Tonight would have been the Timberwolves season opener against Atlanta at Target Center.

Instead, the NBA Players Association executive committee is, according to ESPN and other reports today, scheduled to meet Thursday and it looks like this week will come and go with no official, in-person negotiations between the two bickering sides.

While the NBA waits for the players to accept that 50-50 offer on the BRI split, a few things:

* Here's a story I did for Wednesday's paper and the web site about Wild and NHL players looking back on their lost season seven years ago. Some good thoughts from local guys Matt Cullen, Darby Hendrickson and Nick Schultz and a look at some quotes former union crusader Bill Guerin made to the Fort Worth paper. With hindsight at his guide, here was his message to NBA players: Make a deal.

* Got an interesting email just now from the New York P.R. firm that was hired recently to improve Michael Beasley's image and help with promotion of that "All-Star Classic" game that turned into more of a friends and acquaintances thing. The email advised that the firm "no longer is affiliated" with Beasley and referred all inquires to some guy named "Shooter" with a Washington D.C. phone number.

* I'm working on a story where I hope to find a handful of people who are affected financially or emotionally by this lockout. If you're a vendor, security guard, parking-lot attendant, nearby restaurant waitress-waiter who's losing money while the rich and richer guys duke it out or if you can't sleep at night without your hoops and willing to talk and have your voice heard, email me at jzgoda@startribune.com.