HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Patiently Waiting: As Lang Greene went over this morning in the NBA AM, the NBA and players negotiated for over six hours yesterday on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and very little progress was reportedly made.

Both sides are keeping very quiet and releasing very little details. While they both admit that there is a sense of urgency, the lockout is still in place. Right now games being cancelled seems to be far more likely than a deal being done in time for training camp to start on schedule.

It’s well documented that the lockout has had widespread repercussions that’s taken a toll on not just the players, but everyone involved with teams from the front office on down.

College players are also hanging in limbo too, with a great deal on the line. The new CBA is going to dictate when they can enter the draft and how much money they’re going to make. Yet, they have absolutely no say so in it. They just have to hope that the current players have their best interests in mind. While they most certainly do, there is a chance that the players could have to cater on an increase in the age limit.

There’s also the issue of the 2012 draft, which is surrounded by all kinds of uncertainty. How the draft would be conducted in the case of a lost season is unknown. In the worst-case scenario that deal isn’t worked out by June, there may not even be a draft. That has to be a concern for all the players who were planning on going pro after this year.

Being in a position where you have no control over your future is one of the worst spots to be in and that’s exactly where this year’s college players find themselves. For a group that already had plenty on their mind, the CBA is just something else weighing them down. When it gets completed and the future becomes more clear it’ll be a big relief, but until then it’ll definitely be a distraction for a lot of players.

A&M Set Deadline: The ongoing saga between Texas A&M and the Big 12 Conference continues to make headlines. While nothing official has happened yet, a split between the two parties seems like it is inevitable.

A&M set a July 2012 deadline this week for leaving the Big 12 if they have another home. That new home will presumably be the Southeastern Conference, although the league is being tight lipped about the potential addition of A&M right now.

The SEC is already a solid conference, adding A&M would only strengthen that. The Big 12 meanwhile would be on life support in desperate need of finding another program to keep their remaining schools happy with its construction. A&M would join Colorado and Nebraska as the third school to leave the league in the last three years. There’s a fear that Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, who any conference would love to have, could start looking for a new home next.

A&M is sold that the SEC is the best place for them. They’re ready to be done with the Big 12 and come a two or three years from now the entire conference could be done itself if they aren’t careful.

Pearl Out Of Coaching: After being heavily courted by the Texas Legends of the D-League, former Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl has decided to accept a marketing job with H.T. Hackney Co. instead, taking a break from coaching. The Legends’ offer to pearl reportedly was worth up to half a million dollars, which would have made him the highest paid coach in the league.

Pearl recently received a three-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA for misleading investigators over recruiting violations last week. He was fired at the end of the season by Tennessee. During his six years with the program they went 145-61 and were perennial contenders in the Southeastern Conference. Pearl’s staff also received the show-cause penalty, but only for a year. The institution went unpunished.

When interviewed, Pearl cited being closer to his family as the reason why he wanted to venture into marketing. The life of a head coach can be rigorous, especially with all of the traveling. The D-League would be a big adjustment for Pearl too, but it is possible that we see him in the league sometime over the next few years.

Eventually Pearl is going to start missing the game uncontrollably. Offers will come along because he is a quality head coach and when the right one does he’ll take it. Right now he’s understandably taking a break. There’s nothing wrong with letting this cool over and recharging his batteries. Every day that passes puts his violations further in the past, helping him move on. He’ll be back on the sidelines in time, and the D-League could be where he gets his second chance.

The Place To Be On October 15th: One of the things that keeps Kentucky head coach John Calipari’s programs amongst the best in the nation is his relentlessness when it comes to recruiting. He’s always after the premier upcoming talent in the high school ranks. For instance, even as he gets set to coach one of the best teams he’s ever had in 2011-2012, he’s set to practically have the future McDonald’s All-American team visiting Kentucky for midnight madness on October 15th.

According to Beyond The Arc, Shabazz Muhammed, DaJuan Coleman, Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress, T.J. Warren, Willie Cauley, Chris Walker, Dakari Jones, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison – amongst the nation’s top seniors, juniors and sophomores – will all be in attendance for the electrifying event that marks the first practice of the year.

Rupp arena will undoubtedly be rocking as the expectations are extremely high for the Wildcats this season. After advancing to the Final Four last year, many of the Kentucky faithful believe that this is their year to win it all. They’ve got dynamic recruiting class and some actual impact players returning who passed on the draft, a rarity when Calipari’s coaching.

Although all of the aforementioned blue chippers won’t end up Wildcats, this visit will make a serious impression on them. Other schools recruiting them will have their work cut out for them once they get a taste of the life of a Wildcat.

Yannis Koutroupis is a senior NCAA and NBA analyst for HOOPSWORLD. You can follow him on twitter.