Durango – First Oprah Winfrey. Now the Nuggets.
This picturesque town of nearly 15,000 residents received its second major celebrity sighting of the summer when the Nuggets arrived for training camp. The team began its two-a-day practices Tuesday morning at Fort Lewis College and will conclude its work here with an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday night.
“We’re very pleased they picked our town,” Durango Mayor Sidny Zink said. “They’ll be pleasantly surprised even though we have a small town. We have first-class restaurants. They’ll find it a relaxing atmosphere with not many distractions.
“They’ll get a lot of stares. Every now and then we’ll have celebrities. We recognize their right to privacy. But they’ll get stares.”
Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen, who visited Durango in July, also considered Vail and Mesa State College in Grand Junction for training camp. But Vail’s high altitude and lack of facilities were a concern, and Mesa State has a women’s volleyball tournament this weekend.
“It’s nice for our community because we’re pretty isolated from the rest of the state,” Fort Lewis men’s basketball coach Bob Hofman said. “It’s an opportunity for the college to get some exposure it normally wouldn’t get.”
The Nuggets picked Durango primarily because the coaches believe the lack of distractions will help keep the players focused on basketball. And Whalen Gymnasium has a floor similar to the one at the Nuggets’ practice facility, as well as three full courts to practice on.
“We want it to be basketball first, second, third,” said Mark Warkentien, the Nuggets’ vice president of basketball operations. “An isolated place makes sense. The people here wanted us to be here. It’s hoops, hoops and hoops.”
The last time the Nuggets held camp outside Denver was in January 1999, in Colorado Springs during the lockout season.
The Nuggets have four new players as well as Reggie Evans, who arrived in the middle of last season. The front office is new, as is assistant coach Mike Dunlap. With all the changes, the time together here might help the team bond, Warkentien said.
Said newcomer guard J.R. Smith: “I know half of the guys, but I don’t know them as much as I should. It helps me. It helps our team get our kinks out so when we get back we’re all like brothers.”
The Nuggets didn’t exactly take on Durango upon arrival. Guard Earl Boykins watched football on TV. Forward Carmelo Anthony and Smith played video games. Coach George Karl had some beers with the coaching staff.
“It reminded me of Oak Hill (Academy in Virginia),” Anthony said. “All I saw was cows. I’m not going to check out the town today. I’m tired. Maybe later on this week.”
Footnotes
Rookie forward Jefferson Sobral missed Tuesday morning’s practice because his nonguaranteed contract wasn’t finalized, but he practiced in the evening. … Guard Julius Hodge (foot infection) is still in Denver, but Gillen said he might be able to participate in the “next couple of days.” … While Nene didn’t complete the final part of the morning practice, Gillen said Nene and newcomer Joe Smith are being monitored in their recovery from knee injuries and are doing fine.
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com.
