From now on, it's mostly about player personnel matters: who gets sent down, who gets their contract fully guaranteed, who gets traded...and for who, who gets drafted. Not to say what happens on the court doesn't matter. Of course it does. It's just that that schedule is well-known. They play the games, they win, they lose. This is about the other side of the front office: Billy King, Bobby Marks and Brett Yormark.
Here's the latest:
November 19 - Springfield Armor starts its season vs. Erie BayHawks Although the Nets' partnership with the Armor doesn't go into effect til next season, expect to see a closer relationship from now on. Billy King has said Ben Uzoh could be sent down to Springfield to get some playing time.
December 1 - Sham Sports, which keeps track of NBA contracts, reports that this is decision day for the Nets on Stephen Graham's partially guaranteed deal. Graham has a $450,000 guarantee, but the Nets have until this date to decide whether to keep him and fully guarantee his nearly $1 million deal or waive him, reports Sham Sports
December 15 - First day players signed during the off-season can be dealt in trades. That means Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro and Joe Smith are eligible to be traded...along with all the other free agents signed last summer. Expect trade talks to intensify around the NBA. If Graham or Uzoh are still on the roster, they too can be traded. Minimum salary contracts do not count in salary calculations for team over the cap.
January 5 - 10-day contracts may now be signed. Nets haven't signed anyone to a 10-day contract in a few years, but it is all new and if there are roster openings (there are none now), that could change.
January 10 - All contracts become fully guaranteed. This is Uzoh's decision day. If he is still with the team, or playing for the Armor while under contract with the Nets, his deal becomes fully guaranteed.
January 19 - Nets vs. Jazz. Yormark told a Russian sports site that the Nets are planning "Russian Night" for the home game vs. the Jazz...and Mikhail Prokhorov's pal, Andrei Kirilenko. Nets aren't saying when Prokhorov will be in town again, but this looks like a good bet: the start of a week-long, five-game homestand.
February 18-20 - All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. Amidst the annual hoopla (Get it, Hoop-LA?), 30 GM's will be having face-to-face discussions. With the deadline days away, All-Star Weekend is often where trades get hatched or finalized.
February 24 - Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. Eastern Time (that's 1 p.m. Mountain). Last chance to dump big contracts before the collective bargaining agreement.
March 4-5 - NBA Games London, the first regular season NBA games in Europe. The Nets will play two "home" games vs. the Raptors at the 02 Arena in London. Nets will have three days rest before the first game and another three days after the second. Might Prokhorov make an appearance here too? He doesn't make plans that far ahead, says a spokesman.
March 11 - First anniversary of Barclays Center ground breaking. Expect progress reports.
April 6-9 - Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Virginia. College seniors who are the cusp of the draft play against each other, the official opening of draft season.
May 17 - NBA Draft Lottery, NBA TV Studios, Secaucus, NJ. The lottery and the draft will both be in New Jersey this year. Do the Nets have a "home court advantage"?
June 23 - NBA Draft, Prudential Center, Newark. With Madison Square Garden undergoing needed renovations, the Draft moves across the Hudson to Newark.