Even though the 2011-12 NBA season is in jeopardy due to the current NBA lockout, the schedule for the season has been released today. In case the lockout is settled, the Phoenix Suns will begin the regular season with a three-game homestand against the Oklahoma City Thunder (11/2), Los Angeles Lakers (11/4), and the Portland Trail Blazers (11/6).
↵Think that's bad? The Suns would then head to the midwest for a six-game road trip, with several tough road tilts to deal with including Memphis, Indiana, Detroit and Toronto.
↵Should Phoenix have the opportunity to take the court this season, they will have ten nationally televised games (eight on ESPN, two on TNT).
↵Does any of this matter? With Jared Dudley saying the likelihood of a deal is a long ways off, the NBA might just be pandering at this point.
↵By releasing a schedule for the upcoming season, the owners are placing an urgency on the players to acquiesce to their demands. Their theory could be that fans will grow impatient with the season coming up and the games still in question.
↵Has that changed the way the NFL has gone about their process? Not really. The NFL's schedule has been out for months yet the players are still locked out. Unlike the NFL, though, no one really expects the NBA to play in 2011-12.