The Brooklyn Nets played their first pre-season game at Barclays last night, Saturday October 12th. The starters played few minutes and the game was basically tuning up both physically and mentally and building chemistry. They obviously have a way to go to get to know one each others game but you can see it getting better. The ball movement looked good for the short time the starters were on the floor. As time goes on, the starters will increase their minutes on the floor and Deron Williams and Jason Terry will participate. They both have minor injuries and should be ready to play in a week or so. Time will tell. They will be extremely cautious with Deron and not rush him into playing action. The goal is the playoffs and the season is a long 82 games. No need to play him until he is 100%.

This video consist of questions and answers for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, as well as, all the bench players who will crucial if the Nets are to challenge Miami, Indiana and Chicago for the Eastern Division Championship.

The Brooklyn Nets are preparing for the start of Season Two with impressive additions to their already competitive team. Joining stars like premiere point guard Deron Williams, sharp shooting Joe Johnson, and All Star Brook Lopez are “The Truth” Paul Pierce, “K.G.” Kevin Garnett, “AK47″ Andrei Kirilenko, “JET” Jason Terry and backup point, 6’7 Shaun Livingston. This is a tremendous arsenal that has been brought together thanks to the very deep pockets of Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. In fact, the Nets are paying more in “over the cap” penalties than 95% of the other NBA teams total salaries. He is very serious about winning an NBA championship.

This video includes my personal analysis, as well as, video from Media Day during a question/answer period with Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Part Two will follow shortly with the Nets other two starters, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, later followed by questions for the bench players who will be crucial if we are to challenge Miami and Indiana for basketball supremacy.

@Lonchpad_McQuak basically, I think New Yorkers will always prefer the Knicks, but the international community might buy into a Net more

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) September 2, 2013

@HPbasketball Prokhorov should win owner of the century.

— Althea Marie Lapus (@AloeLapus) September 2, 2013

Nets Blog: Kevin Garnett and Brett Yormark will both be in China later this week, KG on a sneaker promotion, Yormark looking for business opportunities. Meanwhile, Brook Lopez is somewhere between Singapore and Tokyo, the 11th and 12th stops of his international summer, this time helping out in the NBA 3×3. The Brooklynettes are on their way back to Brooklyn after joining Lopez in Singapore. Oh yeah, the Nets sponsored a trip to New York for the Russian U20 team two weeks ago, opening Barclays and the PNY Center to them. Andrei Kirilenko and Lopez met with them.

Meanwhile Moore’s old stomping ground Hardwood Paroxysm pronosticates about the coming season for the Nets:

What the Nets’ season will ultimately come down to, in all likelihood, is whether or not they can stay healthy and who they get matched up against in the playoffs. KG, Pierce, Terry and Kirilenko are getting up there in age, so it’ll be important to manage their minute loads to keep them fresh for the stretch run. Brooklyn mortgaged a lot of its future to bring the Boston guys to town, but like the Nets themselves, we’ll worry about that at a later date. For now, this is a team that has likely vaulted itself into serious contenderdom, and that’s a hell of a way to spend your summer.

Hello Playoffs: Nets vs. Bulls Game 5

Now it gets interesting(?)

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle· Mon, Apr 29 2013 18:13:20

Response to Knicklyn on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and tumblr had been enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that Sorisi recently started selling a line of Knicklyn gear, an endeavor that is about to come to a screeching halt.

From Sorisi today:

“Knicklyn has been pressured by a popular sports league to temporarily restrict the online sale of all “Knicklyn” goods and apparel or face substantial legal action.  Despite meeting with and receiving clearance from several trademark lawyers prior to the launch of the site, this large sports association still feels the “Knicklyn” logo infringes upon their trademarks and intellectual properties.  We have attempted to reach an amicable agreement with said sports league but were left with only two options; either pay millions of dollars in licensing fees, or shut down all together.”

Reached by phone on Sunday, Sorisi sounded discouraged but undaunted.

“This isn’t a big deal,” he said. “It’s not going to slow me down.”

While unsurprised by the NBA’s action, he didn’t think it would come quite this quickly, and he pointed out that the objection is not with Knicklyn itself, but with the decision to sell goods that could represent copyright infringement.

He toyed with some design changes to his merchandise, but decided ultimately to suspend sales as he contemplates his next moves.

“This is only a temporary setback,”  he said.

And given the response to his announcement about ceasing sales, which Sorisi characterized as “great” and “positive,” along with an article in the NY Post about this recent development, he might be right when he says, “This isn’t a bad bump. It’s a good bump.”

Read Sorisi’s full letter here, and let us know what you think. Corporate behemoth strangling creative expression and fandom? Or legitimate copyright infringement?

Originally posted on January 27, updated January 28 with additional information.

(photo via Entertainment Rundown)

Nets Vanquish Knicks in Final Meeting

The Nets eek out a win against the Knicks at the Garden on MLK Day 88 -85

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle· Tue, Jan 22 2013 04:02:59

And you watch as a new team moves across two rivers to take up residence in what had long been Knicks territory, and you watch as they dominate the local press, and you watch as this heretofore suburban team attempts to re-invent itself by embracing urban cool.

You’re a lifelong Knicks fan. So what you do?

If you’re Mike from Gowanus—who’s got the perfect name for a sports-talk radio caller—you create…Knicklyn.

Knicklyn is a website…and a state of mind.

“I’m a resident of Brooklyn,” said Mike, who asked that his last name not to be used, preferring to keep his site separate from his professional life. “I’m a devout Knicks fan. And when the Nets moved, I just felt that a lot of people were supporting the Nets kind of blindly, which I get, because there’s a lot of pride in the neighborhood.

“But I felt that there had to be people out there that wanted to be able to relate to the team that they’re loyal to. It’s a pride thing.”

Knicklyn was born when Mike started “fooling around” with some graphic art, which eventually grew into a website. It grew virally, he said, as Knicks fans in Brooklyn found the site, so he expanded into a Twitter feed, a Facebook page, an Instagram account.

This week, Knicklyn started offering hats and stickers for sale, in response, said Mike, to user requests.  Aware of his brand as the Knicklyn logo started to spread, he wanted to capitalize on the interest before someone else latched on to it.

“With so many social media streams,” he explained, “the art was starting to spread without any real credit, and before anyone could compromise the integrity of what I was trying to do, I started to produce some products.”

While admitting to some resentment about the people who have jumped from the Knicks to the Nets, Mike, a marketer by day, acknowledges the success of the Nets’ marketing scheme.

“I thought it was a little gimmicky—‘Hello, Brooklyn!’—but in Jay-Z, they chose the best person possible to be the face of the team; a lot of people from the neighborhood can relate to him,” he said.  “They did everything how you should do it, but some people see through it and their loyalty remains with the team they grew up with.”

During Knicks games, the 26-year-old tweets commentary, engages in ardent debate with other fans, and after each victory, “tapes” the logo of the opposing team. Knicklyn’s Facebook page has more than 1,600 likes, and its Instagram account attracts regular commenters along with requests for Knicklyn gear.

In short, Knicklyn is doing exactly what Mike wants it to.

“Knicklyn is about bringing community together,” he said, “people who have the same passion and loyalty to both my neighborhood and my team.”

Brokelyn: Somebody alert Marty Markowitz! Some enterprising trickster has struck a blow for Knickerbocker supremacy with the above “Knicklyn” sticker. Not only is this an attempt to put a Knick foothold back in Kings County, but they were even able to slap it in the Barclays Center subway stop. Who are you, mysterious sticker bandit, and where else have you tagged up in an attempt to take back the borough for basketball fans with taste?

For folks using the power of the Google, they’ll know it’s to plug a dude’s Twitter feed and Facebook page.

And of course he’s got some merch to pimp out:

via Knicklyn Facebook page

Update: Yup, Knicklyn has an online store.

The duo’s first stop on their tour is Flatbush’s legendary sports apparel shop Get Set.

“Will they know you in here?” Humphries, who was famously married for to reality star/now Kanye West galpal Kim Kardashian for 72 days, asks Kent as they walk in.

“They key is for them to get to know you,” Kent replies.

After strolling around the store, signing autographs and checking out sneakers the pair end up at the Family Affair barbershop on Utica Avenue. Humphries agrees to get a little shape up from barber Tiki, who is clearly a good sport judging by the fact that he’s wearing a Nets cap in the video.

The 7 minute plus video has about 1500 views on YouTube as of this writing, but that’s enough to generate some truly biting comments from the peanut gallery, including some serious chin music from this guy:

Formatique
if you listen closely you can hear everyone on the internet try to think of kanye joke

An odd twist to the story – Johnson was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November this year.

#Nets Say Buh Bye to Avery Johnson

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle· Thu, Dec 27 2012 19:48:42

Yet, fans took to Twitter for the usual trash talk. Run DMC’s Rev Run took over the Knicks’ feed for the night and for Nets fans that may have been the only interesting thing to happen all night.

Nets vs. Knicks at MSG 12/19/12

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle · Wed, Dec 19 2012 18:17:51

The Knicks beat the Nets this time around 100 – 97.

#Nets vs. Knicks Redux

The Battle of the Boroughs in the BK part 2.

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle · Tue, Dec 11 2012 17:44:44

Gothamist reports today that employees of some Brooklyn Starbucks stores, including the Montague Street branch, are being asked to wear Brooklyn Nets hats to promote the team who are now playing at the controversial Barclays Center:

Gothamist: One employee at the Montague Street outpost told us the Nets advertising “started a couple of months ago when the stadium opened up,” and that wearing them is “required because the boss paid a lot of money for them. [Employees] don’t like them much because they’re big and constantly fall, but we have to [wear them] regardless.” However, a barista in DUMBO told us that they are not required, adding, “I don’t even follow sports, I just like the hat.” At press time, we hear they are keeping the mermaid logo at Starbucks, but are we that far away from it being replaced by the terrifying Brooklyn Knight?

Photo via Gothamist

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/52498

Humphries fouled Celtic Kevin Garnett, bumping him to the floor in the process. Boston point guard Rajon Rondo intervened and the trio brawled their way into the stands.

Nets forward Gerard Wallace also joined the melee. He, Humphries and Rondo were ejected.

Brooklyn watched and tweeted. Oh and the NBA treated us to a bizarro world Spike Lee joint as well.
(Photo: JShaltz)

#Nets vs. #Knicks #BKNvsNYK

The Knicks come to Barclays Center. People tweet about it. Are we having fun yet?

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle · Mon, Nov 26 2012 19:11:16

Their announcer of 18 years, Ian Eagle, had to wait a little longer to make his Brooklyn debut, calling his first game on Monday when the Nets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Eagle became part of the Nets broadcast team in 1994 and joined the YES network, the Nets’ television home, 10 years ago. And though he grew up in Queens, coming to the Barclays Center is a sort of homecoming.

“My dad was from Brooklyn,” Eagle said last week, preparing to head out of town to cover the NFL.  “He went to Erasmus Hall for high school, and that was his life, growing up in Brooklyn.”

“After my father got divorced, his first wife lived in Brooklyn, and I spent weekends in Brooklyn with her for the first five years of my life. I remember going to Prospect Park, getting off at the Church Avenue station; she had an apartment on Caton Avenue, and Brooklyn made up a lot of my childhood memories. It definitely made an impression on me.”

Eagle also spent time in Mill Basin, as a teenager frequently visiting a sister who lived there. “I used to go out there about a once a month,” he said. “Growing up in Queens, the only frame of reference I had for an indoor mall was Kings Plaza.”

Eagle’s first impressions of his return to Brooklyn are equally favorable.

“I’m really impressed,” he said. “It’s very tastefully done, not over the top like a lot of the newer buildings. It feels intimate, and the lower bowl feels very close to the action. I went upstairs, too, and for a basketball game, I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house.”

Of the move across two rivers, from New Jersey to Brooklyn, Eagle said that the first task was persuading the players that it was a good idea. “The biggest challenge initially was convincing players that Brooklyn is a legitimate destination,” he said. “That happened pretty quickly.”

“There’s automatically a fan base in Brooklyn,” he went on. “Knicks’ ans aren’t going to give up their allegiance, but Brooklyn is a proud area, and a number of fans have already accepted this team.

“That’s a byproduct of the pride within the borough. There’s a different vibe with this team.”

While Eagle is enthusiastic about the move, he has no plans to move from his New Jersey home to the Brooklyn.

“I have a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old, and the timing just doesn’t work. But I’ve already done the drive a couple of times and it really hasn’t been that bad at all,” he said.

“I’m Mr. Traffic,” he continued. “I listen to all the traffic reports.”

The Nets’ next home game is Sunday at 3 pm against the Orlando Magic.

The Brooklyn Nets opened the pre-season last night at the Barclays Center. Check out Karl Junkersfeld’s report and fan reaction at the Brooklyn Bugle now. (Photo: Jason Shaltz via Instagram)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49330

Brooklyn Nets Open Pre-Season at Barclays Center

The Tale of the Tweets

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle · Mon, Oct 15 2012 18:26:13

Protesters, still clinging onto the notion that politicians tell the truth and keep their promises, gathered outside as fans filed into the show. The road to Brooklyn having it’s first major sports team in two generations was indeed a bumpy, slimy and sordid road. For a full account of how Brooklyn got this arena and what was learned about how things get done in the borough, read Atlantic Yards Report’s definitive primer.

Now here’s what the folks who were there this weekend had to say:

Tale of the Tweets: Jay-Z Opens Barclays Center

Jay-Z opens Brooklyn’s Barclay Center with a bang. Here’s the tweets to prove it including from our own @JasonShaltz:

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle · Sun, Sep 30 2012 09:57:40

Photo: The Shaltzes

The Brooklyn Book Festival has announced its comprehensive lineup for the first-ever weeklong series of “Bookend Events” that will take place at venues throughout the borough from September 17 through September 23. The seventh-annual event is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, with support from AT&T.

It’s billed as the largest free literary event in New York City, with the full schedule here.

Markowitz commented, “Brooklyn has more writers per square inch than almost anywhere else in the country, all contributing to our growing reputation as the epicenter of the literary universe—where authors from across the globe gather each fall for the Brooklyn Book Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious free literary festivals. This year, the Festival expands from four days to an entire week of diverse literary offerings.”

Two events will take place in Brooklyn Heights…
Friday, September 21
“Poets & Passion: A Caribbean Literary Lime Presented by the Caribbean Cultural Theater”
A book party with a decidedly easy tropical flare. The Poets & Passion platform provides an inviting opportunity for audiences to engage Caribbean and Caribbean American fiction writers and poets and positions the writers’ work as part of a larger conversation on issues of identity, aspiration, heritage and the immigrant experience.
Location: St. Francis College, Maroney Theatre, 180 Remsen Street (between Clinton & Court Streets), 7:30 p.m., $5

Saturday, September 22
“American Eco-Poetry: Poetry of Ecological Sanity, Hosted by Daniela Gioseffi”
Join your favorite poets to celebrate the release of ECO-Poetry: American Verse of Ecological Sanity, an e-book published by the nonprofit website poetsUSA.com. Poets, including Myra Shapiro (“I’ll See You Thursday”), D. Nurkse (“The Rules of Paradise”), Colette Inez (“The Secret of M. Dulong”), Fran Castan (“The Widow’s Quilt”), Eliot Katz (“Unlocking the Exits”), Gil Fagiani (“Scarfing”), Juanita Torrence (“Breath-Life”), Maria Lisella (“Amore on Hope Street”), Rob Marchesani, George Held (“After Shakespeare: Selected Sonnets”), Nancy Mercado (“Going to Work”) and Stephen Massimilla (“Forty Floors from Yesterday”) will read selections of their own and others, highlighting issues of environmental sanity and racism, renewable safe energy and life-sustaining wonders of our planet home.
Location: Brooklyn Heights Public Library, 280 Cadman Plaza West at Tillary Street (between Pierrepont and Clark Streets). 2-4 p.m. Free. (poetsUSA.com)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/46258

Karl and his cam got quite the workout Friday evening. Following his visit to the opera in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Dellarocco’s “soft opening”, he asked Glenn Markman about his views on his and his partners’ new venture, Dellarocco’s, and got an answer that extended to discussion of the new Beach Shack, Brooklyn Bridge Park, downtown Brooklyn, the Nets, the Bossert Hotel, Brooklyn real estate in general, and prospects for the future. Video after the jump.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44986

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44174