In case you were wondering what Charles Grodin thought about Post columnist Phil Mushnick's Jay-Z-Brooklyn Nets musings ("Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B----hes or Hoes."), today is your lucky day. The actor writes in his Daily News column, "I know Phil Mushnick. He is a friend of mine, and he is the opposite of a bigot. He is a satirist and satire can easily be misunderstood." more ›

With their exit from New Jersey just a day old, a photograph has been circulating of what could be the new Brooklyn Nets' logo. It seems that someone Tweeted the image and noted that he was working at the Barclays Center. Well, it does fit into the shield silhouette shown on the Nets website yesterday and that blue tape does look like carpenter's tape! more ›

Following in the footsteps of Jay-Z, famous Italian tenor Andrea Boccelli will sing at the Barclays Center next year. And the Post notes it's quite the coup for the under-construction arena, since Boccelli had been performing his annual holiday show at Madison Square Garden. Bocelli said in a statement, "It’s always a pleasure for me to play in New York, but I’m particularly excited to perform in Brooklyn for what will be my only 2012 performance in the city that has given me such affection." more ›

Intern labor makes the word go round, and though you may not have to pay them, bones (college credit, coffee mugs, a Koosh ball that may or may not have been tossed by Rosie O'Donnell in 1998) must be thrown their way. However, according to a lawsuit filed by six "demolition interns" against Forest City Ratner, the developer promised them jobs and union cards for their participation in a 15-week "apprenticeship course" on their Atlantic Yards project, but they ended up with nothing. "What they did was wrong and misleading," one of the apprentices tells the Brooklyn Paper. Beware of an internship that's shorter than a semester! more ›

The Nets will have to resort to Plan C or Plan D, if they have 'em! According to Nets Daily, "Mikhail Prokhorov, saying the negotiations had taken too long and had taken too much of a toll on his team, Wednesday, ended talks with the Denver Nuggets to acquire Carmelo Anthony. Saying his decision was final and that he was happy with the efforts of Billy King, the billionaire owner said the negotiations, which began in August, had cost the Nets games. Prokhorov said as well that he had permission from the Nuggets to talk to Anthony but no agreement on the final contours of the trade which would have been largest in NBA history, moving up to 16 players and $225 million in contracts." more ›

New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has filed paperwork with the NBA to change the team's name when it decamps to Brooklyn in 2012. This doesn't necessarily mean that Prokhorov will change the name—the Daily News clarifies that changing the name is a long process that requires over two years of advance notice, so this may just be a placeholder in case Prokhorov decides he wants to change it to the Brooklyn Nyets or the Brooklyn Boondoggles or something. The In-the-Net Domains? Fine, what do you think he should change it to? more ›

After having breakfast with Mayor Bloomberg (and Jay-Z and Bruce Ratner) on Wednesday, Russian billionaire and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov met the NYC media, joking, "America, I come in peace," demurring, "I don't want to put on the table all of my secrets," and challenging, "We are going to turn Knicks fans into Nets fans, it's that simple." more ›

After firing famed architect Frank Gehry in an effort to cut costs, the developer of the controversial Atlantic Yards project is in talks with the man who designed the Freedom Tower. Architect David Childs told the Brooklyn Paper that Atlantic Yards builder Bruce Ratner asked him to give plans for the proposed basketball arena a "once over," and also discussed hiring him to construct one of the 16 skyscrapers that Ratner wants to build on the site. more ›

Two days before the official ground-breaking for the long-delayed Atlantic Yards megaproject, developer Bruce Ratner and the New Jersey Nets unveiled renderings of the interior of their planned Brooklyn basketball arena. After scrapping an original design by Frank Gehry over financial concerns and nixing a second design by the firm Ellerbe Becket after it was derided for being too dull, Ratner tapped Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects to draft up a new plan for the arena, which is dubbed the Barclays Center. more ›

After years of delays and legal objections, Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner says he will break ground on his controversial megaproject on March 11. The announcement comes after a judge ruled that state officials can use eminent domain to evict Brooklyn residents who live in the footprint of the $4.9 billion development, which calls for high-rises and a basketball arena on the border of Fort Greene and Prospect Heights. "Today's court ruling marks the transition from the obstruction to the construction phase," said Forest City Ratner executive vice president Bruce Bender. more ›

According to the Brooklyn Paper, state Supreme Court Justice Abe Gerges ruled that 14 claims by project opponents regarding issues including the timing of the condemnations and recent modifications of the plan had no "merit." Last year, the project seemed stalled before an Appeals Court dismissed lawsuits challenging the development and Ratner managed to sell $511 million in bonds to get financing. Ratner—who project opponents attempted to arrest last month —will now likely be able to move forward by permanently closing streets around the project site and beginning construction on the Barclays Center. more ›

The New Jersey Nets will no longer have to lose to home crowds at the Meadowlands' Izod Center: The team has made a deal to move to the Prudential Center in Newark for two years. The Star-Ledger reports, "After months of wrangling, a deal was struck Thursday to allow the Nets to buy their way out of their lease at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands... The Nets will pay $4 million to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — which could be offset in part by advertising, suite revenues and other credits." more ›

Despite their best efforts, a coalition of homeless people and community activists failed to arrest Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner. Though the man behind the $4.9 billion plan to move one of the worst teams in NBA history to Brooklyn isn't facing an indictment and there are no warrants out for his arrest, the demonstrators planned to lock him up over allegations of bribery at a widely publicized rally they held in front of his Downtown Brooklyn building. more ›

To make room for the proposed Atlantic Yards project — which calls for a basketball arena and high-rise buildings at the nexus of Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Fort Greene — the state will permanently close several streets to traffic. According to NY1, starting on or around February 1, Pacific Street between both Vanderbilt and Carlton avenues and Fifth and Sixth avenues will be closed, as well Fifth Avenue between Flatbush and Atlantic avenues. But what will those closures mean for commuters and residents? more ›

The one upside to the NJ Nets' horrendous 2-28 record? Tickets to games are really cheap! The Daily News found people at a recent home game who found great deals on eBay and Stubhub: A teacher with his stepson said, "I don't make much, so $7 per ticket is great for me"—face value for each ticket was $125—"We spent more on food than the tickets - around $18. It's fine since the tickets were so inexpensive." Another man who was treating his girlfriend's two sons to the game and also got their three tickets for $7/each said, "This is the cheapest I've ever paid for tickets. This is my Christmas present to them. They didn't know how cheap I was until just now." more ›

Developer Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project "cleared a major hurdle," according to the Daily News, by selling $511 million in tax-free bonds for the arena's financing yesterday. Apparently the bonds were selling like hotcakes—the NY Times says they were sold out in two hours, "Indeed, the demand for the bonds from institutional investors far outstripped what was available and belied the project’s tortured history and court challenges." more ›

With the New Jersey Nets likely to tie the NBA's record of for most consecutive losses (17) at the start of the season tonight when they play the Los Angeles Lakers, the team has fired coach Lawrence Frank. ESPN reports that the team was going to fire Frank after the game, "Yet it appears that Nets management determined that it had to make the move before facing the Lakers after reports became more widespread that Frank's dismissal was imminent." more ›

So let’s get this right. If you're a Moscow mogul looking to buy the New Jersey Nets and move them to Brooklyn, you don’t have to do any of the legwork that comes with finding an apartment in the bustling borough? more ›

Ideally every good summer music festival is filled with one or two moments where everyone there can't help but shake off the cobwebs of cynicism and think to themselves, "Now this is what it's all about." It's pretty safe to say that Jay-Z did just that for a few thousand people last night at All Points West, performing the takeover just as the rain cleared to begin his first American festival appearance with a cover of "No Sleep Til Brooklyn." We admit to needing a video like the one below to do just that for those of us stuck listening to APW coverage on rock radio stations suddenly caring about Jay, accompanied by DJs using it as a chance to show off their emcee skills and explain the rapper's importance due to his collaborations with The Killers, Jack White and Linkin Park. Alas, Jigga to the rescue: more ›

Just a week after announcing it was ditching plans for the Brooklyn Nets Arena from world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and instead taking a more pedestrian and less expensive approach, developer Forest City Ratner has confirmed to the NY Times that Gehry will no longer be involved with any part of the Atlantic Yards. Joe DePlasco, spokesman for Bruce Ratner, said, "We do not anticipate that Mr. Gehry will be designing any of the individual buildings." Why? Because Gehry's designs, though dazzling in 2005, are expensive (which is exactly what Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff was worried about last year!). more ›

Now that Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner has kicked renowned architect Frank Gehry's design for the (potential) future home of the Brooklyn Nets aside for a less expensive design by way of Kansas firm Ellerbe Becket, it's time for politicians to weigh in. Mayor Bloomberg said he understood the economic realities that Ratner was facing; the Post reports that he said on his radio show, "I think Ratner came to the conclusion, in this day and age, you just cannot finance something as complex to build. There's no such thing as a straight wall with Frank. Frank is into curves." more ›

Last week, the Daily News reported that Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner had hired Kansas City design firm Ellerbe Becket to revise the Brooklyn Nets arena designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Now the NY Times confirms that Gehry is out. more ›

After a state appellate court rejected a lawsuit stopping his Atlantic Yards project, developer Bruce Ratner says that ground will be broken sometime this year (maybe this summer, maybe this fall). He told the NY Times, "I’m honestly overjoyed. This is a weight off my back." A group of property owners in the footprint of the massive project had claimed eminent domain was improperly used to obtain land; the appellate court unanimously rejected the challenge, finding, "It cannot be said that the public benefits which the Atlantic Yards project is expected to yield are incidental or pretextual in comparison to the benefit that will be bestowed upon the project’s private developer." Still, the opponents, who believe Ratner will profit much more than the public will benefit (and who have helped stall the plans for two years), vow to take their case to the Court of Appeals. The Daily News notes, "The decision allows Ratner to qualify for tax-free bonds to build the arena and the go-ahead to purchase the MTA-owned rail yard on which it will be built." more ›

Hey, New York Magazine's words "If you like Downtown Brooklyn you'll love Newark" are true when it comes to the NJ Nets. The team, which was supposed to move to Brooklyn for the 2009-2010 way back when, has been negotiating with the NJ Devils to play three pre-season games, according to the Star-Ledger. Nets CEO Brett Yormark only said, "We're exploring many different options, continue to regionalize the franchise. Preseason games afford us the opportunity to do this." An anonymous Nets official adds, "With Brooklyn still up in the air, the question is whether they're warming to the idea of moving to Newark, even though it's clear that getting to Brooklyn is best for the long-term health of the franchise." Over the weekend, City Councilwoman Letitia James told the Daily News the Atlantic Yards project was on its "last legs, and the wicked witch is almost dead" (she opposes the plan), but we bet Bruce Ratner loves zombies. more ›

While the (now) NJ Nets act like they are headed to Brooklyn, what with new player Yi Jianlian visiting the Chinatown YMCA--and meeting Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver--earlier this week, there has been no shortage of news suggesting the Nets won't be NYC-bound any time soon. more ›