With the possibility of an NBA lockout looming, the league has decided to cancel a summer event that NBA junkies adore. The 2011 NBA Summer League, an event where top rookies show their skills for the first time and other youngsters look to make a name for themselves, will not happen this year, according to a report by Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
In two more signs that the NBA is gearing up for a lockout starting July 1, the league has scrubbed its annual Las Vegas summer league and has also scuttled its annual summer internship program, according to league sources.
Dates for the 2011 Summer League had not been scheduled yet, but it usually occurs in mid-July in Las Vegas. Most NBA squads send a team filled with rookies, young up-and-comers, D-League-type players and youngsters that are undrafted that are trying to make a case to be signed by an NBA team or overseas. The teams play five games each.
This means that NBA fans will not even be able to see a glimpse of the top prospects in the 2011 NBA Draft until after the labor situation is resolved. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on July 1.