New Jersey Civil War Erupts Around Nets

As doubts continue to shroud the Atlantic Yards project that would send the Nets to Brooklyn, two cities in New Jersey have begun a public war of words over where the team should play if the New York City plan falls through.

The folks running IZOD Center, the current arena in East Rutherford -- an awful place in a frankly awful location -- have quietly applied for upgrade funds. Officials from Newark, where a new arena has recently opened, think the IZOD ploy in backdoor effort to keep the Nets in East Rutherford if the Brooklyn arena isn't built. And those Newark folks -- they are mad.

The Newark Star-Ledger talks to a heated Mayor Cory Booker.

"Should the Nets not build their project in Brooklyn, the Nets' long-term home in New Jersey cannot be Izod," Booker wrote in a fax sent to Corzine earlier today. "It must be Newark." ...

"This expenditure would clearly cause injury to Newark, further divide our state against itself and undermines current good faith efforts by Newark and the (authority's) leadership to craft a larger vision for the Meadowlands/Newark region," Booker wrote. "I urge you to more actively join us in pursuit of such a win-win, NOT to add fuel and fire to the continued cannibalization of New Jersey venues to the detriment of two worthy communities."

In other words, the Nets represent 45-50 high-rent dates a year. Given the failure of the Nets to function at IZOD, Newark thinks it deserves a chance. The IZOD isn't willing to give up its cash cow, and probably offers better lease terms than Newark's arena would. (Hence the support for East Rutherford from the owners of the Nets.)

Newark product Shaquille O'Neal thinks the choice should be between Newark and Brooklyn. We'll see if the governor of New Jersey, Jon Corzine, agrees. Either way, he's in tricky water.