Nets set to practice at Barclays on Wednesday; no word on Thursday opener
A view outside the Barclays Center on the day the Islanders announced their relocation to Brooklyn in 2015 at the arena. (Oct. 24, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
The Nets practiced on Sunday rather than Monday, switching their scheduled off days with hopes they'd get the opportunity to hit the court again Tuesday in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath.
No such luck, though.
They've canceled Tuesday's practice in part due to the conditions -- downed trees, flooded streets and broken power lines -- and were tentatively still schedule to practice Wednesday at the PNY Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
However, they switched things up Tuesday afternoon and said that practice will be held at the Barclays Center instead because there is no power at their facility.
As for the status of Thursday's season-opener against the Knicks at their $ 1billion arena, that's still up in the air and there's no definitive word yet at the moment. Mayor Mike Bloomberg said it could be four or five days before the subway system is operational again.
Since it's imperative for fans to take mass transit and use one of 11 subway lines or the LIRR to get to the arena, given the lack of parking, it would be nearly impossible logistics-wise to still open the arena's doors if the subways aren't back up and running.
Tim Frank, the NBA's senior VP of communication, tweeted that no decision has been made on whether the league will postpone the Nets' opener. Brooklyn also has home dates scheduled against the Raptors on Saturday and versus the Timberwolves on Monday.
"For the many asking, Tonight's games will be played," Frank tweeted. "We are still assessing the situation with regards to the rest of the week."
