Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Toronto Raptors next season, and that’s not just down to how the roster is going to look in Toronto, because there are a few rivals in the Atlantic Division who are going to start 2010-11 in far different shape.

Chief among them is the New Jersey Nets, yes the same Nets who were so poor last season and only managed to beat off the ignominy of completing the worst record in NBA history with a relatively hot final couple of months.

But now there is new ownership in New Jersey, after the NBA ratified the takeover by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, whose money seems set to tip-off a complete overhaul of the roster.

Prokhorov became the first non-North American to own an NBA franchise on Wednesday when his purchase was finally completed and the team is set to move to a new 18,000 seater arena in Brooklyn in 2012.

Excitement at the off-court improvements must be tempered, for now at least, by the roster they have to go to war with, but you can expect that to change a lot, as the Nets now become big players in terms of the ‘A’ grade free agents, including our own Chris Bosh.

They have an estimated $23m to spend this summer just in spare salary cap room, and with Prokhorov (believed to have $9.5b in assets) undoubtedly not worried about paying a little in excess charges, they could be much improved.

Prokhorov already has proven he can build a winning basketball team, as he owns a share of European power CSKA Moscow, and it seems pretty certain he will not be interested in a repeat of last season’s 12-70 mark in New Jersey.

Success is something he will want from the outset, and with the likes of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian to build around, a couple of star players will turn the Nets from jokes to contenders almost overnight.

What price with NBA Betting a playoff run next season? Raptors fans will have to hope the developments take a little longer or their window might be slamming firmly shut.

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