Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

In June 2010, new (New Jersey) Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov made a hubristic boast : ""We're going to turn Knicks fans into Nets fans." As of last April, when Knicks fans invaded the Prudential Center in Newark, the Daily News reported , Mikhail Prokhorov once said he’d turn Knicks fans into Nets fans. It’s safe to say none of the thousands were swayed Wednesday night in Newark. Now the struggling Nets — 22-41 after the 104-95 defeat — are clearly facing an uphill battle for New York fan support ahead of their move to Brooklyn. Now, thanks to Prokorov's (over)spending to assemble a strong if not championship-ready roster, and the New York Knicks' drawn-out and debatable decision to let potential star point guard Jeremy Lin (costly, but with huge upside, and not out of line with previous overspending) go to the (over)spending Houston Rockets, Knick fans are defecting. Credit the moves by Prokhorov and his team, coupled with Knicks owner James Dolan...

Given the role of the Barclays/Nets Community Alliance in repairing some playgrounds in Brooklyn, I wondered if a similar effort announced last week in Brooklyn, involving New York Knick Amar'e Stoudemire, represented an effort by the Knicks to position themselves in the emerging rivalry . No, the corporate sponsor is... Nike. From the press release, headlined MAYOR BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK KNICKS' AMAR'E STOUDEMIRE AND NIKE DEDICATE NEW BASKETBALL COURT AT THE TAYLOR-WYTHE COMMUNITY CENTER IN BROOKLYN: City Youth Will Benefit from World Class Court : Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York Knicks' Forward Amar'e Stoudemire and Nike North America East General Manager Daryl Jones today joined children from the El Puente afterschool program to dedicate a new basketball court at the Taylor-Wythe Community Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The court was originally used at Radio City Music Hall during last year's inaugural World Basketball Festival - a four-day celebration ...