Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the NBA will release the schedule for the 2012-13 season. This is not such a momentous occassion. After all, the 82-game schedule rarely changes as teams play each other virtually the same amount every year. There is little variability in a team’s schedule.
Some of the schedule is already leaking out too. We know the Nets will open the Barclays Center in Brooklyn against the Knicks. We know the champion Heat will get their rings against the Celtics in Miami on October 30 and will play the Thunder in Miami on Christmas Day and then make the return trip to Oklahoma City on Valentines’ Day.
Other than that the schedule is a complete mystery. And because we love storylines, let me suggest a few games the NBA should consider:
December 14: Magic @ Lakers; January 14: Magic @ Nets; Or three straight home games before the trade deadline featuring the Lakers, Nets and Rockets visiting Orlando
Everyone — I mean EVERYONE — is tired of the Dwight Howard trade saga. It is not entirely clear right now whether it will be over before the season begins or even if it will be over before the season ends. So the NBA schedule makers should make things easy. On the day before the recently acquired player deadline is lifted have the Magic visit the Lakers so Rob Hennigan and Mitch Kupchak can hammer things out. If they cannot get it done, have the Magic visit Brooklyn the day before Brook Lopez can be traded so Billy King will have his turn. And if that does not work, get the three main players in this Dwight Howard saga all in a room in Orlando before the trade deadline. GET IT DONE!
February 10: Rockets @ Knicks
Jeremy Lin will make only one trip back to New York as a member of the Rockets this year. Why not have it on the Chinese New Year? This game is already guaranteed to be a ratings bonanza as Lin was pretty sure he would remain a Knick if the money would have just worked out. It did not and Carmelo Anthony secretly kind of wanted Lin out of the family he was building in New York. This will be a big showcase game for Lin. One that I am sure he will want to play well in.
December 10: Timberwolves @ Trail Blazers
Brandon Roy probably never wanted to leave Portland. It was the closest NBA team to his home in Washington and he was the franchise’s centerpiece. It was just awful to see the way his knees betrayed his talent and nearly derailed his career. So a year to the day after his retirement, Brandon Roy should come home to Portland… even if he is a member of a different team. Roy signed a new deal with Minnesota and is trying to make a comeback nobody thought was possible. It would be great to see him have a good game in his old stomping grounds.
April 9: Hornets @ Bobcats
Finally we get to settle this once and for all… could Kentucky beat the Bobcats? The answer is an emphatic no. But the night after the national championship is played in college basketball, why not get Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist together and see if it could actually happen. I don’t care what rules you have to break, get the Wildcats in town to play the Bobcats. We want to see this happen. More importantly, Cardboard Gerald wants to see this happen (I have no clue if he does, but the Bobcats from last year would have defeated Kentucky, sorry college fans).
November 11: Mavericks vs. Anybody
I really hope second round draft pick Bernard James is still on the roster for Veterans’ Day. It would be an incredible story to see this former Air Force soldier, who served for six years, playing in the NBA on Veterans’ Day. I cannot think of a better way to appreciate and show love for the sacrifice James made. That night, I think we will all be Dallas fans.
What games would you like to see?
