Bruce Ratner reflects on past with Nets, looks to future under Prokhorov

Bruce Ratner, who has owned the Nets since 2003 but will step aside once Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov takes over, was at the team's final game at the Meadowlands on Monday night and chatted briefly outside the team's locker room following a 105-95 loss to the Bobcats.

Ratner has been at numerous games this season but fewer than he's attended in years past. But he chatted openly about his reign and about the future, which he called "fantastic."

"I’m gonna miss this place," Ratner said of the Meadowlands arena. "It’s been six years of ownership and we were fortunate to be in the playoffs three times and three times we didn’t make it. Obviously it was a difficult year. The team stuck with it though and the last third of the season they played hard and the last 12 games they won five. So I think we’ll do well next year."
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Ratner said he and the rest of the team's management knew this would be a "tough year," but admitted that it was even worse than anyone had imagined. The Nets are 12-69 going into their final game on Wednesday in Miami.

"I think we thought we’d win 25 or 30 games and we did worse than that," Ratner said. "But the purpose was to try to get ourselves better and I think we’re in a great spot. We’ll have a great draft choice opportunity and there’s also free agency. So I think we’ll be great. We’ve got three or four very good players."

As for the transfer of power, Ratner said "everything is in great shape" despite accusations by New Jersey Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell that Prokhorov is violating U.S. sanctions against Zimbabwe by doing business with that country.

"It was inaccurate," Ratner said of Pascrell's accusation. "Not accurate."