Nets new arena will soon rise in Brooklyn.

In a couple of years perhaps, the Nets franchise is headed to the Bronx. It could be a new beginning for the ball club. The city of Brooklyn will have it's own pro league team since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Residents of the city should thank rapper Jay-Z for bringing the franchise to Brooklyn. The New York Knicks can soon renew a rivalry with the Nets now that the team will just be a bridge away from the NYC.

The possible debut of the "Brooklyn Nets" will be in the year 2011. The construction of the arena has just been approved. The folks handling the project have a very tight schedule in their hands. But the developers are not sure if they could finish the development of the arena without any delays.

From Northjersey.com:

"We remain committed to the project in spite of the hurdles we still need to overcome," said Forest City chief executive Charles Ratner, cousin of Nets principal owner Bruce Ratner. The company owns about 25 percent of the Nets’ franchise and also is a partner in the condominium and rental components of the plan.

Charles Ratner said the developers can afford to delay construction of the project in 2009 if the economy continues to struggle.

"We continue to work with public parties, city and state, who are fully committed," said Ratner. "We can successfully [delay] until we are prepared to start, but I don’t know if I could answer specifically how long we could delay."

That doesn't sound like good news for basketball fans in Brooklyn. If the developers can't finish the arena in time for the Net's 2011-2012 NBA season, the games will be played at the IZOD center in New Jersey a while longer before finally moving to Brooklyn. Seems the Nets' front office isn't worried about the delays and all but Jay-Z and company are more worried about losing LeBron James in the 2010 free agency. Go figure.