AJC: And so it begins . . .

[Hawksquawk]

Well, what seemed inevitable is now official. The NBA season is going to be less than 82 games for its teams this season because owners continue to lock out players without a new CBA.

The league announced tonight that all games through Nov. 14 are canceled–that means wiped away, not postponed as earlier reports speculated might happen before today’s seven-hour negotiation session. For the Hawks, the decision tosses aside games at Minnesota, vs. Boston, at Chicago, vs. New York, vs. Utah and at Orlando.

The new tentative season-opener is now Nov. 16 vs. Indiana at Philips. Season-ticket owners will get refunds with interest for the canceled games, including exhibitions. Alex Meruelo still is awaiting league approval of his purchase of the team from ASG, though he’s already made several trips to Atlanta and is up to speed on team matters.

Why did the league cancel two weeks instead of one? Think it has anything to do with players getting paid every other week during the season …

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