Chelsea FC owner Russian Roman Abramovich - - Mark Freeman from Hornchurch, UK photo   The NBA's Brooklyn Nets owner Russian Mikhail Prokhorov - - Creative Commons photo   Recently sacked Brooklyn Nets coach Avery Johnson - - NBA photo   Chelsea's best ever manager Jose Mourinho's neck failed to escape Russian owner Roman Abramovich's guillotine - Steindy photo   Carlo Ancelotti won two Champion's League titles with AC Milan. He failed to do so for Roman Abramovich thus he was sacked - - soccer.ru. photo

SPORTS NOTES - ROMAN ABRAMOVICH & MIKHAIL PROKHOROV aka THE RUSSIAN ASSASSINS

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

Within his three year ownership of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets franchise Russian Mikhail Prokhorov has taken fellow Russian Roman Abramovich's lead as he's fired three coaches in three years. Abramovich has sacked seven in nine years and the eighth Guus Hiddink refused to retain the position. Their firing guns are loaded but the question now is what coach or manager would want to play Russian roulette? - GO FIGURE - DAH NBA's WHITE PEOPLE... The Minnesota Timberwolves have 9 white players on a roster of 15 - MANNY PACQUIAO HAS LOST THE HUNGER TO WIN

Saturday December 29, 2012

SPORTS RUSSIAN ROULETTE

I thought the cold war was over...apparently not as the chant the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming has come to fore... AGAIN. WHY? Good question.

The first Russian to own and NBA team Mikhail Prokhorov the owner of the Brooklyn Nets has taken the lead of fellow Russian sports team owner of firing coaches or managers with delight. Prokhorov fired coach Avery Johnson only 24 days following Johnson being named the NBA Coach of the Month following an unsatisfactory 3-10 record in December. Johnson led the team to one of its best starts ever with an 11-4 record in November.

In a press conference following his dismissal Johnson stood strong and said this was the business that he was in where coaches get fired and one has to live with that. Johnson was in the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract. At the time of his sacking the Nets had an identical 14-14 record with the Boston Celtics and were tied as both were holding down the 7th and 8th and final positions respectively in the Eastern Conference to be eligible for the league playoffs.

The Nets are currently in the third year of Prokhorov's five-year championship plan. In September 2009, he made an offer to buy a controlling interest in the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association and half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn. On May 11, 2010, the NBA approved the sale of the Nets to Prokhorov, making him majority owner of the team with an 80% stake, as well as a 45% interest in their new Barclays Center. He thus became the first non-North American NBA owner.

Within is three year ownership of the franchise he has taken fellow Russian Roman Abramovich's lead as he's fired three coaches in three years. Those firings include Lawrence Frank, 0-17, Kiki Vandewighe, 12-53. Johnson was named coach of the Nets on June 15, 2010. In two-plus seasons with the Nets, Johnson compiled a record of 60-116. The slide in December was helped by the injury loss of star players Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries.

Abramovich has fired roughly a manager a year totaling nine since he took over ownership of the club in June 2003. His most famous and questionable sacking was of Jose Mourinho with Ramo citing that Mourinho couldn't win the Champions League for him although he did win two back to back English Premiere League titles and others. The same happened to Carlo Ancelotti who won the English Premier League but failed to win Abramovich's coveted Champion's League.

Last season Roberto Di Matteo replaced Andre Villas-Boas and took the team to win its first ever Champions League title but that wasn't enough for the Russian assassin. Last month Di Matteo was sacked from his position as Chelsea manager after his side's defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.

Ramo's body count list includes CLAUDIO RANIERI (September 2000 to May 2004), JOSE MOURINHO (June 2004 to September 2007), AVRAM GRANT (September 2007 to May 2008), LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI (July 2008 to February 2009), GUUS HIDDINK (February 2009 to May 2009), CARLO ANCELOTTI (June 2009 to May 2011), ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS (June 2011 to March 2012). Roberto Di Matteo is the most recent to be added to the tally.

With this Russian roulette firing game going on in both Russian's lives the question is why would anyone want to play the game of being hired with a gun pointed to their head with the chamber having five if the six chambers loaded with bullets? Neither can be respectful or satisfied. The question is.... WHAT'S IN THAT RUSSIAN WATER?

GO FIGURE

Go figure although James Harden is the Houston Rockets leading scored and impact players he trails fellow guard Jeremy Lin in the 1st round of All-Star game balloting to Lin's 298,319 votes while Harden has 196,108. One of the factors is voting is available to fans in China and Asia via social media networks, including Sina Weibo and Tencent QQ in China a nation that loves basketball and has a population of over 1.3 billion.

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The now Brooklyn Nets has Bill Melchonini's number retired. The puzzling thing is the Nets never won an NBA title. Wally aka Walii Jones won a title with the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and had a better NBA career yet he is barley recognized in 76ers land. Both guards attended Villanova University with Jones preceding Melchonni.

Jones and Melchonini were teammates on the NBA title winning 67 SIxers team but Jones was the starter and Melchonini sat the bench registering only 692 minutes of playing time during the regular season to Jones' 2249. Jones started all of the playoff games while Melchonini saw limited action.

One explanation could be that the Nets didn't have the overall quality of players that the Sixers franchise had thus there is a place to recognize Melchonni. It's not too say Melchonni is not deserving although it is a strange sort of circumstances.

DAH WHITE NBA PEOPLE

I can recall when the NBA teams had ZERO BLACKS on their rosters now they dominate the league with the Boston Celtics of the 60's leading the way with squads of a majority of Black players. Those squads won 9 of 10 NBA championships during that decade.

The 1967 Philadelphia 76ers with Wilt Chamberlain were the only team to break that streak. Now there is a new age with dah white people, as comedian Eddie Murphy often said on Saturday Night Live, making a comeback. The Minnesota Timberwolves have 9 white players on a roster of 15.

MANNY PACQUIAO HAS LOST THE HUNGER TO WIN

With his last defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez it supports our story that Manny Pacquiao has lost his talent and thirst to win has gone AWOL. To fight Marquez is a death wish as he has Pacquiao's number. Of his three fights with Marquez we believe that he won one tied one and lost one. Marquez pounds Pacquiao almost at will as his style is perfect top get through the Filipino's defense. He also has more hart and anger at this point than the Pac Man and is five years older at 39. Pacquiao has spread himself too thin getting involved in show business and politics. He has lost his focus and talent.

The choice is simple be a playboy or a serious, focused and dedicated boxer. In our opinion is he blew it playing the Hollyweird party hearty game.

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