Nets' 2 year layover in Newark

[Gothamite]

There's also some trying to get the Isles to move into a revamped Willets Point as the centerpiece of a new hotel/office/convention district along with new Citi Field...though it's not likely of course...

Nah, that's just wishful thinking on the part of some Queens officials.

Makes a whole lot of sense for the Islanders, though. Tap the NYC market while remaining true to Long Island.

[Waffles]

The Nets are making a fast break to Newark.

After months of speculation over whether the struggling NBA team would leave Izod Center in the Meadowlands for a two-year stay at the new Prudential Center in Newark, a deal was struck today to allow the Nets to break their lease for $4 million and move to Newark, according to officials involved in the negotiations.

The early termination fees could be offset in part by advertising, suite revenue and other credits.

The agreement came after the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted in secret to approve the deal at a special meeting this morning. A formal announcement is expected later today by Gov. Chris Christie.

The plan will have the Nets and Devils playing together in the state?s largest city. The move is temporary, with the Nets still planning to move to a new arena in Brooklyn by the start of the 2012 basketball season. But the hapless team, with a miserable record and playing to empty seats at the oldest arena in the NBA, saw the Prudential Center, which is operated by the Devils, as a possible new beginning for a club that has been steadily losing fan base. At the same time, two pre-season games at the Pru Center sold well.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/nets_will_move_to_prudential_c.html

[DarkJourney]

The Nets should move out of the New York area to a different state!

[rvrdgsfn]

Despite some problems, they broke ground

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/ground-broken-on-atlantic-yards-project/

[The_Admiral]

Erm, if you think a new building is going to ruin a neighborhood, and that neighborhood has a Burlington Coat Factory in it, it's probably not being ruined.

[rams80]

Erm, if you think a new building is going to ruin a neighborhood, and that neighborhood has a Burlington Coat Factory in it, it's probably not being ruined.

It could be worse. They could have a Foot Locker and a liquor store.

[Gothamite]

Despite some problems, they broke ground

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/ground-broken-on-atlantic-yards-project/

And that, as they say, is that. While I sympathize with the project's opponents, the battle is over.

Now the only real question is what to call the team when they move into the Barclays Center.

[Waffles]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

[Gothamite]

I think Ratner's keeping a piece of the club, but I'm not sure.

They've been using "Brooklyn Nets" for a while, don't think that (or the renderings) really means anything. They could well decide to change the name before the move, but even if they did they would be foolish to unveil it while they're still playing in New Jersey.

[DDR]

They should just phase out Brooklyn Nets over the course of a couple seasons. Just have the announcers gradually change the pronunciation from "Nets" to "Naytes" to "Nayights" and then just to "Knights." The public won't even notice it. I mean, they are from New York. And when they've accepted it, bust out the new jerseys.

[BBTV]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

So this will be a basketball-only arena? Does that make a ton of sense?

[officeglenn]

That's not a protest sign. That's a flowchart.

[Waffles]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

So this will be a basketball-only arena? Does that make a ton of sense?

I haven't seen that answered anywhere, but the seats closest to the court don't look retractable (or whatever teams do with seats for hockey games nowadays). However, this rendering of a concert layout makes me wonder otherwise:

[The_Admiral]

I haven't found a straight answer to the ice question, but they really should put in the ice plant and bring in the Isles, because it really doesn't look like Hempstead is too eager to let Wang build that Lighthouse Project. It's mostly private funding, that one, which makes their reticence so baffling. I've been trying to figure out what's going on, but again, nothing's clear, just a vague sort of "oh nothing ever gets done on Long Island." Something to do with the contrived levels of city/township/county/state government native to Nassau+Suffolk and a general NIMBYism, I guess?

[BigMac12]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

So this will be a basketball-only arena? Does that make a ton of sense?

There's Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum that are shaped for hockey.

Interesting design.

[rams80]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

So this will be a basketball-only arena? Does that make a ton of sense?

There's Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum that are shaped for hockey.

Interesting design.

Places that need to become bombing practice targets for the Air Force don't count.

[BBTV]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

So this will be a basketball-only arena? Does that make a ton of sense?

There's Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum that are shaped for hockey.

Interesting design.

Hence the reason why I asked. MSG is going to undergo a total renovation, and Nassau might just crumble down under its own weight.

[BrySmalls]

Perhaps the NHL will add a fourth NY Metro Area team in the coming years.

[The_Admiral]

How bad is Nassau really? Is it just dated, or is it actually in some state of disrepair? I know it's small and cramped, but I didn't think it was falling apart or anything.

[OMMF]

For what it's worth, soon-to-be-former Nets owner Bruce Ratner said they'd be the Brooklyn Nets at the groundbreaking yesterday ^[source] and the recently released stadium renderings show Brooklyn Nets along the baselines:

Then again, who knows what Mikhail Prokhorov will do.

So this will be a basketball-only arena? Does that make a ton of sense?

Looking at the larger version of this picture, those lower sideline seats that are a different shade than the ones above them look like they could be pushed back to make room for a rink. That one corner in the upper right of the court also looks like it could serve as a Zamboni entrance. Either there or at the one endzone that has the cutout. It would seem incredibly foolish in this day and age to build an arena without any ice-making capability or ability to seat around a rink. Of course, hockey, but you would also be missing out on ice shows, figure skating, etc. Why limit what events you can bring in to make money?