Some tables are quite big and can take some time to load. A simple loading script that showcases an animation until the table has loaded, can be of a big help.
Additionally you can load per page basis. If the table has 8.000 pages but is setup to only display 10 at a time, why not load the first 10, then next, and so forth. But showcase the table to the visitor quicker. No point in waiting for the entire table to load, right?