The Jazz's 2011-12 regular-season schedule was released Tuesday. But whether Utah plays all, some or any of its games next year remains to be seen as the NBA approaches the third week of what many believe will be a prolonged lockout.

The Jazz are scheduled to open their 2011-12 campaign Nov. 1 against Houston at EnergySolutions Arena and close their regular season April 18, 2012, at Portland.

Ex-Utah guard Deron Williams is set to officially return to Salt Lake City on Jan. 14, 2012, when the Jazz host New Jersey. Utah traded Williams on Feb. 23, and the former face of the franchise has not returned to ESA since the blockbuster deal.

Ex-Brigham Young star Jimmer Fredette's first NBA game in SLC will be on Jan. 30, 2012, when Utah hosts Sacramento.

The Jazz open their season with back-to-back home games against the Rockets and Memphis, but then head out on a five-game road trip that stretches from Nov. 5 to 12 and features challenging contests against Miami (Nov. 8) and Orlando (Nov. 9). Utah has three five-game road trips next season, while the team's longest homestand is a five-game run from Dec. 30 to Jan. 14, 2012.

Nine of the Jazz's first 14 games are on the road, and a rebuilding Utah team will play 17 away contests during the first two months of the season. The Jazz's busiest month is March, which features 19 games.

Other big Jazz home contests scheduled for next season: Nov. 14 against New York; Nov. 21 versus Chicago; March 2, 2012, against Miami.

Utah is set to face the Los Angeles Lakers three times: Dec. 2 and Jan. 17, 2012, in SLC; Feb. 28, 2012, in L.A.

A Jazz franchise that lacks a marketable star will play only four games on major national television networks (ESPN, TNT), while six will be available on NBA TV.

All contests are contingent upon league owners and players settling upon a new collective-bargaining agreement (CBA), though, and the sides have not formally met since owners declared a lockout July 1. While a four-month-long NFL lockout appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough, some sports labor analysts believe that NBA owners are wiling to lose the entire 2011-12 season if they can achieve a new CBA that improves a flawed financial system.

Sept. 15 is considered to be a key date for NBA negotiations. If the league does not have a revamped CBA by then, training camp will likely be postponed and canceled preseason games could follow. The Jazz started training camp for the 2010-11 season Sept. 28, 2010, while Utah played its first preseason game Oct. 7, 2010.

Most players will not start missing paychecks until mid-November, though, which is when many analysts believe that CBA discussions will finally move forward. By that time, eight Jazz games would have already disappeared from the schedule.

Whenever the 2011-12 season starts, it will mark Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin's second year running the team. Utah finished the 2010-11 campaign just 8-20 after Corbin took over midseason for Jerry Sloan, ending a disappointing year at 39-43 overall and failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Corbin will have a full offseason to make strategic changes, but he has been unable to have contact with his players since the lockout started.

Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Devin Harris are expected to lead the Jazz, while rookies Enes Kanter and Alec Burks will team with second-year players Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors to give Utah a promising but unproven core group of young athletes.

The Jazz's roster is expected to undergo additional changes before the season begins. Free agency cannot begin until the lockout is lifted, and veterans such as Millsap, Harris, Jefferson and Mehmet Okur could be used as valuable trade pieces once the ban on player movement is removed.

Utah's roster is currently set at 11 players, leaving four open spots. Whether the league allows a maximum of 15 players per team is another question yet to be answered, though, and will not be determined until a new CBA is established.

NBA commissioner David Stern was scheduled to meet Tuesday with representatives from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to discuss the lockout's impact.

While Williams has already signed with a professional Turkish club and plans to play overseas as long as the work stoppage lasts, FIBA has yet to clear players under NBA contracts to play with international teams. The cost of insurance for foreign NBA players planning to play for their home countries this summer during international qualifying tournaments for the 2012 Summer Olympics is also an issue.

bsmith@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribjazz

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2011-12 regular season schedule

November Opponent Time

Tue 01 vs. Houston 7 p.m.

Thu 03 vs. Memphis 7 p.m.

Sat 05 @ Houston 6 p.m.

Tue 08 @ Miami 5:30 p.m.

Wed 09 @ Orlando 5 p.m.

Fri 11 @ Atlanta 5:30 p.m.

Sat 12 @ Charlotte 5 p.m.

Mon 14 vs. New York 7 p.m.

Fri 18 vs. LA Clippers 7 p.m.

Sun 20 @ Oklahoma City 5 p.m.

Mon 21 vs. Chicago 7 p.m.

Wed 23 @ Sacramento 8 p.m.

Fri 25 @ Portland 8 p.m.

Sat 26 @ Golden State 8:30 p.m.

Wed 30 vs. Indiana 7 p.m.

December Opponent Time

Fri 02 vs. LA Lakers 7 p.m.

Sun 04 @ San Antonio 5 p.m.

Mon 05 @ Dallas 6:30 p.m.

Wed 07 vs. Orlando 7 p.m.

Fri 09 vs. Boston 7 p.m.

Mon 12 vs. New Orleans 7 p.m.

Wed 14 vs. Golden State 8:30 p.m.

Fri 16 @ Denver 7 p.m.

Sun 18 @ Indiana 4 p.m.

Tue 20 @ Detroit 5:30 p.m.

Wed 21 @ New York 5:30 p.m.

Fri 23 @ Milwaukee 6:30 p.m.

Mon 26 vs. Denver 7 p.m.

Wed 28 @ Houston 6 p.m.

Fri 30 vs. Philadelphia 7 p.m.

January Opponent Time

Tue 03 vs. Milwaukee 7 p.m.

Thu 05 vs. Memphis 7 p.m.

Tue 10 vs. Cleveland 7 p.m.

Sat 14 vs. New Jersey 7 p.m.

Sun 15 @ San Antonio 5 p.m.

Tue 17 vs. LA Lakers 7 p.m.

Thu 19 vs. Dallas 8:30 p.m.

Sat 21 vs. Minnesota 7 p.m.

Mon 23 @ Golden State 8:30 p.m.

Wed 25 vs. Toronto 7 p.m.

Sat 28 vs. Portland 7 p.m.

Mon 30 vs. Sacramento 7 p.m.

Tue 31 @ Phoenix 7 p.m.

February Opponent Time

Fri 03 @ Denver 8:30 p.m.

Mon 06 vs. Charlotte 7 p.m.

Wed 08 @ Minnesota 6 p.m.

Fri 10 vs. Oklahoma City 8:30 p.m.

Sun 12 @ Memphis 4 p.m.

Mon 13 @ New Orleans 6 p.m.

Wed 15 vs. Atlanta 7 p.m.

Fri 17 vs. Washington 7 p.m.

Mon 20 vs. San Antonio 7 p.m.

Wed 22 vs. Portland 7 p.m.

Tue 28 @ LA Lakers 8:30 p.m.

Wed 29 vs. Phoenix 7 p.m.

March Opponent Time

Fri 02 vs. Miami 7 p.m.

Sun 04 @ Philadelphia 4 p.m.

Mon 05 @ Cleveland 5 p.m.

Wed 07 @ Washington 5 p.m.

Fri 09 @ Minnesota 6 p.m.

Sat 10 @ Chicago 6 p.m.

Mon 12 vs. Detroit 7 p.m.

Wed 14 @ LA Clippers 8:30 p.m.

Thu 15 vs. Minnesota 7 p.m.

Sat 17 vs. Golden State 7 p.m.

Sun 18 @ Oklahoma City 5 p.m.

Tue 20 vs. Oklahoma City 7 p.m.

Thu 22 @ Sacramento 8 p.m.

Fri 23 vs. Denver 7 p.m.

Sun 25 @ Toronto 11 a.m.

Mon 26 @ New Jersey 5:30 p.m.

Wed 28 @ Boston 5:30 p.m.

Fri 30 vs. Phoenix 7 p.m.

Sat 31 @ LA Clippers 8:30 p.m.

April Opponent Time

Wed 04 vs. Houston 7 p.m.

Fri 06 vs. LA Clippers 7 p.m.

Sat 07 @ Phoenix 8 p.m.

Mon 09 vs. San Antonio 7 p.m.

Fri 13 @ New Orleans 6 p.m.

Sat 14 @ Memphis 6 p.m.

Mon 16 vs. Dallas 7 p.m.

Wed 18 @ Portland 8:30 p.m.

All Times Mountain