Ira Winderman

We are in the equivalent of the opening minutes of a game, the timeframe most consider irrelevant in the NBA.

Only there are games lost in those opening minutes, the ones without a single lead change, when that early six-point deficit turns to eight then 10 then simply too much to overcome, even with the inevitable comeback.

This is where the NBA lockout stands, in these opening days.

Some will argue the NBA isn't a July sport, anyway.

They would be mistaken.

Even now, seemingly just hours since David Stern and Billy Hunter went their separate ways, valuable time already is being lost, by more than many suspect.

Already scratched are the summer leagues scheduled for Orlando and Las Vegas. We're not talking as much about first-rounders getting their initial seasoning, as was the case with the Wizards' John Wall and Kings' DeMarcus Cousins last July in Las Vegas. This is about the opportunity for some to get their only seasoning and perhaps only opportunity to impress, such as second-round picks from current and previous drafts, those who toiled overseas in relative obscurity, as well as those who were buried on NBA inactive lists this past season.

A year ago, quality play in Las Vegas allowed Derrick Caracter to solidify a spot with the Lakers, Reggie Williams to firm up his chances with the Warriors, the same for Sam Young with the Grizzlies, and Ty Lawson to make his move toward what could wind up as a full-time starting spot with the Nuggets.

This year? This year's second-rounders might have no choice but to make their first impressions overseas, and borderline NBA types won't get that second chance to make a first impression.

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And that doesn't get into the complete scope of the loss of the two NBA-sanctioned summer leagues. The summer leagues also are a time when teams broker deals with foreign scouts, who dot the stands at such events. It is not unusual for an NBA team to work out deals in July that send later draft choices to European teams while retaining their future NBA rights with contract tenders.

Some teams rushed to get such tenders in place, such as the Heat with former Memphis standout Robert Dozier, who thrived this past season in Greece. But other players this year might have to complete European agreements without tying them to potential NBA contract tenders.

Although summer league tends to offer all the artistry of D-League play, such an audition last summer helped move Landry Fields from the second round into the Knicks' starting lineup and eventually to a first-team All-Rookie selection. It opened a similar door for Gary Neal with the Spurs.

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The first casualties of the lockout could be those with the most to lose, and those without a voice. Most who compete in summer leagues are not members of the National Basketball Players Association; they had no union vote in the very labor dispute that is crippling their pro careers.

Then there are those caught between the lowest rung of summer-league play but not quite on equal footing as the players dug in against the league's labor proposals, a group of veterans caught in the ultimate limbo, former NBA players who have been out of the game and are seeking their way back.

No one would expect, at this stage of their careers, for Eddy Curry, Flip Murray, Mike James, Jamaal Tinsley, even Allen Iverson to have to work their way back into the league through summer-league auditions.

But they at least could have made their rounds through league practice facilities during these weeks and months, mixed it up with returning veterans in private auditions in front of NBA coaches and scouts.

Now those who were out of sight in 2010-11 could wind up out of mind when teams scurry to piece together rosters at the end of the lockout. Even a brief lockout could end of careers of players such as Mo Peterson, Bobby Simmons and Larry Hughes, who might have been hoping for the one final shot.