ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Nets don’t leave the state of New York during the preseason, but they opted to hold training camp at the U.S. Naval Academy. And they’re hoping to get more out of the experience than just basketball.
“I really want the guys to get out of here not just with the basketball experience, but what is this all about,’’ said coach Kenny Atkinson, who faced Navy when he played for Richmond, and whose uncle died in a ship fire on the USS Saratoga. “We’re going to go to formation and see that, hopefully mingle. We’re not going to just do basketball. The coaches, we’re going to mingle with their football coaches and see what’s going on there. Who knows? Maybe we’ll pick up some things.
“Above all, their self-discipline, just how difficult it is, time management. It’s a lot of habits, a lot of the same stuff we talk about. But to be in that environment, and on top of that in a beautiful little city, and close to New York — it wasn’t a 10-hour ride — I’m thrilled. It’s the first day, but this was a home run.”
The Knicks held training camp at West Point during the Phil Jackson regime, while the Spurs held camp at the Air Force Academy while Nets general manager Sean Marks was with San Antonio. With eight new faces, Marks felt getting away to bond would be helpful.
The Nets scrimmaged four or five times Tuesday, but mixed and matched personnel, and likely will scrimmage more than in last year’s camp.
Timofey Mozgov didn’t scrimmage due to how much work he got this summer playing for Russia.
Caris LeVert has shot better in practice, and Mozgov looked surprisingly smooth from the stripe and on mid-range jumpers, encouraging Atkinson that he — and perhaps Tyler Zeller, who hit a couple of corner 3s in open gym recently — can extend beyond the arc.
For the second straight year, Jeremy Lin bought suits for all his teammates.
“It’s just something that, especially the rookies, ‘Let’s get them a nice, fresh suit going into the season so they can have one,’ ” said Lin, using a tailor he knew from Houston. “He can custom the inside with pictures, so if you want pictures of your family, significant dates, you can create the inside of your jacket however you want. That’s what some of the players are doing. It’s a fun little thing, making sure everyone starts off the season looking good.”
Spencer Dinwiddie will auction off game-worn signed items to raise money for a four-year scholarship program.
“To my knowledge it’d be the first to its kind. I’m hoping to actually have my teammates buy into that as well,’’ Dinwiddie said.