Results tagged “nets”

Chris Douglas-Roberts, the second year Nets guard, has swine flu, the team confirmed yesterday. Coach Lawrence Frank spoke to Douglas-Roberts, "e doesn't sound very good...All the measures are taken, now it's a matter of when he feels better." Players are being given Tamiflu as a precaution—forward Bobby Simmons said, "I went to the grocery store this morning, and a lot of people were coughing in there, too. It’s something in the air that’s going on right now. It just shows that it’s very serious, and we can’t take it for granted."

• Bucks 102, Knicks 87: Where to begin on this one? The Bucks shot 74 percent from the floor. They went on a 23-2 early to ice the game .They outscored the Knicks, 40-22, in the first quarter. Brandon Jennings, whom the Knicks passed over for Jordan Hill, had 22 points and eight rebounds. David Lee's 18 points led the Knicks, now 1-6 and losers of three straight.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: So How Bad Are the Knicks?"

     

Yankees 7, Phillies 3: For the first time since 2000 and the 27th time in franchise history, the New York Yankees are the World Champions of baseball. The Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to two behind the bat of Hideki Matsui and the solid pitching of Andy Pettitte. Matsui was 3-4 in the game, including two two-RBI hits off Phillies starter Pedro Martinez and two more RBI against Phillies reliever Chad Durbin.

• Philadelphia 8 Yankees 6: AJ Burnett went on three-days rest and he blew up in a huge way. Burnett couldn’t record an out in the third and he ended up surrendering six runs, the big blow coming on a three-run homer from Chase Utley. The Yankees actually had a chance in the ninth. Trailing by three runs, they put the first two runners on, but Derek Jeter grounded into a double play, which did score a run. Johnny Damon singled and Mark Teixeira came up as the tying run, but struck out to send the series back to the Bronx.

• Yankees 8, Phillies 5: Things looked bleak when Andy Pettitte gave up three runs in the second inning. But Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the fourth that was originally ruled a double, but then reversed by the umpires with instant replay, and then the Yankees -- helped by an Andy Pettitte RBI single -- scored three in the fifth. They added a run each in the sixth, seventh and eighth and now own a two games to one lead in the World Series. Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher also had homers, and Johnny Damon had a critical two-run double.

• Bobcats 102, Knicks 100 (2 OT): A rally from a 21-point deficit and a 14-point margin at the start of the fourth quarter didn't give the Knicks anything more than a moral victory. They didn't lead until the second overtime, but some shaky defense gave the game to the Bobcats. Chris Duhon played 55 minutes. Danilo Gallinari had 16 off the bench, and Nate Robinson had 17 before fouling out. David Lee had the line of the game with 17 points and 18 rebounds. This game won't score any style points, but it did provide late drama. The Knicks open their home campaign Saturday against Philadelphia.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Knicks Drop A Heartbreaker"

For basketball fans in New York, the upcoming NBA season is really all about next year. July 1, 2010, to be precise; the exact moment when free agents like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh hit the market. It’s a strange year because you won’t have much to root for and apart from a few core players; the Knicks and Nets will be willing to trade away players in exchange for cap space next summer. And don’t forget Knicks’ fans, former GM Isiah Thomas traded away the 2010 number one pick for Stephon Marbury, so the draft lottery isn’t a possibility.

What better to follow up a meeting with a handful of NBA owners than a $19,000 lunch? That’s right, nothing, which is why Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who is looking to purchase the floundering New Jersey Nets and bring then into Brooklyn, stopped into Nello on the Upper East Side Wednesday with a few friends, the Post reported.

Adding more fuel to the fire about where the Nets may play in the future, the Record says that the Izod Center (at the Meadowlands) and Prudential Center (in Newark) have stopped squabbling and may sign a deal, which "could have the Nets moving to Newark next fall for two seasons (or more) and the Izod Center becoming the long-term concert and family show mecca for North Jersey." The Nets, waiting to hear about what will happen with the Atlantic Yards, have been impressed with the crowds they've gotten at the Prudential Center.

Two preseason games at the Prudential Center in Newark have been so highly attended that the Nets are considering moving there from the Meadowlands while they wait for a new home in Brooklyn. An October 13th preseason game against the Celtics drew 12,790 fans to the Prudential Center, three times the the size of a typical preseason crowd at the Meadowlands' Izod Center. Then, a game against the Knicks drew 15,721. Those are nice numbers, but getting out of their lease could cost Nets owner and Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner millions.

Days after the Post had one of their "sources" describe Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz as "angry and embarrassed" over the prospect of a Russian-owned Nyets team at the embattled Atlantic Yards site in Brooklyn, Marty's fired back. Far from being embarrassed, he's simply delighted: "Brooklyn is the Russian capital of America, so [Russian playboy Mikhail] Prokhorov will feel right at home here, and I have been assured he will put the interests of Brooklyn first." Plus, given those Russkies' historic knack for winning basketball games against all odds, maybe New York will finally get a b-ball team to be proud of again?

The Post gets one of their juicy "sources" to dish on Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's reaction to the idea of a Russian-owned Nyets team. Markowitz, a big Atlantic Yards booster throughout the controversy and delays, is feeling a little burned at this point, according to "one operative": "It's a combination of anger and embarrassment. He signed on to a magnificent Frank Gehry-designed Brooklyn palace in the sky, and now he's got a foreign-owned big hole in the ground." But fuggedaboutit; it's still the best hole in the best borough of New York!

On the heels of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's blog confirmation of rumors that he'll help finance the Bruce Ratner's embattled Nets stadium, Forest City Ratner has issued a statement detailing the "strategic partnership for the development of the Atlantic Yards Project." According to the press release, "entities to be formed by Prokhorov's Onexim Group will invest $200 million and make certain contingent funding commitments to acquire 45% of the arena project and 80% of the NBA team." The tentative $200 million deal would also involve Prokhorov taking on some of the team’s debts and reducing Ratner’s 23 percent stake.

Developer Bruce Ratner must be relieved this morning to see that big bad Nicholas Ouroussoff at Times does not revile the latest renderings for the Nets arena planned for Brooklyn. You'll recall that Ouroussoff dissed the last designs as "a monstrosity" and "a shameful betrayal of the public trust, one that should enrage all those who care about this city." But bringing young New York firm SHoP on board may be just the lipstick on the boondoggle Ratner needs; Ouroussoff, who had embraced Gehry's vision for the project, calls this new look "somewhat more promising."

       

After dropping architect Frank Gehry from his embattled Atlantic Yards project, developer Bruce Ratner replaced him with arena designer company Ellerbe Becket, whose revised brick shit-house renderings for a proposed Nets Arena were met with derision. So last week it was revealed that Ratner was doing damage control by bringing in hot New York architecture firm SHoP, and now this morning we have take three on the arena, which is still radically different from Gehry's signature crumpled paper design, but less banal than the last misfire.

When developer Bruce Ratner dropped architect Frank Gehry's designs for his beleaguered Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, the reversal was derided as a "stunning bait-and-switch" by the Times architecture critic. Adding insult to injury, the preliminary rendering for the less expensive Nets arena, designed by Midwestern arena designer company Ellerbe Becket, resembled a banal brick airplane hanger perfect for youth hockey and flea markets. But the Observer now reveals that Ratner has brought in hot New York architecture firm SHoP to work with Ellerbe Becket on the $800 million arena and, presumably, put some new lipstick on this boondoggle. (SHoP's the firm that did the pipe dream designs proposed for a new South Street Seaport; Curbed has compiled more of their work.) Yet another round of new renderings are expected to be released this month, so prepare to be pandered to all over again! In the meantime, Ratner is hustling to sell $700 million in bonds to investors before the end of the year in order to qualify for tax-exempt status, while also preparing for the next legal hurdle in October, when the state’s highest court will hear arguments against the use of eminent domain for the project.

Nate Robinson hasn't been able to get signed in New York since becoming a free agent this off-season, but Tuesday he was able to get booked up in The Bronx, charged with driving with a suspended license. Cops say they pulled Robinson over for not having his seat belt on while driving down the Grand Concourse in Bedford Park, but the Knicks' two-time dunk contest champion tweeted, "Cops pulled me over cuz my windows were 2 dark (but my windows were down) lol how funny is that." Doesn't an NBA star get tinted windows specifically 95 degree days driving down the Grand Concourse? In any case, cops discovered that Robinson's license had been suspended in June for the fifth time after a series of infractions around the area including traffic violations, speeding, driving without his seat belt on and for driving while talking on a cell phone.

Is it too early to start a "Bring Starbury Back to New York" campaign? Say what you will about how he basically spent his tenure with the Knicks acting as a cancer to the team; the man knows how to make a quality YouTube clip. From our previous experience with putting a camera in front of Stephon Marbury, we knew that there had to be a few gems coming out of the former All-Star's 24-hour stint doing a video podcast a couple weeks back. It may have taken a little tinkering, but sure enough a little dance interlude taken by Steph led to this:

       

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:

A new rendering by the Municipal Art Society suggests that Bruce Ratner's $4.9 billion plan to build a Nets basketball arena and mixed-use towers in Brooklyn is a far cry from what was originally proposed, duh. No official renderings of the 22-acre site have been provided to the public since Ratner revealed that starchitect Frank Gehry's ambitious arena designs had been scrapped to cut costs, so MAS has stepped in to show what the area will look like in the coming years.

Would-be Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner is getting so desperate to alleviate the debt burdening his $4 billion plan to build an ugly Nets stadium and other useless eyesores in Brooklyn that he's frantically trying to sell off most of the team. Officials at his company, Forest City Ratner, publicly deny the sales effort, but the Star-Ledger reports that last week Ratner flew to Moscow to meet face-to-face with billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, the chief financier for CSKA Moscow. Other potential suckers investors are rumored to include Terry Semel, former CEO of Yahoo and Warner Bros, and some other rich guys with money to burn. Meanwhile, according to Forbes, the Nets dropped 13% in value last season, and morale within the organization is reportedly abysmal due to layoffs, pay cuts, and the team's general habit of sucking. (Granted, not as much as the Knicks.) One former Nets employee tells the Star-Ledger, "They've really created an environment where you don't want to stay there anymore. It's gotten really bad, especially for those of us who have gone through five owners in 10 years. It's just so damn bleak." But bleakness being Russia's specialty, maybe Prokhorov's a perfect fit?

If your basketball player fiance dumps you via email the day before the wedding, why not go out and take pictures with Tyson Beckford? Apparently that's what former Nets dancer Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols did after former Nets (now San Antonio Spurs) player Richard Jefferson basically stiffed her at the altar—the Post reports, "Nichols sported a bright pink party frock as she smiled and posed for pictures last Saturday with her would-be bridesmaids -- and model Tyson Beckford -- in Manhattan, where guests who'd been invited to the nuptials rallied to lift the former New Jersey Nets dancer's spirits." And TerezOwens.com has photographs of Nichols in her pink dress with her bevy of friends and Beckford. And during Nichols' outing, Jefferson, who took his side of the story to the media, was on his way to Europe with fellow NBA player Luke Walton and some other friends.

A day after news broke that former New Jersey Net Richard Jefferson left his bride-to-be at the altar in the eleventh hour, the one-time Olympian is hitting the press to clarify just what went down. He tells the Post that he gave former Nets' dancer Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols a full week's notice that the wedding was off after a contentious Fourth of July weekend in LA where they were at each other's throats. The engagement had already seen its fair share of disappointment—the pair had tickets to see Michael Jackson perform in London for their honeymoon.

A former New Jersey Net dancer thought she was moving on up with a $2 million wedding all planned out with former Nets' star Richard Jefferson, set for last weekend at Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle. But RJ's engagement ring turned out to be a give-and-go when Jefferson told Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols in the days leading up the wedding that he would not be attending. That didn't stop Nichols from going ahead with spending her canceled wedding night in the Mandarin, where they upgraded her to a suite with a king-sized bed and a view of the park. But not only was the bride-not-to-be at the hotel, so were "(Jefferson's) boys" who claim they found out about the change of plans hours before, but apparently were already set with using his Black Amex card for the night. The Post says that according to friends, Nichols was "not entirely caught off-guard" and "just wants to keep this as quiet as possible and move on." Jefferson recently moved on up himself to San Antonio, where he joined the Spurs in a trade for Bruce Bowen.

During the past week or so, developer Bruce Ratner had finally seemed to have a little wind in his sails as he pushed forward with his $4.2 billion odyssey to build a Nets basketball arena, office towers and thousands of apartments in Brooklyn. The MTA agreed to a sweetheart deal to sell him the Vanderbilt Railyards, and the Empire State Development Corporation [ESDC] brushed off demands that Ratner resubmit his heavily revised plans for another full public review. But now the whole project is back to being embattled, as the state's highest court has agreed to hear the eminent domain lawsuit brought by opponents who say the ESDC is trying to seize private property to benefit Forest City Ratner, not the public. In May, a state appellate court unanimously rejected the lawsuit, and Ratner's attorneys expressed great confidence that the Court of Appeals wouldn't hear the case. At the time, Ratner said, "I’m honestly overjoyed. This is a weight off my back." Now the weight's back on, and, since the court operates on its own timeline, some wonder whether a ruling will be issued within enough time for developer to meet a year-end deadline to secure tax-free arena financing.

The Nets have made a bold move hours before the NBA draft, agreeing to trade Vince Carter to Orlando for three players. The move sets the Nets up to be a major force in the 2010 free agent frenzy. In addition to Carter, the Magic will receive Ryan Anderson. In return the Nets receive Rafer Alston (a Jamaica, Queens native), Tony Battie and Courtney Lee. Alston, who is known as "Skip to My Lou" for his streetball skills, and Battie are free agents after the upcoming season; meaning New Jersey has cleared about $18 million of their cap after 2010. Combine this trade with the approval by the MTA of the revised Atlantic Yards deal and it is clear the Nets will be doing everything they can to get LeBron James to come and join them in Brooklyn.

This is the last chance for the Knicks to make a significant improvement to their team before the free agency period begins in 2010. Thanks to the Stephon Marbury trade, the Knicks will not have a first round pick in next year’s draft making tonight’s pick the last significant pick they will have to improve this team.

As expected, the MTA board voted yesterday to approve a less lucrative deal to sell the Vanderbilt Railyards in Prospect Heights to developer Bruce Ratner, who won a bid to buy the property for $100 million (which is less than the land's $200+ million appraised value) in 2005. The MTA will now accept just $20 million up front and the rest in installments over the next two decades. However, a last-minute counter-offer made by Atlantic Yards opponent Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, for $120 million to be paid over the next 12 years, was ignored by the MTA.

It's another pivotal week for developer Bruce Ratner's embattled Atlantic Yards project, which recently received a major redesign that forsook Frank Gehry's glitzy arena designs for a big brick shithouse (pictured). At a public meeting this morning, the MTA's finance committee reviewed "a revised agreement" with Ratner, who still needs to pony up for the MTA's Vanderbilt Rail Yard land in order to move forward with the project.