Ryan Bowen is the longest-tenured player currently with the Nuggets and a fan favorite.

But from Tuesday through Thursday, the fifth-year forward will not be allowed in the Nuggets' practice facility.

NBA players will report to camp on two dates this season because of an amendment to the collective bargaining agreement.

Players with three or fewer years of service or a nonguaranteed contract are permitted to begin practicing Tuesday.

Players with four or more years of experience can't practice until Friday and aren't allowed to use team facilities until then.

While the Nuggets plan on bringing as many as 20 players to training camp, the six veterans who won't be available to work out until Friday are Bowen; guards Andre Miller, Earl Boykins, Jon Barry and Voshon Lenard; and forward-center Marcus Camby.

"From our understanding, we're not allowed to come in (the practice facility) at all," said Bowen, who is the Nuggets' representative for the NBA Players Association. "Being veterans, we will obviously work out those first few days (by ourselves) and be ready for training camp."

The NBA Players' Association and the NBA originally agreed in principle to give veterans the training-camp break during an agreement at the 2003 NBA all-star weekend in Atlanta.

That change was made in large part as a bargaining concession after management wanted the first round of the playoffs extended to a best-of-seven series.