The New Jersey Nets added an international owner, an international front office, and now an international schedule. The only thing missing from the list is international talent.
The NBA released the full 2010-11 schedule Tuesday, and New Jersey will take its basketball brand to China and London.
The Nets will face the Houston Rockets twice in China this upcoming preseason. The schedule makers had Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian squaring off - mano a mano. Ironically, neither might play. Yi obviously won't play since the Nets traded him to the Wizards in a cap-related move, and Yao continues to rehab a chronically injured foot.
New Jersey will then play the Toronto Raptors in an English double-header on Mar. 4 and 5 in London's O2 Arena.
Toronto's roster is marked by international players Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani.
In between, the Nets will call The Rock, Newark's Prudential Center, home.
The wheels are in motion to create a global basketball team - the only thing missing are the players. New Jersey struck out in free agency, settling for Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, and Johan Petro.
After failing to find a suitable starter at the power forward position, the Nets signed perennial underachiever Sean May, the former North Carolina force, to a non-guaranteed contract.
Lonely at the four
The Nets are left with 18-year old first rounder Derrick Favors, Kris Humphries, and May at the No. 4 spot.
New Jersey missed out on a golden opportunity to fill the spot with the hard working, overachieving forward Louis Amundson.
Amundson, Avery Johnson's kind of hard-nosed player, became a staple coming off the Phoenix Suns' bench. He averaged 4.7 ppg and 4.4 rpg in less than 15 minutes of action a night.
His durability, 155 games played in the last two seasons, and ability to run the floor would have suited Devin Harris perfectly.
Alas, the Nets were not willing to meet Amundson's $3 million demand.
Enter Sean May (video below).
Humphries will likely start and Favors will come off the bench.
Schedule highlights
After amassing 12 wins last season, the Nets will host the Miami Heat on Halloween for what's sure to be a fright-filled game.
The game is the third of four straight games to open the season at home.
On a positive note, New Jersey opens the year with winnable games against the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings.
In addition, all games in Newark will start at 7 p.m. this season, as opposed to 7:30 p.m. at Izod.
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