To say that the New Jersey Nets have had their share of hard times would be an understatement.

This season will mark the fourth consecutive campaign that the Nets will fail to make the postseason.  After limping through a pair of 34-win seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09, New Jersey bottomed out last year at 12-70.  But just prior to that historically futile season, the Nets organization welcomed their most influential member for the future – new owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

According to the 2010 Forbes list, Prokhorov is the 39th richest man in the world.  He didn’t have any ties to the NBA, but had been connected with sports clubs in Moscow.  Therefore, his interest could be guaged to be more like that of the casual fan than that of a money-hungry owner. 

Since Prokhorov’s inclusion into the NBA, he has done nothing but try to make the Nets better.  After less than two years, the Russian billionaire has picked up on a key fact about the Association – - a team must have good players in order to attract more good players.  The 6’8″ owner has continuously tossed the Nets name in trade talks for every superstar, and has courted every big name free agent in an attempt to put a face on a franchise that currently lacks description. 

Of course, we all realize that New Jersey was ultimately unable to land LeBron James and Dwyane Wade over the summer.  And the misses continued when the Nets were defeated by the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes.

After the smoke clears, will the Nets be able to keep Deron?

Yesterday, Prokhorov stunned NBA insiders by pulling off a trade for perennial NBA All-Star point guard Deron Williams.  The Nets surrendered Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and two 1st round draft choices to get its first big ticket player in years.  But with Williams’ contract set to expire at the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season, the Nets will find themselves under the same pressure that the Utah Jazz felt.  With a team in disarray after having its legendary coach step down, Utah knew that it couldn’t promise Williams any degree of success, and figured it best to make a deal for D-Will before they were desperate.

The Nets will now be forced to uphold the current trend of trying to develop a “mega-team” around Williams.  Their time is limited, but they’ll have to find a way to entice Williams to hang around when he has an option to do otherwise.  While New Jersey does lie within a huge market, it will still have to compete with other big markets with elite superstars, not to mention a Knicks roster with two All-Star performers.

If the Nets are able to obtain a star to complement Williams without relinquishing the services of center Brook Lopez, Prokhorov will have successfully pulled off one of the biggest coups of the decade. 

And if recent history is any indication, we can rest assured that New Jersey will leave no stone unturned in its quest to do so…thanks to Mr. Prokhorov.

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