Veteran forward Shawn Marion will be blogging from camp on a daily basis from Europe.

What's up everyone? The Matrix is back with his blog. Day 4 of camp saw us rev it up a little bit faster. It was also a day in which we had two sessions. One in the morning and one late afternoon. The afternoon session was extra special because we were playing in front of the hometown Treviso fans and the troops representing the Aviano and Vicenza military bases. We had a great time out there. I thought we gave the troops and Italians a great show. I think they enjoyed themselves as much as we did in competing against each other. I thought everyone played hard. I liked what I saw of Marcus Banks, one of our new acquisitions. I thought he looked looked good out there. Marcus is a feisty bulldog, he’s going to put that pressure on you. I’m not going to say for 94 feet but maybe 75 feet of the court.

We had Amare playing the full game as he makes his way back. This game was our way of saying thank you to the fans and the men and women of the military bases. We appreciate all that they do and then some. Our days at Treviso are winding down as we'll make our way to Rome on Thursday. By the way, I visted the glass factory the other day in Venice but need to spend more time touring that area. I was there for only 30 minutes or so on Monday. I'm planning on visiting on Wednesday before we leave for Rome. I have to take advantage. It's so beautiful. What's great about this camp is that we're taking care of our business on the court but off of it, we're able to relax and enjoy what the Italians have to offer, which is plenty, as we're all finding out. Ciao!

What’s up, this is Shawn Marion, aka The Matrix, 'Trix is for kids (ha ha) … Yesterday was more like a walk through compared to today’s practice. You’re trying to get your legs under you but it’s kind of hard, even though you’ve been working out, you’re not getting up and down the court the way that you want to but that’s why you have training camp to get yourself in shape. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, and man, you don’t want to get injured during training camp but you do want to make sure you work hard and compete and that’s what we’re doing, getting in condition. We’re not here to see the sites. We’re here to get some work done.

Speaking of sites, I’m planning on visiting Venice but everything shuts down in Italy on Sunday. Nothing is open. I’ll go to Venice when the stores are open, hopefully sometime tomorrow. Besides, today is foggy and you really can’t see anything and I want to make sure I see it in all of its glory. Who knows when the next time I’ll get back here so I better take advantage before we leave for Rome on Wednesday.

Bongiorno! It’s cool to be in Treviso. Even though it’s only been a few hours or so. Took the 14-hour flight from Phoenix, checked into our hotel and then next thing you know, we’re practicing – in Treviso. It was good to get a good sweat going. We’re all excited to be here. I’ve been to Italy before but I’ve never been to Treviso so I’m interested in checking out some of the sights. I have to pick Coach’s brain on what he recommends. I know Venice is only about 35 minutes or so away so I need to take advantage of that opportunity before we leave for Rome on Wednesday.

Coach (Mike) D’Antoni is huge here. We all know that. We want to make sure we have a strong showing and also have some fun as well and soak in some of the culture. When you call Coach’s home phone number in Phoenix, he leaves a message in English and Italian so you know how big he really is.

In case you’re wondering, my knee feels fine. I’m ready to go. I’m excited for the upcoming season, hoping to advance to the NBA Finals and ultimately win the championship. We’ve been knocking on the door a few times, now it’s a matter of taking the next step. But before we do that, we need to get some sleep.

Caio!