Prokhorov: Nets to change name for 2012 Brooklyn move

[Waffles]

Some innuendo from FOXSports, via NetsDaily:

Sam Amico of FOX Sports quotes a Nets "insider" as saying the team will not be known as the Nets once they move to Brooklyn, and that "Brooklyn Ballers" is one name being floated. Amico adds that the team will have to be called "Brooklyn". The Knicks "don't want another 'New York,' and word is, they made a stink about it." Amico adds that he prefers "Brooklyn Dodgers".

Ballers...oy.

Although Brooklyn Ballers would be easier to swallow than New York [anything].

[IceCap]

Ballers? That sounds way to nu-ABA.

If Nets isn't an option just go with Knights.

[DustDevil61]

Ballers? That sounds way to nu-ABA.

If Nets isn't an option just go with Knights.

I concur.

Ballers?! Just sounds too amateur-ish.

[Lights Out]

I actually like the idea of Brooklyn Ballers. If the NBA can't fully escape hip-hop culture, they may as well embrace it, and this would be a good start.

[dunford]

The Brooklyn Empire would be a great name.

[Lee.]

Brooklyn Brawlers?

[omnivore]

Jay-Z has less a stake in the Nets than Magic Johnson did of the Lakers until he sold it recently. I do love that people think he's some big player behind the scenes for that ballclub. No way they'll be the Ballers though. David Stern would put the kibosh on that idea.

The Nets is an okay name, but it's not a good one and he's smart to rebrand them upon the move to Brooklyn.

Color me skeptical, but I'm not expecting any earthshattering name when they rebrand, because it's being made by the ownership team and while they'll solicit public input to a degree, I just think they'll end up missing the mark somehow. Knights is the safest choice, but I could see someone thinking it's too close to a moniker like the Kings and going with something different.

Should be fun to see what comes of it, though. And maybe the inevitable sale of the Dodgers will give them the ability to wrest the Brooklyn script or something, given this is the team with the richest owner in the NBA, one might figure he can open a few doors up. But that's just banter.

[BigShoop]

Brooklyn Brawlers?

YES....at least SOMEbody is on my script.

[Gothamite]

And maybe the inevitable sale of the Dodgers will give them the ability to wrest the Brooklyn script or something, given this is the team with the richest owner in the NBA, one might figure he can open a few doors up. But that's just banter.

The Dodgers don't own that script. MLB does. No way are they ever letting it go.

[Hooky586]

How about the Brooklyn Bombers?

[29texan]

Brooklyn Brawlers?

YES....at least SOMEbody is on my script.

I was the first to suggest it here, but yeah.... Brooklyn Brawlers just fits.

[KennyRock]

How about the Brooklyn Bombers?

Different sport, but I wonder if a certain NY team would have something to say about that. Don't the Yanks officially own the "Bronx Bombers" name? I know they use it on their official site.

I'm gonna go with Knights. I admire the sentimentality behind Dodgers but it was baseball, they moved, and the relevant cultural item they were named for is long behind us. Plus, as already stated, MLB owns the name and if they're going to sue a meat company over it, they're going to let an NBA team use it?

I pray it's not the Ballers. Sounds like an intra-borough rival for the Globetrotters, thought the idea was to make the Nets less of a joke.

[Dogeshak]

Brooklyn Blaze ?

[abluecarrot]

Think realistically, it's going to be stupid like Brooklyn Storm or Brooklyn Waterdogs or Brooklyn Dream because Inception is popular.

[keynote]

Ballers is a bad name, agreed. It's going to sound extremely dated in a few years, once people have moved on from using the term (if they haven't stopped using it already). It'd be like naming the team the Brooklyn Homeboys, or the Brooklyn Mack Daddies, or the Brooklyn Hep Cats.

Presumably, they're smart enough to realize this.

[Oso]

Ballers sounds like something a YMCA team would call themselves. Not an NBA team.

[larrypep]

Brooklyn Bums. Has a link to the past, plus describes the area (and most metropolitan areas) perfectly.

[jc...]

Brooklyn Brawlers?

Perfect, he lost alot too! You could even go Brooklyn Jobbers.

[Buster]

A name like the "Ballers" won't help the thug/rapper stereotype.

Hate the name.

Bridges, Knights, even Nets would be better.

[TheOldRoman]

I don't like Knights and Nets doesn't sound good, either. They need to find a name which doesn't start with N, so the name won't get mismoshed with Brooklyn and come out sounding like one word.