Feature

Hoops Spring Eternal

Gale is in charge of the proposed development around the arena. He has already built models for a soccer stadium, a hotel, a shopping complex, and office towers. The architecture firm HLK, which designed the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., is designing the arena. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is laying out the surrounding area.

The project has inevitably met with some dissent. "The city is declaring the area in need of redevelopment without an adequate opportunity for the community to participate in the decision," says Susan Kraham, an attorney with Rutgers's Eastern Environmental Law Center. The proposal includes a residential area that is already improving on its own, she says, and will remove more than 100 families from their homes. If the houses are condemned, owners will be paid according to values that predate the arena.

But the mayor and city council are behind the proposal. Even Cory Booker, the only Newark city councilman to oppose designating the redevelopment area, says he objected only to the process and supports the plan behind it. "The Nets are a perfect team for Newark -- struggling to get itself back together and get the respect it deserves," he says.

Katz and Wentworth have novel community-service plans for the players as well. Each player is expected to "adopt" a town in the area, act as a mentor to local kids, and put in appearances at area Boys and Girls Clubs. Players will introduce scholarship recipients at halftime during home games. "If we can get our players to talk about staying in school and giving back to the community, it can make a big difference," says Katz.

That means new demands on the players. "Under the new owners, practicing and playing aren't the players' only obligations by any means," says Rowe, the team president. New obligations aren't likely to please every player in the NBA, some of whom have a hard enough time showing up for practice. "It will take a lot of time from the athletes, and they like to take naps between practice and dinner," admits Rowe.

The owners promise the Nets will sign only players with the "character" to set good examples to the kids -- which rules out Dennis Rodman, Latrell Sprewell, and many of the best players in the NBA. "A lot of great players aren't great characters. But winning at all costs is not the most important thing to these owners," Rowe says.

In part through Rowe's work under the previous owners, the Nets have already put together a team loaded with highly talented solid citizens, led by likely all-stars Jayson Williams and Keith Van Horn, a team that has as good a shot as any of moving past the first round of the playoffs.

And at least one of the Nets' players shares Katz's civic mission. "I think the mentoring program is great," says Williams. "I'm behind it, and I am going to be letting everybody on the team know that it is mandatory. We have to be a different team."

Williams himself grew up on New York's Lower East Side, and later adopted his two sisters' kids when both of them died of aids. Playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, he began to live dangerously -- spending too much time with booze, guns, and Charles Barkley, his trouble-prone teammate. Since joining the Nets, he has cleaned up, pulled his life together, and dramatically improved his rebounding.

"Jayson's contract is what it is because he is a great basketball player, but more because he is a great person," Katz says. "He's a wonderful role model and spokesperson for the team."

after the owners agreed to sign jayson Williams's contract, Chambers took Williams to dinner at an Italian restaurant. The meal lasted four hours. "Ray Chambers is a very deep individual," says Williams. "He's like Elaine's boss on Seinfeld -- always looking for something more in life. He gives away so much of his money and his time -- he moved me so much that I felt like giving away 70 percent of the $100 million."

Soon after, Williams gave away $20,000 to Meadowlands vendors and staff who had lost wages during the lock-out, a donation the Nets owners matched.

The night he signed the deal, Williams called Katz. "Lewis," he said. "It's me, Jayson. Do you need a loan?"

Unlike the other owners, Katz is already making his presence felt with the team. "Lewis is always coming around here to all the practices," Williams says. "He wants to be like George Steinbrenner."