks with his bold proclamation about stealing the New York market.
“We are going to turn Knicks fans into Nets fans, it’s that simple,” Prokhorov said during his first media tour as Nets owner.
Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t seem too afraid. Barry Watkins, Dolan’s top aide and a Garden spokesman, said in a statement the Knicks are looking forward to reigniting the rivalry.
“We look forward to a great rivalry with the Nets, which will hopefully feature two winning basketball teams,” Watkins told The Post.
Dolan and Prokhorov couldn’t be more different. Prokhorov, at 6-foot-8, is the flashy, witty, charismatic Russian playboy who wowed the media earlier this week.
Dolan, the Cablevision magnate, though a guitarist in a blues band, is more than a foot shorter at 5-7, intensely private and has shunned the media for more than three years.
Prokhorov already has made a big blunder, however, in telling the press on Wednesday Kiki Vandeweghe will not be retained, forgetting to inform the Nets’ classy GM/interim coach first. As sloppy as some of the Knicks’ firings have been, Dolan never stooped that low.
Vandeweghe eventually could jump ship to the Knicks when his contract runs out in July. Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who needs hip replacement and injured himself in Paris two weeks ago, has been mulling adding a new prominent member to the front office.
Vandeweghe’s agent is Warren Legarie, who also represents Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni.
The Knicks and Nets were a combined 41-123 last season. But between them, the two clubs have $60 million worth of cap space this summer and each has plans to reinvigorate their respective franchises with free agents and newfangled arenas.
The Nets will play in Newark for at least two seasons before moving to Brooklyn and the Garden is ready to undergo between a $775 to $850 million transformation that will be done in three massive stages, starting next summer and finally ending in 2013.
But only one franchise might get the grand prize, LeBron James.