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SALT LAKE CITY -- The NBA released the 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday, which is set to tip off on Nov. 1 with the Dallas Mavericks hosting the Chicago Bulls, the Utah Jazz hosting the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder, but one question will be looming until that day. Will it begin on Nov. 1?
Or, will it be pushed to early next year - just like the first time the NBA went into a lockout?
Those are questions no one can answer right now.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that staff members from both the NBA and players' association are meeting Friday, which they say is the first session related to the collective bargaining.
The AP also reported that the meeting will not include commissioner David Stern, union director Billy Hunter, or players and owners, but the next fully attended session will be late July or early August.
Since the lockout officially began on July 1, more and more players have considered their options to play elsewhere until the lockout is resolved. And there are plenty of players who are nearing free agency in 2011 and 2012.
ESPN.com released a list July 5 of players by team who will be unrestricted in both 2011 and 2012. They reported some of the big names for 2011 include Tim Duncan, Jamal Crawford, David West, Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler.
Among the list for 2012 are Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams - who has already signed with Turkey - and Steve Nash.
Our own Utah Jazz have five on the roster who fall into the unrestricted column for 2011, Francisco Elson, Kyrylo Fesenko, Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Price and Earl Watson, and two in 2012, C.J. Miles and Mehmet Okur.
CBSSports.com National Columnist Gregg Doyel stated Thursday in an online article that he believes Williams will follow through, but he's not so sure about all the rest of these players talking with European leagues.
Sports Illustrated columnist Sam Amick also believes other players won't go overseas like Williams is planning on doing because of FIBA clearance and potential injury.
Amick says in his online article that, "Players who are currently under contract (albeit suspended) have a laundry list of issues to consider, chief among them the inherent risk of injury that could potentially lead to a voided deal. Some NBA observers have cited the Monta Ellis situation as evidence that a team wouldn't take that route even if its player was hurt while playing overseas in a lockout, but Cornstein contested that claim."
On the matter of potential injury, Amick stated in his online article that, "While players can certainly be injured while training on their own or playing in summertime pickup games, Williams' hoops reality would be far different in Turkey. According to The New York Times, Williams is expected to report to Besiktas on Sept. 1, with the season starting on Sept. 27. If and when he does play overseas, Williams would carry a target on his back that always comes with being a headliner, meaning opponents and perhaps even teammates would be eager to play a more physical brand of ball."
Only time will tell us what will happen with both the lockout and players signing abroad. As for now, all we can do is wait to see if the lockout will affect the released schedule.
