« More Bad News for Bruce… | Main | Tell Your Story at President Obama's Recovery.gov »
February 19, 2009
With trade deadline looming, New Jersey Nets believed to be trying to 'give Carter away'
The Star-Ledger
By Dave D'Alessandro
The delays in building the proposed Atlantic Yards project are part of the mix that's giving Bruce Ratner, owner of the New Jersey Nets and developer of the project, headaches as he tries to tell Nets President, Rod Thorn, to either save big dollars by unloading Vince Carter or just continue to endure more financial losses by the Nets organization.
As the trade deadline enters its final hours Thursday, there are numerous factors working against the Nets' bid to shed Vince Carter's salary -- which has become their primary objective, because they can't actually find a deal that will improve their roster.
...
The Nets themselves can no longer afford him, as long as the team is stuck in the lottery. Their arena doesn't generate enough revenue, Brooklyn is years away, the improvement is coming too slowly to satisfy the small fan base, and their own financial losses figure to be in the same $30-35 million range this season.
The only thing Thorn has left, these GMs believe, is the nuclear option -- dumping Carter's salary for pennies on the dollar -- and hoping the fans understand that it's all about clearing cap space for 2010, when the Nets hope business will pick up.
Thorn, however, is a competitive man who isn't ready to do that. He could get Tracy McGrady, but that would constitute a salary dump. He could get Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier, but that too would constitute a salary dump.
Unless owner Bruce Ratner directs him to do otherwise -- which some team officials fear could happen -- Thorn will resist that option until 3 p.m. Thursday.
Posted by steve at February 19, 2009 6:06 AM