[Neuqua]

Ok, I admit. I love crazy Russian billionaire guy.

Mikhail Prokhorov Put Up a Nets Mural at Madison Square Garden - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

When Mikhail Prokhorov assumed control of the Nets just a few months ago, he claimed that he wanted to make the Nets the biggest team in the world. Implicit in that statement was that he also wanted them to be the biggest team in the New York area, a title currently held by the traditional favorites, the New York Knicks.

However, with the Knicks mired in a string of losing seasons and looking unlikely to make a significant splash during the free agent period, Prokhorov smells blood. So he’s reacting by putting up a giant mural for the Nets right near the Mecca of basketball. From the New York Post:

Upstart New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has penetrated New York’s shabby defense with a towering 225-foot mural touting his team just yards from where the Knicks hold court.

Prokhorov teams up with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z on a mural proclaiming “The blueprint for greatness.” It looms above Madison Square Garden on Eighth Avenue and 34th Street with the heading “the blueprint for greatness” and a Nets logo that’s bigger than a backboard.

The mural isn’t finished yet, but it will be completed by tomorrow. You know, just in time for the Nets to pick up an excellent player in free agency and have the Knicks and their fans end up disappointed.

This is exactly the kind of brash move Prokhorov promised when he took over the franchise. It could backfire if the Knicks do somehow lure LeBron James(notes) (or even Chris Bosh(notes)) to New York, but that doesn’t seem very likely.

Knicks fans are loyal and unlikely to make a clean break for the Nets. But Prokhorov can at least get people to pay attention to the Nets. Then, maybe they’ll decide to go to the game or watch more of their games on television. New fans will see a team with a larger profile, and when it comes time to pick a team, maybe they’ll go for the Nets.