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October 16, 2009
Meet the Nets. Meet the Nets? Yes, Meet the Nets. Probably.
NYMag: The Sports Section
By Ben Mathis-Lilley
Ah, if only the Atlantic Yards saga and the downturn in the economy were actually this simple...
For a few years there, it seemed like the New Jersey Nets were definitely going to move to an arena-like jumble in Brooklyn designed by the world's most famous architect. Then the project was delayed by lawsuits filed on behalf of a group of rabble-rousing locals who meet in a dive bar. Then a bunch of complicated bets based on bogus mortgages given to random people in the suburbs of Phoenix went to hell, and no one anywhere could get money to build anything, let alone an arena and massive luxury-housing development. Then the richest man in Russia decided he would pay for everything, although the architect and his expensive fancy-pants design had already gotten canned. Also, one of the main community groups supporting the project had its credibility undermined when two twentysomething kids tricked one of their representatives into talking on-camera about how prostitutes can cheat on their taxes. So if there's anything to be taken away from the story of the Brooklyn Nets, it's probably that we have absolutely no idea what's going to happen next in the story of the Brooklyn Nets.
Nonetheless, it does look like we're now closer than ever to actually seeing ground broken for an arena at Atlantic Yards.
This article is actually from the sports section, for those who are interested in a preview about the NJ Nets roster and possible trades before the team makes the planned move to a new taxpayer-funded arena, to be built on property seized by eminent domain.
Posted by lumi at October 16, 2009 5:51 AM