The Timberwolves today announced their training-camp schedule, which starts a week early this year both because the NBA season starts a week earlier this season and because they have that preseason trip to China, too.
Camp is coming: Timberwolves will hold it in San Diego on their way to China
Tom Thibodeau takes a page from old Boston playbook in scheduling training camp far, far away.
September 8, 2017 at 4:58PM
The Wolves will hold training camp in San Diego at two local universities for seven days before they play the Lakers in a preseason game in Anaheim on Sept. 30.
They'll have their traditional media at their Mayo Clinic Square training facility on Sept. 22 and then fly immediately after that to Califonia. Their first camp practice is the next morning, Saturday, Sept. 23.
Why San Diego, you might ask?
Well...
It's awful nice there, for starters. (That's where the 1992 Dream Team trained before the Barcelona Games.)
It's on their way to Anaheim and two preseason games in China against Golden State.
And Tom Thibodeau was one of the newcomers as an assistant coach when Boston GM Danny Ainge threw together his own dream in 2007 by placing Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen alongside Paul Pierce and Thibodeau liked how a previously scheduled European preseason trip brought together a newly assembled team and helped those Celtics win a NBA title in that first season together.
The Wolves will have lots of time for bonding and team building now that Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson all are on board. But 18 days away from home before the season even starts is a long time away.
Kawhi Leonard will play only his second game of the season after recovering from a knee injury.
