For those wondering where we got the phrase, "Deadlines and Commitments", it's from Bob Seger's "Against the Wind". The phrase is followed by these words, "What to leave in, what to leave out". This week, that's appropriate.
The other day, for example, we listed all the details of draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic's summer schedule. We'll abbreviate that here. Also, MarShon Brooks' agent says he plans a return to New York (from Atlanta) and "hopes to have another opportunity to be able to play in another game this summer." Brooks confirmed Monday that it's the Nike Pro-City championships starting a week from Tuesday.
August 6 - August 9 - Addeco Cup, Ljubljana, Slovenia. All six former Yugoslav republics --Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro-- will compete in an exhibition tournament, the first of two warm-up tourneys for Bogdanovic's Team Croatia, who'll play in Eurobasket, FIBA Europe qualifying tournament.
August 6 - Illinois Hoop Legends for Charities, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL. Expect a lot more media to attend this year and they won't be there to discuss Brian Cardinal's role with the Mavericks.
August 9 - August 11 - Nike Pro-City League Championships, Baruch College, 55 Lexington Ave., New York. We don't know if Brooks will participate, but his agent suggested he intends to play again this summer in New York.
August 16 - August 20 - London Invitational Tournament, London. Six teams, including Croatia, will participate in a six-team exhibition tourney prior to their play in FIBA's international qualifying tournaments. Serbia, China, Australia, France and Great Britain also participating.
August 20 - Kris Humphries marries Kim Kardashian in Montecito, CA, near Santa Barbara. The wedding will be taped for a special edition of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians".
August 27 - Deron Williams and Kyle Korver Dodgeball Tournament, Lehi, UT. If D-Will is going to Turkey for training camp in late August, we don't see him leaving before this.
August 31 - September 18 - FiBA Eurobasket, Lithuania. Bogdanovic's big summer stage. He has done well in previous international tournaments as a member of Team Croatia. First games will be held in Altyus, Lithuania, withe championship round in the capital of Vilnius.
September 8 - Expected date for installation of Barclays Center roofing atop the arena's latticework framing, itself underway.
September 27 - Besiktas opens season with important EuroCup game vs Dexia Mons-Hainaut of Belgium at the BJK Akatlar Turka Cola arena (capacity 3,200). Deron Williams' home debut?
October 1 - NBA training camps will have to be delayed or canceled.
October 4 - Besiktas plays Dexia Mons-Hainaut at the Mons Arena (capacity 3,700) in Belgium.
October 15 - Drop-dead date for losing regular season games. In 1998 lockout, the league canceled the first two weeks of the regular season on October 13.
October 20 - Euroleague opens this weekend. Will any other Nets players be on European (or Chinese) rosters? Bogdanovic playing for Fenerbahce Ulker of Istanbul; ex-Net Sasha Vujacic playing for Efes of Istanbul. Bogdanovic's teammates include Sean May, who the Nets signed and released last summer.
October 31 - If lockout is over and teams are preparing for a November 1 opening night, this is the day the Nets have to decide on Stephen Graham's contract.
November 1 - Likely date for D-League Draft (which is done by conference call).
November 2 - If no lockout, Nets open season, their last in New Jersey, with a road game in Washington.
November 5 - If no lockout, Nets home opener, vs. Pistons at Prudential Center.
November 7 - D-League preseason normally begins this week, with first regular season games ten days later. D-League schedule has yet to be released.
November 15 - First missed paycheck for most NBA players. Most players are paid bi-weekly and their contracts run basically on the same schedule as the season. Some players get paid in a lump sum, others on an annual basis, meaning their last paycheck with July 1.
December 4 - Russian parliamentary elections. If Prokhorov's Pravoe Delo party wins 7% of the vote, the party will enter the Duma (Russia's parliament) for the first time and Prokhorov has said he will move his offices to the Duma building.
January 6 - If no agreement by this date, expect the entire 2011-12 season will be canceled.