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July 6, 2008
Five reasons to package Nets, Isles in Nassau
Newsday
by Mark Herrmann
Developer Bruce Ratner is having a great deal of trouble lining up financing for his proposed Barclays Center arena. Given those difficulties, here is a suggestion to move the Nets into a refurbished Nassau Coliseum as part of the Lighthouse development, and why that might make good sense.
Here is a logical solution that will not displace a single person from his or her Brooklyn apartment, will offer LeBron James a chance to be near his favorite borough and will end the longest-running wandering saga in New York sports.
It is time, finally, after 41 years and six stops, to give the Nets a permanent home. And no, it is not the most expensive arena in the world, the planned $950-million Barclays Center in the very iffy $4-billion Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn.
The real answer is to bring them home once and for all to the new Nassau Coliseum.
No offense to developer Bruce Ratner or his dream of building a lavish new Nets-oriented community in Brooklyn, and not to throw cold water on the euphoria from a big win in court and a hint from James that he might sign with the team in two years. But economic experts have said in the past few weeks that the shaky economy and new rules about tax-exempt bonds are going to make it tougher than ever to build the Nets' palace. And it hasn't exactly been going full steam up to now.
Posted by steve at July 6, 2008 8:00 AM