The Philadelphia 76ers open camp this morning at Duke University's famed Cameron Indoor Arena, ready to build off a strong second half of last year. Sixers.com is in Durham with the team; here are just a few insights as the team heads off to kick off camp.

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CAMP OPENS:
The Sixers hit the floor for their first practice at 10am this morning for a full, three-hour session. With only one practice today, the team focused its collective effort on one primary aspect: Defense. Head Coach Maurice Cheeks and his staff had the team get back to the basics, including running defensive drills that veteran point guard Andre Miller hasn't even been through.

"It was the first time I've ever done some slide drills from end to end," said Miller. "It was a good practice. Guys were into it, they were enthusiastic and we kept moving on to the next drill."

The tempo was set early and continued all day. The team continued through drills and five-on-five scrimmages focused largely stopping the ball.

How focused is the team on defense heading into the 2007-08 season?

"We didn't do an offensive drill today," Kyle Korver said. "During the water breaks, the bigs got to shoot while the smalls got their water, and vice versa, but that's the only time we did anything on the offensive end today."

Cheeks set the tone throughout the day and emphasized during his media availability that he wanted to make sure the team was committed to the defensive side of the ball, something that becomes "habitual" to the players.

"It's 'Defense, Defense, Defense,'" Korver said. "That's what [Coach Cheeks] has been preaching and it showed today in our first practice."

FROM THE SIDELINES :

Sammy Dalembert (left foot stress fracture), Shavlik Randolph (left ankle fracture and dislocation) and Thaddeus Young (right ankle sprain) all practiced today at different levels.

From Albuquerque to Durham: The Sixers D-League affiliate Albuquerque Thunderbirds had their coaching staff on hand today to watch practice, led by former Sixer Jeff Ruland. They sat in the stands at mid-court with the rest of the team's front office staff.

"Happy Birthday to Me ..." : Yesterday was rookie Herbert Hill's birthday. The veterans had each of his fellow rookies (Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith, Derrick Byars and Shagari Alleyne) sing "Happy Birthday" to him in front of the entire team, coaching staff and front office at the conclusion of the team dinner. To cap it off, they had Hill sing "Happy Birthday" to himself.

Memphis Connection : The vets were on the rooks during the team dinner. Each rookie was asked to tell the team something they didn't know about themselves. Byars got up and said that he grew up right behind Graceland, Elvis Presley's famous home. Young was next and he told people that he, too, grew up only five mintues away from Graceland.

Andre on the microphone: Forward Andre Iguodala had a good time with a post-game interview session today with Sixers radio analyst Todd MacCulloch, who was on-hand to conduct his first on-camera interview. At the conclusion of the brief question-and-answer session, Iguodala, with mic in hand, turned the tables on MacCulloch and interviewed him about the experience.

Keep checking back to Sixers.com everyday for exclusive photos from Durham and daily recaps.