The Star-Ledger thinks the Nets should join the Devils at the Prudential Center. With the Nets’ Brooklyn arena hurt by protests and rising costs, the newspaper thinks “The Rock” would be an ideal home. But local pride has its limits, notes an editorial. A Nets’ spokesman says, “Newark is not even a consideration.” There’s also the Nets’ onerous lease with the state, but that, the Ledger hears, could be modified.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 am
do it!
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 am
In Newark, that’s where the Nets belong. Better mass transit access should fill the arena every game. More fans means more chance for a championship.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:53 am
Finally! some light at the end of this tunnel. This should have happened months ago. This clause should never have been put in place to begin with. It’s clearly anti-Newark, which is counterproductive to the State of NJ. Since the real estate/ credit crunch is clearly affecting the Atlantic Yards project, Ratner will be forced to sell back to the Devils. Maybe the YankeeNets organization will reconvene, now with the Devils on board to boot!
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 am
Make it happen!
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 am
Even though the moderator of this blog would like things to appear like Newark isn’t an option, the reality is that it is the ONLY option. Vertical construction for Brooklyn hasn’t even begun, which makes 2010 impossible. It doesn’t appear that the credit crisis, which clearly affects building, is going to let up in the near future. And most importantly, the team lost $40 million dollars this past year, and was 21st in league attendance despite the all-out marketing/ advertising campaign, and being the prime tenant in their arena. All signs point to ‘the Rock’!
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 am
yeah, we’re still two years from the supposive move to brooklyn, so i think that if things go sour next season and nets daily is still chock full of articles about legal process and people bowing out that Newark will begin getting more attention
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
I’m so there.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Obviously this is the best option right now. I’m just afraid we continue to hit snags and end up the new Seattle Sonics.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
@ Tom,
Certainly a fair point. And given the fact that the Nets have a checkered history in the metro area, in addition to the fact that their long term home has not been resolved adds to the angst. However, I will say this: no matter what happens, this area will always have two b-ball teams. This market is too large for one team. The question becomes whether the two teams will be the Knicks and Nets or the Knicks and (insert team name here)?
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
If they move to Newark, I’ll buy season tix. If they move to Brooklyn, I probably won’t go to any games. That’s the bottom line for you Mr. Ratner.
Keep the Nets in NJ!
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:35 am
I second that even though I live in Bloomfield and I would only be a train ride away. I and four other of my friends would buy season tickets at the Prudential Center. Can we please sign a petition to make this happen. Or send Ratner the revenue that the devils owner is making. The other night I was at Mcgoverns in Newark which has now turned to any after spots for the Devils games man I wish the nets had that.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:45 am
I’d get season tickets if they moved to newark as well
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:45 am
@ Doron T
No offense about your post, but Ratner does not give a da*n what NEW JERSEY fans think. Remember he is a real estate developer, who does not have any other senses besides the dollars.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Jersey had its chance but now its too late..the nets are Brooklyn bound
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
@ HoldenCaulfield718,
You must be from BK (718)?
Denial is the first step to recovery.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Yeah but i watch the Nets as well as the Knicks and prefer the Nets stay in Jersey..It makes the rivalry better..I couldnt understand why Jersey never really supported the Nets..They belong in Newark not Brooklyn but oh well NJ had its shot
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
It’s fiscally irresponsible for the State of New York to shell out a dime for this entire project at this point. That $40 million loss doesn’t just away each year. Add $120 Million over 3 years onto the $900+ million in costs. The housing attached to the project is not anywhere near the affordable levels (or quantity) that Ratner originally pitched.
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
While I am a diehard New Jersey Nets fan FROM Brooklyn, I actually prefer the Meadowlands over all of these options. Having been to 7 or 8 of the new NBA/NHL arenas, I can tell you they are for the wealthiest class only, the common fan gets shut out in many regards and I don’t enjoy the experience nearly as much.
Even with that said, I now must admit, Newark is our easily our best option. I want the Nets in New Jersey first and foremost, and I repeat Mr. Ratner, I am from and still live in Brooklyn. We don’t want you here!
With Stern whisking the Sonics out of Seattle (a city that has always supported its team), the scary reality becomes apparent. If Brooklyn falls through, we might lose our team altogether if Ratner decides to sell to an out of town owner or if Stern forcefully suggests that he do so.
The limbo this team has been in ever since Ratner greddily bought the team has destroyed our on-court product. The team has gone downhill in almost every regard – we don’t even have a real NBA coach for crying out loud! Not to mention team publications aren’t even allowed to feature the words “New Jersey” anywhere on them! It’s a joke. Ratner must give up this pipe dream and we need our Nets in New Jersey! Please sell to an owner willing to have us play in Newark – the arena (despite the faults that i’ve seen) is ready to go and one can tell even from these boards, fans will go and finally fully support our Nets in
New Jersey!
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
would love the nets to go and call the rock home, but if your ratner and the other owners why would you pay money to get out of the izod center when yormark and his crew have done everything to advertise every square inch of the arena?
yes the rock is a state of the art arena with mass trans, but how would sharing work? with izod, it is basically the nets arena so they have control over everything. if they go to the rock they are partners again with the devils. how much of the advertising would they receive? how much crativity and control could yormark have? plus if they really believe in brooklyn and do break ground this year, why pay to go play in the rock for 2-3years? yes it would bet a 1,000x better for us fans, but for business why spend more money to get out when they would have to pay to move and lose more and more money
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
@ xcalibur,
I certainly understand your concerns, and I’ve been to the Prudential Center, and one thing that makes it so appealing to sports teams is the wealth of technology embedded into the entire facility. One of the many problems with the Meadowlands (from an owner’s perspective) is that there is limited space to advertise. Most advertising inside and outside of the facility is stationary, with the exception of the rolling billboards at court level. This is why much of the interior and almost as much of the exterior is covered with corporate logos.
However, with the Prudential Center, almost all advertising is electronic/ digital, which means there are infinite spaces for advertising, b/c the displays can be changed on demand. So the Devils could have their sponsors appear during hockey games, while the Nets (with an entirely different set of sponsors) can have their sponsorships displayed when b-ball is being played. This can happen inside the building or outside, as the HUGE screen on the Mulberry St. side of the arena is basically and enormous TV screen. This helps explain why the Rock is a no-brainer.
Ultimately, Ratner would probably have to sell his stake in the Nets to the Devils to maximize team value and sponsorships, but it is definitely more logical (and possible) to accomplish this in Newark.
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
@ xcalibur,
…and one more thing I forgot to mention. Even though the Nets are the primary tenant @ Izod, the facility is still owned by the State of NJ, meaning the Nets still have to kick up to the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority every year, certainly contributing to their catastrophic deficits. Ultimately, Ratner will have to see the light, and soon, if he doesn’t want to continue to lose large sums of money. As long as the Devils offer the Nets a fair deal to share the Rock, there’s no reason for them to say no.
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
My guess is that Izod will be sold to the people building ‘Xanadu’, so that they can demolish it, and have a larger footprint for future development. Izod simply doesn’t make enough money for the State to justify keeping it open. Selling the property will bring in far more money than continuing operations.
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
The Izod center is just trash and the Nets have to get out of it ASAP, the Devils are now just swimming in money thank’s to the fact that they moved to the Rock, and if by next year or 2010 the Nets are still out of Brooklyn than in my opinion Rathner HAS TO do the right thing and move the NEts to the Rock
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
sounds like a rally is needed outside newark city hall … we need to let the mayor of newark, cory booker, know that NEW JERSEY DESERVES TO HAVE AN NBA TEAM PLAYING IN A FAN-FRIENDLY ARENA LIKE THE ROCK … after all, it wasn’t the fans who decided to locate izod in the middle of a swamp back in the late 1970s … that was the decision of some pinhead politician/bureaucrat
the seton hall pirates’ attendance increased 21% after moving from izod to the rock … the devils’ attendance, despite massive ticket price increases and despite hockey not being an urban sport, increased 10% after the move … THE NETS WOULD REGULARLY SELL OUT THE 18,500 SEAT ARENA IN NEWARK, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
and remember this, net fans … new jersey is the 11th most populated state in the nation … the 10 states with equal or greater population than new jersey ALL HAVE NBA FRANCHISES … furthermore, new jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, the 2nd wealthiest state in the nation and one of the top business/corporation hotbeds in the nation … all of this adds up to a goldmine in season ticket/luxury box/sponsorship/dining/merchandise revenue for whichever nba franchise that relocates to the rock in newark
nba fans in new jersey can help make it happen by letting our feelings be known to the mayor of newark, to the nets’ ownership and to the nba commissioner
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Dayum guy’s how sweet would this be… Home at last….
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
one more point … the rock is only booked for 200 events in 2008, 225 events in 2009 … since there are 365 days in a year, that means there are a lot of dates when the arena is dark … an nba franchise is good for 44 to 56 events per year, when you count preseason, regular season and post-season games … you can bet your last dollar that the owner of the rock(the city of newark) and the operator of the rock(the new jersey devils) are working hard behind the scenes to bring either the nets or another nba franchise to the rock in order to fill up the arena’s event schedule
btw, the rock has two nba style lockerrooms, in addition to the two nhl style lockerrooms … those nba lockerrooms weren’t built for the heck of it … they were built to be used by nba teams, and they eventually will be … bank on it
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:08 am
Even if this is seemingly an impossibility, think about what the nets could do for pro sports in Jersey if they went to Newark. There would then be two major venues for pro sports, both accessible by public transportation (as soon as the giants stadium station for nj transit opens) which may finally bring back the sell outs jersey sports have been missing for years. If only…
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
The Devils co-owner said himself that they will break even by the end of this year for all the expenses needed to put Prudential Center up into existence. With all the games and events that the Prudential Center is doing, its an absolute no-brainer to move there. But Ratner did not purchase the Nets to move to Newark, you have to understand that. He doesn’t give a rat’s *** for the team, he just needs an excuse to build an arena for his development.
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 am
@ BM,
Good point you make, and this is why Newark makes more sense long term than BK. In Brooklyn, Ratner is encountering a host of problems including community opposition, and potetial issues involving eminent domain, on top of the credit crunch that is forcing him to shrink the scale of the entire project. Once this credit crisis lets up, he will still have eminent domain, the community, and the need to build the arena over a railyard (which, btw, is a potential terrorism issue), which is adding hundreds of millions of dollars of NY state taxpayer dollars to the overall price tag.
However, if he decides to move to ‘the Rock’, the arena is already constructed, there are acres of open air parking lots immediately surrounding the arena waiting to be built upon, Newark Penn Station is only two blocks away, and no one who will argue about eminent domain or unfair property seizure. It’s almost like the Brooklyn development plan was made for Newark, as it would fit perfectly in Newark, and rather awkwardly in Brooklyn.
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Ratner is a New Yorker, so part of his animus to New Jersey is the old interstate rivalry/condescension. But it made no economic sense to leave the Nets out in the middle of nowhere once The Rock was built. Therefore one has to wonder about anti-black prejudice. It would be odd for an NBA team owner to be anti-black, but Izod is plainly in a dominantly white area, whereas Newark is largely black, tho not nearly as black as some people think. Especially is Newark not a “ghetto” location once commuters are added to the mix. It’s heartening to see so many people expressing the desire to come to Newark. This is an enormous change in perceptions, which former Mayor James understood would happen. “If you build it, they will come.” It’s built. Now it’s time for the Nets to come to a far better site, even if only until a Brooklyn arena is completed (which really might never happen). Why is Ratner cutting off his own nose to spite Newark’s face?
April 24th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
As a person who works near the Rock, I hope there is some way to convince the Nets to move to Newark. The Atlantic yards project is still being debated about and more hometown residents of Newark would want to see games there if the nets play. I wouldnt mind, I can just walk from work or take NJ Transit. Plus many NY Knick fans would easily get there from Penn Station. I hope a petition gets started soon…