The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A festive Bahamian welcome for the defending NBA champions Miami Heat was the unofficial opening for the team as they headed into 2013 training camp and a quest for a third consecutive title.

Heat personnel raved about the welcome and the overall experience of being in the Bahamas, but insisted that training camp would be strictly business for the duration of the week.

Heat forward Chris Bosh said it was a welcome surprise which set the tone early for the highly anticipated trip. “It was nice, it really surprised everybody. I’ve been to the Carnival in Toronto so I have had that kind of experience before but it was cool that the people were showing us love in the rain like that. We know we have fans everywhere. It’s not very far away from Miami but to have another country show us love like that, it’s very important for us to grow the game, grow the Miami Heat brand and bring good basketball to different places and hopefully get more people into it,” he said.

“A lot of our friends and family thought when you hear Bahamas you automatically relax, but we just hear training camp. We know we are here to put in work and that’s all we’re thinking about.”

Newly signed Heat forward Michael Beasley, in his second stint with the franchise after he was selected number two overall in 2008, said he was humbled by the reception the team got from the Bahamian public.

“At the airport, man that was crazy. It was raining, it was late, but the people were out there dancing and having a good time and happy to see the team,” he said. “It was good and it was definitely humbling, makes you feel good to be a part of something like that.”

Beasley and a troop of newcomers which include veterans Greg Oden and Roger Mason Jr, were a part of their first practice session with the Heat which lasted approximately two hours.

Oden, the injury-plagued former No.1 overall pick in 2007, practised for about 30 minutes before he iced both knees.

Three-time NBA champion and nine time All-Star, Dwyane Wade, said while the team embraces the experience, the importance of training has not been lost on the team.

“We’re thankful to the organisation and the Ministry of Tourism. We are coming down here to work, to clear our minds and they gave us a great place to come in and get some work done. We’re coming right from Miami, not too far, but it’s a good chance to get away from everything and be around each other as a group and just have ‘us time’ because we don’t  have that as much as we would like,” he said.

“I’m not on vacation. We already did all that over the summer. We are going to get off our feet and enjoy each other. We might play some cards but that’s about it.”

Wade said the Heat’s first international training camp was a welcome change to the organisation in their first step toward a three-peat.

“It’s a welcome change for Miami. Since I’ve been with the organisation we only left one time to go somewhere else, so this is just the second time we left  in my 11 seasons. It’s a good thing to get away and kind of change the scenery,” he said.

Reigning League and Finals MVP LeBron James said despite the shift to Atlantis’ Imperial Ballroom, the first day of training camp was business as usual.

“It was pretty cool for them to provide this for us. I thought that was nice of them to welcome us with open arms to the island. It was pretty awesome,” he said.

“It’s a good court, we had no problems at all and everything we needed was in place. A gym is a gym no matter where you are. Once you get in here you sweat and put in work and it’s all the same.”

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said the four-day trip from the Bahamas was a “good environment” for the team to unofficially open its 2013-14 season. 

“We want to extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Tourism here in the Bahamas. They have been very gracious to us and have been planning this for a while. We think it’s a good environment for us to get to work, get away and get back to building some habits that we will need.

“It’s an opportunity for us to spend a lot of time together this week, a lot of meals, a lot of bus drives in a space and environment our guys can enjoy, at least the scenery,” he said.

“The guys are mature, they know what’s at stake, they know they’re here to work.”