duncan228
11-08-2009, 02:27 AM
Morning is now more restful as NBA teams alter shoot-arounds (http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/nov/07/bc-bkn-nbacol-adv08mw-_-sports-2200-words/?sports&nba)
By Tom Enlund
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It's not exactly a league-wide trend yet, but it sure does seem to be catching on.
We're talking about the switch to afternoon practices.
The San Antonio Spurs are the latest team to move their workouts to the afternoon, and the reaction seems to be mostly favorable. While on the surface such a change may not seem like any big deal, NBA players are creatures of habit, and any little change in their routine can be disruptive.
Most teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, begin their practices late in the morning.
"It's a little different," said San Antonio's Tim Duncan. "I understand what (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich ) is trying to do, trying to get a little closer to game time where our bodies are reacting the same way they would on a game day. It makes sense. It's obviously a big change and we'll have to get used to it."
Boston and New York are other teams that have altered the times of practices and/or game-day shoot-arounds.
Popovich — paying heed to a study conducted at Stanford that concluded that a primary factor in an athlete's recovery is sleep — has moved the team's practices from the morning to 4 p.m. The Spurs also have changed their routine for game-day shoot-arounds. Last week, for example, they conducted what would have been Thursday morning's shoot-around in Utah on Wednesday afternoon after they arrived in Salt Lake City.
"You need sleep," said Popovich. "Sleep means recovery, mental and physical. Your body rejuvenates. So we felt getting out of the morning practices was important."
San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are accustomed to practicing in the afternoon from their playing days in Europe, and Ginobili celebrated the first day of the new routine by sleeping for 12 hours straight.
"That first day was great," he said. "It felt really good and my legs were fresh."
Other Spurs aren't so sure about the new routine.
"That's my rest time," said Antonio McDyess. "My body seems to shut down about 4 in the afternoon."
The Knicks this season decided to no longer conduct game-day shoot-arounds at home, while the Celtics have moved practices back one hour to noon. Boston also has all but eliminated the morning shoot-arounds, preferring to hold a walk-through late in the afternoon on game days at the arena at home or in a hotel ballroom when on the road.
"I like it," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I think our guys love it. They weren't 100 percent sold on it (at first) because they like getting it done early."
By Tom Enlund
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It's not exactly a league-wide trend yet, but it sure does seem to be catching on.
We're talking about the switch to afternoon practices.
The San Antonio Spurs are the latest team to move their workouts to the afternoon, and the reaction seems to be mostly favorable. While on the surface such a change may not seem like any big deal, NBA players are creatures of habit, and any little change in their routine can be disruptive.
Most teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, begin their practices late in the morning.
"It's a little different," said San Antonio's Tim Duncan. "I understand what (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich ) is trying to do, trying to get a little closer to game time where our bodies are reacting the same way they would on a game day. It makes sense. It's obviously a big change and we'll have to get used to it."
Boston and New York are other teams that have altered the times of practices and/or game-day shoot-arounds.
Popovich — paying heed to a study conducted at Stanford that concluded that a primary factor in an athlete's recovery is sleep — has moved the team's practices from the morning to 4 p.m. The Spurs also have changed their routine for game-day shoot-arounds. Last week, for example, they conducted what would have been Thursday morning's shoot-around in Utah on Wednesday afternoon after they arrived in Salt Lake City.
"You need sleep," said Popovich. "Sleep means recovery, mental and physical. Your body rejuvenates. So we felt getting out of the morning practices was important."
San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are accustomed to practicing in the afternoon from their playing days in Europe, and Ginobili celebrated the first day of the new routine by sleeping for 12 hours straight.
"That first day was great," he said. "It felt really good and my legs were fresh."
Other Spurs aren't so sure about the new routine.
"That's my rest time," said Antonio McDyess. "My body seems to shut down about 4 in the afternoon."
The Knicks this season decided to no longer conduct game-day shoot-arounds at home, while the Celtics have moved practices back one hour to noon. Boston also has all but eliminated the morning shoot-arounds, preferring to hold a walk-through late in the afternoon on game days at the arena at home or in a hotel ballroom when on the road.
"I like it," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I think our guys love it. They weren't 100 percent sold on it (at first) because they like getting it done early."