REPORTING FROM ...
NBA SUMMER SESSIONS

Jordan. Wade. Finley. Marion. Richardson. Howard. Harris. Iguadola ... These are some decent pickup games.

by Scott Powers

Decked out from jersey to shoes in red and white Jordan gear, Juwan Howard just can't seem to finish off the final jumper he needs from 16 feet to move to another drill on a recent morning.

"F***!" he yells as yet another one rims out.

As Howard struggles from the right side, the two trainers underneath the basket talk about the movie Colors. Howard finally swishes one.

"They were getting ready to make Colors 2 by the time he hit his seven shots," ATTACK Athletics trainer Mike Procopio says.

Howard laughs. He got his dig in earlier, telling Procopio: "I know you've been working with 5-year-olds. It must be nice working with a real professional."

This is the banter that goes on no matter who steps on the floor at Tim Grover's gym. Whether it's Howard, Dwyane Wade, Devin Harris, Andre Iguodala or the dozen-plus other NBA guys who come to ATTACK Athletics, cheap shots are part of the price of admission.

Howard's been coming to Grover, who made his name as Michael Jordan's trainer, for the past 15 off-seasons. Over 14 NBA seasons he's played in more than 1,000 games. He needs no other proof to know Grover's workouts work.

Howard traveled here this morning and every morning because of Grover, but just as important—you might say reason 1A—is that Grover's multi-million dollar facility is in Chicago. For Howard, Wade, Michael Finely, Antoine Walker, Bobby Simmons, Shannon Brown, Roger Powell, Andre Brown, Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson and Julian Wright, all of whom come to Grover, Chicago is and will always be home.

"Personally, I'm a little biased," says Howard, who expects to sign with a team next week. "I love home. Chicago is one of the best cities, especially during the summer time. Restaurants, great outdoor festivals, the weather is perfect. Also, you got a lot of Chicago ballplayers that are in the NBA or former players in the NBA from Chicago, a ton of them. Why should I go to any other place? This helps us tremendously to get ready for that grueling NBA schedule playing some of the best talent, best skilled athletes of the world."

There's that love for the city, but also that respect for the players who come from it. As kids, NBA players take pride in what side of the city they're from. It's all about South Side vs. West Side when in high school. As pros, they come together, and it's Chicago vs. everyone else. The city-pride issue has trickle-down effects now, with city versus city all-star games now routinely played at the high school level.

"They like to represent their city," says Grover, who you'll never find wearing anything but Jordan apparel. "When they're playing ball, and there's somebody in from New York or a different city, you can hear the guys saying 'This is Chi. That stuff doesn't happen here.' It's great."

The open runs are legendary. On almost any day, you can find the court filled with past and present NBA All-Stars. Nearly all the Bulls during their championship reign would make appearances. Jordan used to show up after retiring.

The games now even have refs, shot clocks and a full-sized scoreboard.

"It's like buying rights to these guys," Grover said. "They'll come in the next day and say, 'Hey, how many games you win yesterday?' I'll try to switch the teams up just to switch the match-ups. Guys will be like, 'No, we want to play the same teams, same guys.' They want to beat the other guys. It's a dinner conversation for them."

There is, of course, plenty of smack talked here. Howard is an epic talker. Andre Brown likes to give it back to him.

"We both trash-talk," said Brown, who said he was considering Charlotte and Chicago for the season. "I've learned a lot from him. … I've been working out with Grover since almost high school. It's only right for me to stay with the Chicago tradition and come work out with the guys. Plus, it's a competition every summer. I see myself getting better every year."

Wade spent more time in Grover's gym this spring and summer than ever before. Coming off his knee troubles of last season, he was determined to show in Beijing that he was the Wade of old. He got ready with Grover's program and through facing his fellow Chicagoans in the pickup games.

"We all have an unbelievable amount of respect for each other," Wade said. "Guys from Chicago just have that. You look at people as family, you treat them as family. That's how we do. Everybody from Chicago is pretty close-knit with respect to each other. We know how hard each other works and what it takes to be a professional."

"If it wasn't for (Jeff Van Gundy), I would have been out of Houston a long time ago," Howard says.

For Wade, his early summer trek back included more than just basketball. He'd spend 20-25 minutes on an anti-gravity treadmill that allowed him to run at half his body weight. He used hydraulic equipment in Grover's 10,000-square foot weight room that strengthened his knee. He spent plenty of time sitting on a table and having his knee rubbed down. After it all, he'd include himself in the 2 p.m. pickup games with everyone else.

As an afternoon workout progresses, the conversation between the trainers and Howard turns to Jeff Van Gundy and whether he'll get another coaching gig.

"If it wasn't for him, I would have been out of Houston a long time ago," Howard says. "They wanted to trade me for Mike James for a while. He wanted to keep me."

One of the trainers chimes in, "Mike James needs 20 shots a game to be effective. No one wants to give Mike James 20 shots. He's a scorer who doesn't score. … He's a nice guy, though."

Howard laughs. Of course, Mike James isn't a Chicago guy.

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