August is almost over, which means the dog days of the NBA offseason are drawing to a close. August is the quietest month of the NBA calendar, with many if not all front offices more or less shutting down as personnel and players enjoy vacation and leisure activities.
September is when things start heating up again, though the first couple weeks are still usually quiet. However, at least the media machine will get revved up again, with more publications/blogs/podcasts doing previews, predictions, and more. We at 213 Hoops will be following that trajectory, with Clippers’ player previews and more general NBA previews coming starting around mid-month.
All that being said, here are a few quick dates to note both for the broader NBA and the Clippers more specifically.
September 24 – Celtics and Nuggets media day
September 30 – Media days for all other NBA teams
October 1 – Training camp begins
October 4 – First NBA preseason game, Celtics vs Nuggets in Abu Dhabi
October 8 – Clippers’ first preseason game, against the Nets (in Oceanside)
October 11 – Clippers’ second preseason game, against the Blazers (in Seattle)
October 14 – Clippers’ third preseason game, against the Mavericks (Intuit)
October 17 – Clippers’ last preseason game, against the Kings (Intuit)
October 22 – NBA Opening Night
October 23 – Clippers’ first regular season game, against the Suns
Finally, for roster business, there’s not a whole lot for the Clippers to do. They have filled out their training camp roster in the past couple months, and should have a full showing in training camp. However, two players are still on their roster who were not expected to be by training camp: PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland. There does not appear to be a market for either player via trade, though injuries in camp could always shake things loose a bit. Right now, nothing is imminent, though it would certainly not be shocking if moves sending either player out were made in the coming weeks. We will just have to wait and see.
