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March 7, 2009
New Jersey Nets make a slam-dunk move to Prudential Center in Newark
The Star-Ledger
By The Star-Ledger Editorial Board
The announcement of two Nets exhibition games to be played in Newark's Prudential Center help to show how much some people really want the Nets.
The New Jersey Nets have decided to play two exhibition games at the Prudential Center this fall, and we're not sure if they did it because a) they're trying to expand the team's fan base; b) they're tired of playing in a place that's quieter than the East Rutherford library; c) they have never seen a fan arrive on a train; or d) they just want to quiet Newark Mayor Cory Booker.
But watch out, Nets. Whatever the reason for packing up the station wagon and visiting the cousins in their Mulberry Street McMansion for a couple of nights, it could backfire. Nets fans might get a taste of what they're missing.
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Blogger Norman Oder of the Atlantic Yards Report gets a mention, but as an activist, instead of as a journalist, which is really his trade. There's also a misinterpretation of Oder's prediction. He's said that the best-case scenario for the Nets playing in Brooklyn will be the 2012-2013 season.
The Nets insist they're moving to Bruce Ratner's proposed Strip Mall Deluxe in Brooklyn. Even Norman Oder, the New York community activist who, for years, has been calling technical fouls on Ratner and his lawyers, concedes that the team probably will open the 2012-13 season in the new Brooklyn digs. But, with the economy in a downward spiral and no bottom in sight, Brooklyn isn't a slam-dunk yet. And with each delay, the Prudential Center -- with better facilities and more luxury suites -- becomes a more attractive option, even if it's temporary.
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In the end, the Nets' fate will come down to money -- whether Ratner and his investors still have enough of it, and if they don't, what follows as Plan B.
NoLandGrab: Money may, indeed, be important. With a history of doing only projects that involve hefty public subsidies, it may be more a question of how much more public subsidies developer Bruce Ratner can finagle.
Posted by steve at March 7, 2009 1:11 PM