Suns: Dragic practices, Saturday scrimmage details
Oct 5, 2012, 9:47 PM | Updated: 11:09 pm
October 5, 2012: Day 4 of training camp at UC San Diego
LA JOLLA, Calif. — For the first time since the team arrived here, point guard Goran Dragic practiced.
He had missed the first three days of camp getting treatment for a sprained ankle he suffered in a pick-up game last week at US Airways Center.
“Very limited today,” head coach Alvin Gentry said. “We’re just not going to take any chances there. We don’t think it’s worth it.”
Dragic participated in individual and team drills, including 5-on-0 full court.
Joining the first team of Jared Dudley, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat, Dragic admitted to feeling a little out of shape.
The smile on his face, however, told of another story.
“It was awesome feeling to be back on the court with all of my teammates,” he said with ice wrapped to his left ankle.
Dragic won’t scrimmage tonight and will be held out of the end of camp scrimmage Saturday.
“He’s eager to go but I think we’ll err on the side of caution,” Gentry said.
Dragic is optimistic of being full-go in practice once the team returns to Phoenix.
“We’re going to see how the ankle reacts today,” he said. “Hopefully it’s not going to swell. Hopefully I’m going to play next week.”
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The Suns are opening up the scrimmage Saturday to military personnel and invited guests but not to the general public.
According to Gentry, players will be drafted on to two teams. The teams will be coached by assistants Dan Majerle, Igor Kokoskov and Noel Gillespie as well as player development coach Corey Gaines.
Said Gentry, “We’ll see what kind of GMs we got on our coaching staff.”
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Jermaine O’Neal returned to practice a day after holding himself out for what was called general soreness.
PJ Tucker did not practice. He took a Luis Scola hand to the face and got poked in the eye in practice Thursday. Tucker, who is now sporting goggles, hopes to talk his way on to one of the scrimmage teams Saturday.