NBA Utah Jazz 2011 Preview: 5 Key Dates During the Season

Amid all of the lockout talk and confusion, players leaving to play oversees, and speculation of whether the NBA will be back in business next season or not, the league made an optimistic move and released the game schedule for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

With the lockout now lasting since the first of July, and with no real end in sight, there is a good possibility that the NBA will not start on time, if at they end up playing at all.

As they have had in previous seasons, the Jazz will have their ups and downs. There will be great games, big upsets, and tough losses.

They will have a last second win, winning streaks, losing streaks, and players that both over and under perform.

It is also likely that somewhere along the way they will honor Hall of Fame head coach Jerry Sloan who retired last season.

As the schedule looks now, the Jazz will open the season on November 1, and will play their first two games at home against the Rockets and Grizzlies.

They then will play their next five on the road.

The team will continue a yearly tradition of a long Eastern Conference road trip just before Christmas and ends the season by playing 10 games against Western Conference opponents.

The following slides will predict 5 of the key dates for the Utah Jazz for next season as we know it now.

November 1, 2011: Opening Night

If the NBA lockout continues to be what it is now, it will be nothing short of a miracle if the Jazz and the other teams in the league actually play on this night.

In the event that the lockout is over and the season starts on time, the Jazz open the NBA season on the same night as many other teams. They will face the Houston Rockets at home.

Not only will this night mark opening night, it will be the debut of 2011 lottery picks Enes Kanter, and Alec Burks. Fans will get their first look at both of these guys and could see some other new guys in uniform as well.

It could also mark the first season in a long time that the team opens a season without Andrei Kirilenko depending on what he chooses to do in free agency. 

January 14, 2012: Deron Williams Comes Back to Utah

The New Jersey Nets and former Jazz point guard Deron Williams stop in Salt Lake City in mid January.

This game will mark his first return to Utah since the shocking trade that sent him away just before the trade deadline last season.

After making headlines this off season by planning to play in Turkey if there is an extended lockout, Williams will undoubtedly get a warn reception from Jazz fans who were upset and confused when the two time All-Star was sent away from the team.

Expect Williams to play a bit harder and work to get a win against his former team. He will likely get a lot of fan support from the fans in Utah.

January 30, 2012: Jimmer Fredette Returns to Utah

Perhaps the only player that many Jazz fans want to see play in Utah more than Deron Williams is Jimmer Fredette.

Love him or hate him, he and the Sacramento Kings make their first and only trip to Utah on January 30 for a Monday night matchup against the Jazz.

Due to his popularity while playing at Brigham Young University where he won the NCAA Player of the Year award, Jimmermania will be alive and well at the Energy Solutions Arena on that night.

This game will undoubtedly be the first to sell out when ticket sales begin, will set the local media into a frenzy, and fill the crowd with blue and white #32 jerseys.

Hopefully for his sake and for all of the Jimmermaniacs that will only go to one Jazz game this season, Jimmer plays well, and they will get to see their hero.

This game will be one of the biggest events of the year.

Mid- to Late-February: NBA Trade Deadline

Unless the Utah Jazz choose to make some key roster moves via trade before the deadline, they will be a major player in the mid-season trade activity.

Except for last season, the Jazz, not historically known for making deadline trades, may have some players that they need to send away.

The most notable of these is center Mehmet Okur. Unless he comes back from an injury and regains the form he played with prior to getting hurt, the Jazz will be looking to unload his expiring contract. There will likely be another team that is willing to trade for him to take about $10 million off of their books.

It is possible that Okur either retires due to injury or is very limited in how he can perform from this point forward.

The Jazz may be looking to trade one of it's other front court players at the deadline as well. Due to the lockout it is very possible that the Jazz start the season with several players in the front court that will be competing for playing time.

Trading one of these guys will depend on the development of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. If they do well, it could mean that Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson will be on the trading block.

Maybe they will be able to bring in some good starters or solid role players that will help the team get to the playoffs.

April 18, 2012: Last Day of the Season

The Jazz will face the Portland Trailblazers in the last game of the regular season in late April.

Jazz fans hope that this season will not be a repeat of last year where the game was a welcome end to a very difficult season.

After that game, and hopefully before, the Jazz will know what the future holds for them. They will know if they have qualified for the playoffs, and who they will play if they made it.

The team will also find out the draft order and whether or not they will receive a first round selection from Golden State. The pick is protected by the Warriors if it is in the top seven.

Depending on the outcome of the season, by the last game, Jazz fans will know if they are looking forward to the playoffs, or looking forward to the draft.

Fans can hope that at that point the attention has not yet turned to college players and NBA free agency, and that the team still has some basketball left to play.

Other Notable Games on the Schedule

There are a few more games on the schedule that will be popular with NBA fans and will quickly sell out.

One of the biggest of these will be on March 2, when LeBron James and the Miami Heat make their only stop in Salt Lake City.

Last season the Jazz lost to the Heat at home, but did beat them in Miami. That game proved to be the best game of last season for the Jazz, as they overcame a huge deficit at halftime to win in overtime.

That was the game that Paul Millsap almost won for the team by himself as he hit shot after shot from behind the arc, refusing to quit.

Other notable home games include:

December 2, 2011 and January 17, 2012 against the Los Angeles Lakers

January 19 and April 16 against the Dallas Mavericks

November 21 against the Chicago Bulls

February 10 and March 20 against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Chris Johstoneaux is a Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report who usually covers the NBA and Major League Soccer. If you liked this article, please take a moment to leave me a comment and follow me on Twitter @JazzRSLExaminer or Facebook at the Chris J. Sports Page