There will be some basketball in the coming weeks to take our minds off the lockout. Bojan Bogdanovic will be in action starting a week from Wednesday at FIBA Eurobasket in Lithuania, then the Turkish League starts...and the Euroleague!! MarShon Brooks will be in Asbury Park at a camp!
But starting in October, there will be a calendar of dread, as deadlines for canceling training camp, preseason and the first regular season games arrive. Also, don't be surprised if other Nets begin hinting of overseas gigs. Jordan Williams did last week.
August 24 - August 27 - Marshon Brooks Skills Academy, Donald J. Hammary Courts, Bangs Avenue, Asbury Park. The city's rec department makes it look like he'll be there daily.
August 27 - Deron Williams and Kyle Korver Dodgeball Tournament, Lehi, UT. Expect D-Will to talk about the lockout and Turkey.
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, with the championship round in the capital of Vilnius.
September 1 - D-Will has to be in Istanbul for Besiktas training camp.
September 8 - Expected start 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 7 - October 9 - Turkish Cup Tournament in Istanbul. Bogdanovic plays for Fenerbahce Ulker of Istanbul; ex-Net Sasha Vujacic plays for Efes of Istanbul
October 9 - October 10 - "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event" on E! Two hours, Two nights. Too much.
October 13 - Nets vs. 76ers preseason game at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton. First of eight preseason games, none of which are likely to be played. Three of the Nets' preseason games would be played at the Prudential Center: Oct. 18 vs. New York, Oct. 20 vs. Philadelphia, and Oct. 24 vs. Boston. The Nets would also visit the Celtics on Oct. 26 and the Knicks on Oct. 28.
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 15 - Opening Night of Turkish League. Williams plays for Besiktas, Bogdanovic plays for Fenerbahce Ulker of Istanbul; Vujacic plays for Efes Andalou, all of Istanbul.
October 20 - Euroleague opens this weekend. Will any other Nets players be on European (or Chinese) rosters? Jordan Farmar plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Bogdanovic and Vujacic's teams play in Euroleague as well as Turkish League.
November 1 - If lockout is over and Nets are preparing for a November 2 opening night, this is the day the Nets have to decide on extending 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, so expect Springfield Armor to begin play with Nets staffers. D-League preseason 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.
November 25 - Springfield Armor Opening Night, at home.
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.