Well, training camp opened today at Penn State and everyone was present and accounted for.

Whether they’re in shape or not remains to be seen. According to Mo Cheeks, you can’t tell that after just a couple of hours in the gym.

“The first day is always very enthusiastic and I thought for the most part our guys were ready to get out there,” he said. “There are a lot of new additions and the guys that were here before were anxious to play with those guys.”

The pressure is on Cheeks and his guys this season. Adding a star veteran like Elton Brand ratchets up the pressure. Maybe that’s why most of the players were already reciting the one-day-a-time mantra and talking about how it takes time to work in new players.

But Cheeks knows that this team is by far more competitive than the one he took into last season. (Lou Amundson, anyone?)

“Certainly everybody wants to think that their team is improved,” the coach said. “Only time will tell. Certainly we have some additions that on paper looks like we have a very good team. I think we just have to wait and put all the pieces together and see how that plays out. When you add the people that we’ve added that improves your team right away on paper but we have to get out on the floor and prove it. That’s what training camp is for, that’s what preseason is for.”

The Sixers had a second session Tuesday night and Cheeks hinted that they might even play a little bit rather than just go through drills as they did all morning. In fact, he’s said he’ll be spending a lot more time this camp going five-on-five than he has in the past.

That, again, might be because with this group there’s no excuse for a slow start and Cheeks wants to get them acclimated to one another as quickly as possible.