Deron Williams and family are in Istanbul and it won't be long before he takes the court. Besiktas announced Thursday that he will play in preseason games a week from Saturday.
Otherwise, it's going to be about labor negotiations and deadlines for cancellations, lightened only by news out of Springfield and East Rutherford on Armor personnel matters. The Nets are expected to introduce the Armor coach in the next few days so he can be ready for the D-League tryouts in L.A., Chicago and then Springfield. The D-League Draft is the first week in November. The Armor have no first round pick.
September 17 - September 18 - Vasco Martini Trophy. Besiktas plays in a "friendly", that is an exhibition, tourney in Castelfiorentino, Italy. Among the other teams will be Euroleague powerhouse Montepaschi Siena with former NBAers DaJuan Summers and David Anderson.
September 24 - D-League National Tryouts, Los Angeles and Chicago. Open camp for prospects. Armor coach shuld be in place by then.
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 before this date, when normally teams would be gathering at training facilities.
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, which may or may not 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 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 if the party gets 15% he will probably run for President of Russia.
January 6 - If no agreement by this date, expect the entire 2011-12 season will be canceled.