With the NBA labor settlement and the season to begin on Christmas Day, a short time was left for teams to conduct trades and sign free agents.

The most notable transaction was one that was wiped out by the NBA offices.  New Orleans point guard Chris Paul was packaged to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three team trade that was later nullified by the league-owned team because it was not "in the best basketball interests" of the team.  Basically the players that the Hornets would receive as compensation for one of the top players in the game was not enough.  Paul was later sent to Los Angeles, but to the Clippers, not the Lakers.

The Knicks, long rumored to be the landing location for Paul after the season, could not wait due to the changing cap landscape of the new collective bargaining agreement.  In a last minute move, they landed center Tyson Chandler of the world champion Dallas Mavericks.  The move effectively eliminated the Knicks for being in the running for Paul, but also gives the team arguably one of the best front courts in the game, teaming Chandler with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.

At 3:40 AM Saturday morning, the NBA and the NBA Players Association finished their Black Friday Shopping and settled on a tentative agreement to be ratified by the owners and the players on a new collective bargaining agreement.  The settlement of the 149 day lockout of the players will allow the season, an abbreviated 66 game season, to commence with a triple-header of action starting at noon with the Knicks hosting the Celtics at the renovated Madison Square Garden, the Heat at the defending champion Mavericks in a rematch of NBA finalists, and the Lakers hosting the Bulls.

There are still several issues to be settled, but the major hurdles have been climbed and Santa will now visit player and owner alike.

With talks on Saturday looking like the last opportunity for the NBA owners and Players Association to reach an agreement, has the NBA reached the point of no return for a season in 2011-2012?  Many pundits are citing that since Commissioner David Stern has cancelled the first two weeks of games, and now the valuable (commercially) Christmas games are in jeopardy, the owners may resolve to totally break the will of the players and just trash the season in total.

In fighting recently has been discussed between Player Association President (and LA Lakers guard) Derrick Fisher and Player Association Union Chief Billy Hunter.  Fisher has stated that he wants to take the recent owner's proposal to the players for a vote but Hunter is sticking to his guns that the players should not forfeit their 54% revenue sharing of collected industry money (the owners want a 50 - 50 split).  The difference equates to $40 million dollars a year that the players would give up to the owners.  Hunter is wiling, it is said, to go to 52%.

For now, the NCAA season officially gets underway on Monday evening.  For those looking to get their basketball fix, it may be time to go back to college.

Commissioner David Stern is threatening that if the players and owners do not make progress this weekend in their labor negotiations, come Monday he will be cancelling the NBA season.  Whether it part or whole shutdown, the Players Association is viewing the threat of shutdown as a tactic.

In a possible related story, Los Angles Laker guard says he is looking to play in Italy during the lock-out.

For those looking for basketball on cold winter nights, may we suggest turning to college basketball.

The University of Connecticut is threatening a move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, leaving as a founding member of the Big East.  In what is clearly a football driven decision, UConn is attempting to follow fellow Big East defectors Syracuse and Pittsburgh.  

The landscape of moves by colleges the past month was precipitated by the crumbling Big 12 Conference with Texas A&M no longer wanting to be Texas's little brother in the conference.  With their defection to the Southeastern Conference, multiple moves were contemplated by schools looking to better their affiliations for one thing: money.  For a group of "amateurs", they sure are acting like professionals.

Jay-Z, part owner of the New Jersey Nets announced that the team will retain its nickname when it makes its move to Brooklyn for the 2012 -2013 NBA season.

To say that the Nets are the little sisters to the New York Knicks and their history is something of an understatement.  The Nets history consists of 4 events: Once having a Doctor with an initial J that led them to an ABA championship, selling that Doctor to the Philadelphia 76ers,and making the NBA Finals twice.

Here was an opportunity for the Nets to completely re-brand themselves with a nickname other than a piece of equipment you can purchase at your local sporting goods store.  Brooklyn, the borough that proudly boasts 2.5 million current residents and a history that they claim rivals New York City, can't come up with one plausible nickname?  For a group of entreprenuers that includes Jay-Z, a Brooklyn born partner, shame on them.

On Friday afternoon the NBA postponed the opening of training camps and cancelled 43 preseason game because a collective bargaining agreement with the players union has not been reached.  Camps were expected to open on October 3 with preseason games to begin on October 9 to October 15 wiped off the schedule.  

Both sides are far apart on an agreement and Celtic Ray Allen says that he is prepared to sacrifice the full season if necessary.  Issues include how to divide the league revenues (players presently receive 57%) and the salary cap structure.

ST. John's University and Coach Steve Lavin received disheartening news this past week when three of their prized 6 freshman were ruled ineligible for the Fall Semester by the NCAA. Amir Garrett, JaKarr Sampson, and Norvel Pelle will not be able to take the practice floor this October 15th when practice officially starts.

Each player has been certified as learning disabled which permitted them to take summer courses at St. John's this past summer session.  Even though receiving A's in their courses, the NCAA has nullified the classes claiming St. John's was manipulating the system.  Garrett and Sampson look to go to a prep school to take 3 classes each in order to be eligible to register for the Spring Semester (and start of league play), while it is not known if Pelle will do so as well.

The Royal Ivey Skills Clinic that was interrupted by Hurricane Irene will conclude its action on Sunday, September 18.  The action begins at 12 noon.  Participants are requested to arrive early for attendance at 11:30 am so that the contests may start on time.

Reminder that only those participants that are wearing their Royal Ivey Skills Clinic T-shirts will be permitted to participate on Sunday.  No exceptions.

Skill contests and awards will be presented.

The Carrier Classic is a great idea but is it also a publicity stunt?  On November 11, (Veteran's Day), North Carolina will take on Michigan State on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the San Diego Bay in the first annual Carrier Classic.  Next year UConn is signed on, with it's opponent to be determined.

The Carl Vinson was the aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean that saw to the burial at sea of Osama bin Laden. 

We understand that any small thing we can do to honor, assist, and make life a little easier for those that put their lives on the line for every American to be secure is just a small token.  But with only 7,000 stadium seats for servicemen and women and their families, isn't there a better venue that could serve the same function?