Bruce Ratner is having difficulty supporting his franchise in flux. Reports have surfaced stating that Ratner is looking for other investors to help him manage the cost of the New Jersey Nets. A couple of outsiders have been rumored as possibilities, but someone who is already on the inside could be the best man for the job.

Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is part owner of the Nets and may hold the key to their future, both on and off the court. His particular celebrity status has the innate ability to change the face of the Nets.

The Nets have had trouble bringing big free agents to the Garden State. It’s difficult to. New Jersey is a state known for being next to New York. Its main attraction is its proximity to New York. Let’s face it; New Jersey is not the sexiest destination for any big money player.

Notice how all of New Jersey’s marquee names in the last decade have been acquired through draft or trade.

Stephon Marbury was traded for. Jason Kidd was traded for. Vince Carter was traded for. Devin Harris was traded for. Kenyon Martin was drafted. Richard Jefferson was traded for on draft night.

Hip-Hop culture is adjacent to basketball. Ask every basketball player what they listen to, and I’d bet that over 95% of them listen to Jay-Z, and 100% know exactly who he is. Jay-Z is an icon to young people. Imagine the players that could be drawn to New Jersey in the coming years.

LeBron James is obviously the first that comes to mind. James is very close with Jay-Z. They’ve been seen out together, hang out all the time (even backstage at SNL), and acknowledge each other during NBA games. There has always been that underlying feeling that when LeBron James gives a courtside Jay-Z a handshake before or during a game that the world will be shocked come 2010. LeBron will opt out and head east, head to the Tri-State area, but not New York.

In turn, James, or any other big name player, would interest more players in coming to New Jersey.

Jay-Z is one of the most influential people on earth. He recently recorded and released a song titled “Death of Autotune”. For those not aware, Autotune is a program that makes a singer’s voice sound almost robotic while correcting pitch. It’s the hottest trend in pop music right now. Or at least it was. Jay-Z’s track has specifically labeled the use of Autotune as unfit, and the world is quickly agreeing. He put an abrupt end to a popular practice in today’s music. That tells you something.

Jay-Z can change the image of the New Jersey Nets. Right now, how are the Nets viewed? In fairness, they’re rarely viewed, but for the sake of the argument, New Jersey doesn’t have a great identity. Up until last Thursday, the Nets were the place Vince Carter still played. And there are negative undertones in that. Now what can the team be called?

Even as the partial owner, the team was not enhanced in any way because Jay-Z did not make himself visible with the Nets. I take it that he used his $4.5 million as a business investment, not for another way to be seen. He has enough of those.

But if he becomes more of a fixture at the Izod Center, more players would come, thus, causing revenues to rise. Ticket and merchandise sales would increase, fans would be happier, and the team would have a flashy, relevant, new identity.

A move to Brooklyn could give the Nets a new identity as well. The move has been rumored since 2004. And while the Atlantic Yards project is beginning to take shape, the New Jersey Nets keep running into obstacles. Problems with eminent domain and the MTA have come up recently.

Regardless of snags, I’m convinced that Jay-Z would be the one to finally push the Brooklyn deal forward. Who better than Brooklyn’s own?

Worst case scenario, the Nets move to the Prudential Center or a new arena with the New York Islanders in Uniondale, NY. The Nassau Coliseum is a dump, they tell me.

Actually, the Coliseum is interesting. Nassau is a market that, like New Jersey, is known for the short train ride to New York City. So a competitive Nets team could make the area more of an attraction.

Also, Nassau recently lost Jets training camp when it moved to Florham Park. The lack of presence from a professional sports franchise, other than the Islanders, would bring a lot of patronage from within and outside of Nassau.

There is a great deal of options for this Nets franchise. But it is missing that edge, the advantage over better markets. I’m not suggesting that Jay-Z become Mark Cuban, an overly vocal and off-putting owner, but he needs to become more active. If he does, he won’t just go down in history as the greatest rapper ever; he’ll also be the person to save the Nets.