Shaquille O'Neal and the mayor of Newark want to bring another team to the city once the New Jersey Nets move to Brooklyn.
Jan 27, 2012 - Newark native Shaquille O'Neal and Newark mayor Cory Booker are looking to replace the moving New Jersey Nets with another NBA team to play at the Prudential Center in the future, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The Nets are on track to move to Brooklyn next season, where the team will play in the Barclays Center.
Bondy reports that Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow have ripped the temperatures and comfort level of the rather new Prudential Center, where the New Jersey Devils of the NHL also play. The concern is that the Pru was built primarily for hockey, and in a press release on construction progress at Barclays the Nets pointed out that the new building is built specifically for basketball.
Of course, any number of arenas in the United States and Canada are used for both the NHL and NBA without issue, including New York's Madison Square Garden, L.A.'s STAPLES Center and Chicago's United Center.
The Nets have had continued attendance problems in Newark, just as they did in East Rutherford. Shaq and Booker will have to convince the NBA that a dedicated Newark team can get the community excited. This hasn't been a great audition for the city.
Shaq has in the past talked about becoming a team owner.
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Wishing the best
I hope that Shaq is successfull in doing this. The idea for having an arena in Newark for an NBA team long term isn’t something new. I can still remember when the idea of getting the Nets in Newark goes back to early as 2000 in the claim that the Meadowlands was just too isolated despite being easy to get off from either the NJ Tpk or the Lincoln Tunnel. I think that Newark could have worked for the Nets if they did move there when first proposed. However, the reality of the problems when it comes to bringing fans is that most will go to a game when their is doing real good. In reality, having the best team money can buy or even being in a state of the art arena can do nothing for a team just as long as they are playing the same as they were before. Honestly, I think that neither Brooklyn or even getting Dwight Howard will help the Nets as long as they are still the same. Just look at the Knicks with Carmello Anthony right now, which is proof that getting a star player means nothing. Come to think of it, how did moving to a new city help the Hornets and Grizzlies? Last time I checked, both their seasons records and home attendance was still the same before they moved, and this was after they left, which could be what the Nets will be years later assuming they are still playing the same. More importantly, they will have some trouble especially when Brooklyn is currently Knicks terroritory, and most fans will probably never convert especially when they are loyal for decades since they were founded in the NBA’s first season. Part of the reason the Nets don’t have high attendance even right now in Newark may have to do with them being a lame duck team for this season, and I know that both Hornets and Grizzlies fans felt the same way when they heard similar things.
by Tal Barzilai on Jan 27, 2012 7:33 PM EST reply actions
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