How Long Does The NBA Have?

In the midst of the latest Twitter rant, occasioned by a "litigation update" from the players' lawyer, Billy King (who cannot speak or tweet of such things) inserted an update of his own: the above picture of construction at the Barclays Center. It was as if to say, "will the Nets next play in this building?"

David Boies, the players' so-called "super lawyer", spoke of consolidating anti-trust suits so he could get an earlier day in court.. He cheerily observed, "One of the good things about a lawsuit is I know I will hear from them in three weeks. If they don't answer, we get a default."  He did concede, as Chris Sheridan wrote, that picking up the phone first wouldn't necessarily be the worst idea. Perhaps by Wednesday.

The question, however, is that with court dates now taking the place of bargaining sessions, how soon before the season goes poof. The last lockout ended on January 6 of 1999 and some think the drop-dead date for another 50-game season is January 7 of 2012. But there's also been reports that David Stern doesn't want another 50-game season, which could lead to a quicker end of 2011-12.

• NBA players move case to Minnesota - AP
• N.B.A. Players Merge Lawsuits - Howard Beck - New York Times
• No one wants to pick up the phone - Kate Fagan - Philadephia Inquirer
• Players Consolidate Lawsuits (Video) - David Aldridge & Rick Kamla - NBA.com
• With lawsuit consolidation, sides sticking to the courts - Steve Aschburner - NBA.com