2008 Woodie Awards
NBA Preps Players for a Rigorous Season
NBA training camp opens among a flurry of other national sporting events.
Juan Bernal
Issue date: 10/14/05 Section: Sports
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In the beginning of October, if you are a sports fan, chances are that you are following the magic of the baseball playoffs, the intense rivalries on the college football gridiron or spending your Sundays on the couch watching the NFL Action.
But in case your football teams are already out of championship picture before midseason or if your baseball team is already out of postseason contention, you can turn your attention to the start of NBA Training Camp.
NBA's training camp is the least rigorous of the four major sports. There is no two months of preseason games, endless conditioning drills and fugazy drama that nobody really pays attention to.
NBA Training Camp is only one week before the first preseason games. It is typically held in an obscure location such as Jacksonville (Orlando Magic) or Hilton Head, South Carolina (New York Knicks).
The first day is media day, in which players get their pictures taken, do commercials and other activities that pertain to the media and public relations.
The next five days are for basketball activities that range from scrimmages to wind sprints to ball handling drills. Day Two is exclusively for players that have less than three years experience in the league, or players that are trying to make the team. Training camp concludes on the sixth day where there is a special intrasquad scrimmage that is open to the public.
The NBA Training Camp is not as notorious for cuts as the NFL or Major League Baseball may be. If you are a San Antonio Spurs fan, you can rest assured that Tim Duncan will be your starting power forward next season.
For superstars such as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady or Kevin Garnett, training camp is about displaying how you improved your game over the off-season or just four of five days to prove to their coaches and teammates that they run the show. There are no cuts in training camp.
Typically a training camp roster carries between 18 and 20 players. Between five and eight of those will get cut prior to the regular season, which kicks off in November.
But in case your football teams are already out of championship picture before midseason or if your baseball team is already out of postseason contention, you can turn your attention to the start of NBA Training Camp.
NBA's training camp is the least rigorous of the four major sports. There is no two months of preseason games, endless conditioning drills and fugazy drama that nobody really pays attention to.
NBA Training Camp is only one week before the first preseason games. It is typically held in an obscure location such as Jacksonville (Orlando Magic) or Hilton Head, South Carolina (New York Knicks).
The first day is media day, in which players get their pictures taken, do commercials and other activities that pertain to the media and public relations.
The next five days are for basketball activities that range from scrimmages to wind sprints to ball handling drills. Day Two is exclusively for players that have less than three years experience in the league, or players that are trying to make the team. Training camp concludes on the sixth day where there is a special intrasquad scrimmage that is open to the public.
The NBA Training Camp is not as notorious for cuts as the NFL or Major League Baseball may be. If you are a San Antonio Spurs fan, you can rest assured that Tim Duncan will be your starting power forward next season.
For superstars such as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady or Kevin Garnett, training camp is about displaying how you improved your game over the off-season or just four of five days to prove to their coaches and teammates that they run the show. There are no cuts in training camp.
Typically a training camp roster carries between 18 and 20 players. Between five and eight of those will get cut prior to the regular season, which kicks off in November.