The NBA is back.
Well, not games. Not even practices, yet.
But four teams open training camps with media day today — the defending champion Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers.
They start a couple days before everyone else because they are all headed overseas for exhibition games. Boston heads to Europe, taking on Fenerbahce Ulker in Istanbul on Oct. 5 in then on Oct. 7 they take on EA& Emporio Armani Milano in Milan, Italy. Dallas will be in Berlin to take on Alba Berlin on Oct. 6, followed on Oct. 9 against FC Barcelona in Spain.
The Clippers and Heat will play each other twice in exhibitions in China.
Everyone will open camp by next Monday, Oct. 1.
We’ll have updates from media day, although be warned now that almost nothing actually interesting is ever said at media day — media members who don’t normally cover the team come to crowd out the beat reporters and ask inane questions. It’s basically Super Bowl Media Day in miniature.
Still, it’s NBA players in NBA uniforms talking about the NBA. We’ll take it. We’re still a week away from games (exhibition games, but games), but that is not that long. The NBA is back, baby. Let’s get this party started.