Ratner "Hopes" Islanders Will Join Nets at The Barclays Center

In a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg Television, Bruce Ratner declined to say if he's in talks with the Islanders about moving to the Barclays Center but made it clear he's quite interested in having them as tenants.

"I hope so. I would hope that's possible," he told Betty Liu. "It depends on a lot of things. It depends on whether the Islanders want to come. It depends on whether they have different choices. I think it's not that likely that a new arena be built in Nassau County with the current state of the economy. So I certainly think there's a chance".

Asked if he was in talks with the NHL team, he responded, "I can't really talk about that but we'll see what happens".

Ratner also he will soon present Mikhail Prokhorov with options for investing in the rest of Atlantic Yards, starting with a $100 million apartment tower at the southeast corner of the arena. "He may be interested in up to a 20- percent stake. he has right to take up to 20 per cent and thats what he may be interested in."

Meanwhile, the organizers of Coaches vs. Cancer, one of the premier college tournaments, has announced it's abandoning Madison Square Garden after this season for the Barclays Center.

• Bruce Ratner on Atlantic Yards Project, Real Estate (Video) - Betty Liu - Bloomberg Television
• Meanwhile, Ratner Hopes the Islanders Join the Nets in Brooklyn - Dominik - Lighthouse Hockey
• Isles to Brooklyn? Nets' Ratner would like it - Katie Strang - ESPN
• Nets would welcome Islanders in Brooklyn - Rich Calder - New York Post
  
• Ratner, in softball interview, says ticket sales good, sidesteps question about financing, plays dumb when asked about EB-5 venture, again claims AY a "civic project" - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
• Plenty of changes next year for Coaches vs. Cancer - AP
• Turner to televise Coaches vs. Cancer - NCAA