Projections of the NBA's salary cap dropping significantly for the 2010-11 season may be overly pessimistic.

While everyone still expects the cap to be reduced for next season, ESPN's Chris Sheridan writes that the reduction may not be as vast as once believed.

"The league office told teams at the Board of Governors meeting on the eve of the season opener to expect the cap to come in somewhere around the $52 million range, but agents who have been briefed on updated financial receipt figures now are using $54 million as their operating number," Sheridan wrote.

The salary cap dropped from $58.68 million in 2008-09 to $57.7 million for the current season.