At the start of the 2012-2013 season, the New Jersey Nets will begin playing as a new organization—the Brooklyn Nets of Barclay’s Center.

Moving from Newark to Prospect Heights, the Nets will give the NBA a second New York team, along with the Knicks, for the first time since 1977. This idea for relocation was finalized by owner Jay-Z at a press conference in 2011, but the idea was developed by Nets realtor and part-owner Bruce Ratner in 2005.

“This is something for everybody. This will have something in all price ranges. I think it’s going to be the most beautiful arena in the world,” Ratner said.

To compete with the Knicks, however, the Nets will face several challenges.

“They need to keep [Deron] Williams and add another big time player,” business education teacher Edward Aromando said.

This could be a challenge for the organization due to its tendency to trade away its biggest stars such as Devin Harris and Vince Carter in the past few years.

The Nets must make some improvements to compete with the Knicks’ profits as well.

“They need to be more family-friendly to compete with Madison Square Garden,” Aromando said. “Currently, there is no advantage in going to Brooklyn.”

The relocation will not only affect Metropolitan and King’s County basketball fans, but fans from Massapequa too.   

 “I had some interest in the Nets while they were in Jersey,” junior Brian Flecker said. While Flecker believes that the change in location does not matter, he did like the idea of a competitor for the Knicks. “It’ll be good to see New York vs. New York again.”

Another junior, Andrew Giustino, had a similar interest in a potential New York rivalry. “I think they [the Nets and Knicks] will be compared to each other more often than before,” Giustino said. “I’m curious as to how this may change New York basketball.”