Nets Putting Billboards Near Madison Square Garden!!!

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67605/20100630/nets_putting_billboards_near_madison_square_garden/

The Nets won't move to Brooklyn for at least another two years, but they are already working on converting fans of the Knicks.

New owner Mikhail Prokhorov said at his introductory news conference in May that he thinks he can "turn Knicks fans into Nets fans."

Prokhorov has purchased billboard space near Madison Square Garden. An image of the Russian billionaire and Nets minority owner Jay-Z will be displayed, with completion scheduled just before the start of free agency.

The 222-by-95-foot billboard sporting a Nets logo will picture Jay-Z and Prokhorov side-by-side under the heading, "The Blueprint For Greatness."

The billboard will be able to be seen from the Knicks' offices on the corner of 34th and 8th.



Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... z0sL9VuxH0

nice strategy for Prokhorov... the knicks will be haunted througout the season whenever they see this

The Knicks themselves are probably doing a decent job of turning their fans into Nets fans.

This isn't a new strategy, the Nets do this all the time to piss off the Knicks. A few years ago they had a billboard with the old 'Big Three' (Carter, Kidd, Jefferson) and the slogan "This is our town" just across the street from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks would probably do the same to the Nets too, except for the fact that advertising to all 4 of the people who live in the swamps of East Rutherford probably isn't worth the money.

Man nice strategy. Prokhorov is clever...

This isn't cleaver at all. Cities that share sports teams do this all the time (LA Angels outside Dodgers Stadium in baseball). Knicks fans aren't going to become Nets' fans.... there's absolutely no reason to.

Neither team is getting LeBron/Wade/Bosh, so there's no franchise changing player coming to the NJ/NY area. The only difference is James Dolan is a terrible owner, while Prokhorov is the flavor of the month.

I don't think it's really intended to "convert fans" as much as it is just an attempt to milk a rivalry that's been faltering recently as both teams have become comparably dismal.

True, though fan allegiance can only be stretched so far. As long as Dolan is in the picture, I'd suggest there'd be some fans that will at least take a casual interest in the Nets.

I know a lot of Knicks fans who come to games at the Izod Center because the tickets are cheaper there. It's a good deal. It's not like anyone actually buys Nets/Knicks tickets to watch the home team play; it's always to see the star players on the away team in action. I want to see Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, not Trenton Hassell, Bobby Simmons, or Tony Battie.

Plus, you can always wear a paper bag on your head and end up having lunch with team brass.

http://wfan.stats.com/nba/story.asp?typ ... 6920000101

David Lee would be a nice fit for the Nets, playing alongside Lopez.

It would be a fight for rebounds in New Jersey then.

Brook Lopez can concentrate more so on defense if Lee is with him to grab those rebounds.

Sounds like a smart plan.