Armor, Fans Anxious Over Lockout

The Nets' plans for the Springfield Armor are being held hostage by the league's labor negotiations, just like everything else nowadays. The NBA said last week the D-League will go on, but some players are members of the union and others may not want to seen as scabs. So there's little certainty about what happens when the D-League opens in mid-November ... or what the level of talent will be.

One early casualty, reports the Springfield Republican, is the Nets' plan to get a coaching staff in place by the Draft.  That didn't happen and now, the paper reports, "the rumor is that they will now wait until September at the earliest to select a coach". Dee Brown, the Armor coach the last two years, wasn't at either the NBA Draft or an Armor Draft party across from the Basketball Hall of Fame. Instead, he was working as an instructor at Deron Williams Nike Skills Academy.

Meanwhile, Net officials traveled to Louisville Friday for the D-League National Tryouts, the first step in the long process of stocking Springfield. On hand were director of basketball operations Milton Lee and scout Jordan Cohn, both of whom are expected to play major roles once the affiliation moves into high gear.

• Armor draft party a success, but fans are a little anxious about next season - Jeff Thomas - Springfield Republican
• NBA D-League tryout camp draws record 263 hopefuls to Hoops - C.L. Brown - Louisville Courier-Journal