Player notes
According to Ric Bucher of ESPN, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose have committed to headlining a world tour which would be a six-game schedule that spanned four continents.
Bucher reports that 14 of the 18 scheduled players have contractually committed, and all 18 are expected to make it official by Sunday evening. Ultimately this won't bring the players any closer toward leveraging themselves in the negotiations, but with the first two weeks lost and further cancellations looming, it gives fans a chance to see some sort of basketball.
Oct. 23 - 2:22 p.m. ET
Ken Berger reports that it is "pretty widely expected" that the next announcement from the NBA will regard the indefinite postponement of the season.
As Berger notes, "[The] question is, will [the] league and union meet/bargain before that announcement is made?" There have been whispers about a meeting planned for next week, so with luck we'll never hear this 'postponement announcement.'
Oct. 23 - 12:41 p.m. ET
Devin Harris has been training with Tim Grover in Chicago, where he's been specifically working on his jump shot.
"Pullups, 15 to 18 feet and the standstill 3-pointer," said Harris. "Just trying to shoot for a better percentage and knock it down at a higher pace." He is also adjusting to life as a father, and trying to find games with other NBA players during the lockout, but said that otherwise he's had "a pretty normal offseason."
Oct. 23 - 12:36 p.m. ET
During the lockout, Earl Boykins has been working as an assistant coach for the Colorado Miners, an inner-city boys' basketball team.
Boykins' deal with the Bucks has expired, but it's possible that he could still latch onto an NBA roster as a backup guard. The second-shortest person ever to play in the NBA, at 5'5", he's no stranger to overcoming adversity.
Oct. 23 - 11:45 a.m. ET
Nets GM Billy King recently watched Deron Williams play for Besiktas in Turkey -- D-Will finished the game with 24 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.
King is allowed to watch Williams play but cannot have any contact with him, or comment on his performance. It sounds like D-Will is settling in with his new team, after a lackluster period of adjustment.
Oct. 23 - 9:58 a.m. ET
Dirk Nowitzki has offers to play overseas, including Germany, but won't consider that as an option until January or February.
Dirk said that he might go to Germany soon to begin training in earnest, but he's more focused on defending the Mavericks' title than earning a quick paycheck in Europe.
Oct. 23 - 9:50 a.m. ET
The Blazers GM search reportedly now includes Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor and Kings president Geoff Petrie.
Portland hasn't contacted either executive, however, and they seem in no rush to replace Rich Cho. As we've noted before, the Blazers' GM job isn't exactly glamorous given Greg Oden and Brandon Roy's injury woes and the overbearing presence of owner Paul Allen.
Oct. 23 - 9:47 a.m. ET
Following up on an earlier item, the New York Times reported Saturday that sources from both the players and owners' sides said a "phone call or two" could be made over the weekend, and that a another meeting could be held next week.
This same report included news of the sides coming to agreement on several key system issues -- and perhaps we should've highlighted how big that truly is. The sides can now focus on the luxury tax and the BRI split, and in particular for the players who have made 100% of the concessions in this negotiation, the sides can look at those issues without so many variables looming. While rhetoric was at an all-time high coming out of Thursday's failed meetings, the sides are two percent apart on BRI. The owners will start pitching those points to the players -- in exchange for a hard cap that will greatly reduce players' security in future contracts.
Oct. 22 - 10:01 p.m. ET