FanShot

"He’s my favorite basketballist"

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...[A]long the avenues in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, the enclave of Russian immigrants, those who professed to be Knicks fans said they were pleased that Timofey Mozgov, a Russian who was also sent to Denver as part of the deal, had served a higher purpose in bringing in a superstar. "Carmelo is legend," Paata Abuladze, 36, from Georgia, the former Soviet republic, said on Brighton Beach Avenue. "He’s my favorite basketballist, after Kobe Bryant." Mr. Abuladze speculated that Mr. Mozgov might end up with the Nets, whose principal owner is a Russian oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov.