Checking in from Seattle

Hey, everyone. It’s Donyell, checking in …

Life’s been pretty insane since the big trade sent me out here to Seattle. Getting traded is something I’ve done before, but it’s always hard to get uprooted and move. I remember how it went down the day I found out.

During that time of year, there’s always speculation. But I didn’t hear anything, personally, about myself. But I’ve been around the league 14 years and I know it’s a business; and I knew the Cavaliers needed to do something to make the team better. Did I think I was necessarily be a part of a trade? No.

The night before I was joking around with some of the media – but in reality trying to see what was going on. Now I’m kind of wondering if I jinxed myself as far as the trade.

I actually found out for sure the next day. Obviously, there was the rumor the night before about me possibly being in a trade to Memphis. And that was the first time I saw my name flying around.

The next day after the Indiana game – the day of the Deadline – my wife said, ‘We’re going to lunch; we’re not going to sit around and watch ESPN all day.’ Because she knew that’s probably what I would have done if I would have been home.

So we’re sitting at lunch and I get a call from a reporter who asked me if I knew anything. I said I hadn’t. The same reporter called back a little later and said he’d heard it would be Seattle. Then my agent called and said it was true, and that he didn’t want to call me until it was for sure.

It didn’t totally sink in until three o’clock – right at the Deadline. But my agent had quite a few players get traded, so he had a lot to deal with. Cedric Simmons is one of his players and he went in the Cleveland deal. Bobby Jackson and Stromile Swift – who have my agent – got dealt a couple days before that.

When I saw it on ESPN a little while later, I guess that’s when I knew it was official.

Right after that, Danny (Ferry) called me and we had a talk. And the GM in Seattle called me after that to tell me it was a done-deal and they would get back to me with flight arrangements.

The conversation I had with Danny was good. He pretty much told me the situation and that it wasn’t anything personal, it wasn’t anything I did. It was just what needed to be done to get the trade to go through and for the Cavaliers to get better and I told him, ‘No hard feelings. I understand.’

I’ve been traded before and I know it’s part of the business.

Since I’ve been gone, I’ve talked to Damon (Jones) and I’ve talked to LeBron. Even Eric (Snow), periodically.

Obviously, I was disappointed – going from a team that just went to the Championship (and that could go back to the Championship) to a team that’s in the middle of a youth movement. It was difficult; it was frustrating – especially when you get out there and you’re told that you’re not going to play because Seattle wants to evaluate their young guys.

It was difficult, but I believe one reason that they brought a guy like me here was to mentor the young guys. And just like I was close to LeBron – within the first week me and Kevin Durant and Jeff Green talked a lot. Kevin said he really liked having me here and a lot of the players really don’t talk to him. I sit down and have conversations with the young guys, and I guess it really wasn’t like that before.

I’ve been thinking about getting into coaching and this is part of the business – being able to sit down and talk to the players and get in their heads, calm them down when things aren’t going right, especially if you’re an assistant coach, because half the time, you’re the mediator between the player and the head coach.

Even though I’m still a player, this has given me practical experience as far as coaching.

Speaking of coaching … Everyone made a big deal about the little scrap that P.J. Carlisemo and I had a couple weeks ago. That was a minor incident.

And I think the reason it got blown out of proportion was because – if you’ve ever seen the bench set-up in Milwaukee – the media is seated right there. And it was a minor disagreement over a defensive scheme and something that happened on offense.

It was a minor disagreement and it was over by halftime. Yeah, I slammed my water bottle out of frustration. But it was over a few things – not going to the Playoffs, being part of the youth movement and now, getting into it with my head coach. It wasn’t really over what happened with me and P.J.

I didn’t pout the rest of the second half. I sat there and laughed and joked with my teammates. The media said P.J. benched me for the rest of the game. Well, you can’t get benched when you already know you’re not going to play! The articles in the paper made it seem like it was more than what it was.

It was nothing as bad as what they wrote.

P.J. and I walked from the locker room to the bus together after the game. It was two friends who got into an argument. We’ve known each other since I was a freshman at UConn and he was coaching at Seton Hall. It was a disagreement between two friends.

The rest of this year, I’m going to be here to mentor the young guys. The next month or so, I’ll stay in shape – which I have been doing. I’m not taking time off – even during the summer. Because I’m not playing doesn’t mean I’m not going to do anything. I haven’t done that. I’ve been still working out, still running, still practicing.

But I want to stay in shape so I go into summer a step ahead for next year. And I like mentoring these young guys. They respect me and what I have to say. We just finished an East Coast trip and a lot of the guys came to me about how to guard this guy or that guy. Even the coaching staff has asked me for my input.

I have one more year left on this deal and we’ll see which way it takes me. And after that, I’ll sit down with my wife and my family and we’ll discuss our future.

Before the Break

Hey everyone. It’s Donyell, checking in …

It’s great to be back although I can feel that I’m a little rusty. I think the toughest thing has been getting the timing back. Obviously, missing three months and then coming back and not playing much has been tough. Really, I’ve only played in five games since I’ve been back and I only got meaningful minutes in two of them. So right now, I’m just getting the timing back.

I’m not making excuses, but in the Denver game, my difficulty was catching the ball and getting a rhythm down. People sometimes don’t take into account that when you get back from an injury, rhythm is everything. You look at the Indianapolis Colts – at the end of the season, when Marvin Harrison was out – their biggest concern was getting their timing and their rhythm back.

Sometimes it comes down to little things like just catching the ball. You’re not used to receiving those kinds of passes after you’ve been out for three months. That’s why you have Training Camp – to get back into the thick of things. You play pick-up ball, but you don’t receive the ball in the same way off set plays in a game situation.

So this has been, basically, my second Training Camp. It’s like I’ve had five games and this is my fifth game of the preseason. And right now, it’s been difficult to put me in certain games. The flow is going well, the team is playing well and I don’t quite have the timing down. But you have to find a way to get it back.

There’s a reason I’ve been in the NBA for 14 years, but I’m coming back slowly. I feel like I’m getting better with each game – I think I’ve been rebounding well. Obviously, the shot’s not there, but it’s going to take some time.

I was actually a little nervous when I first got back. Even at this stage of my career, I definitely get nervous when I’m off for awhile and my number gets called. I mean, just look at the famous “wardrobe incident” in Seattle.

I actually was nervous going into that game, but I think the wardrobe malfunction helped ease it. In a way, I could do no wrong in that game because everything was going to be overshadowed by the wardrobe malfunction anyway. I was nervous, but looking back on it, I’m glad I did do it. It helped calm my nerves.

But I do have to straighten out the ESPN report that says I forgot my jersey. That’s not true. My game jersey came off when I took off my warmup top. What’s funny is I didn’t even think about it until I heard the P.A. announcer call the delay of game. I wear an UnderArmor tank top underneath my jersey because the material irritates my skin, and I knew something felt strange when I took the floor.

These last couple games before the All-Star Break are huge. Monday’s win was solid and I finally felt like myself a little bit. I had my best game since coming back. We’ve already put that Denver loss out of our heads.

Denver is one of the teams that get into your head. It goes back to when I wrote about playing well in certain arenas and playing poorly in others. Same thing with teams – some teams you play well against, some teams you don’t.

We’re talking about Denver, but look at Atlanta, look at Charlotte. Those teams play us well for some reason. I don’t know what it is about Denver, but we just struggle with them. Sometimes you can catch yourself going into a game saying, ‘Here we go again.’ But you have to learn to get that out of your head. Obviously, going to Denver is difficult. If you look at the last couple times we went there, it’s either the back end of a back-to-back or the last game of a long road trip. Add the altitude and that game can be very difficult. At home, we just struggle.

It’s just certain teams you have a mental thing for. I’ve always played well against the Sixers, because that’s like a home team from where I grew up. Before and after I was in Toronto, I’ve always played well against them. That’s just the way it is.

I won’t be going to All-Star Weekend this year. Last year I was doing media and that was pretty cool.

This year, I’m not going anywhere near New Orleans. I’m taking the family to the Bahamas. We’re leaving right after the game on Wednesday and we’re taking the kids down there to let them have a little fun. It’s actually perfect timing when you look at the weather in Cleveland right now.

It’ll be cool just to get down there for four days and have some fun. Obviously, you have to work out. (I’ve got my workout clothes, too.)

I’ve been to the Bahamas before, but I really didn’t like it. But that was before the new hotel was built. My wife swears I’m going to like it. We always have a disagreement as far as All-Star Weekend. My ideal for All-Star Weekend is relaxation and sleep all day. Hers is let’s take a vacation and go sight-seeing – and that’s not me.

But either way, I love to spend All-Star Weekend with my kids because I don’t see them a lot during the season. The new hotel – the Atlantis – is really great for kids. They even have a kids’ nightclub that’s open from 7-9 p.m. And my kids know about it and are really looking forward to it. So, it should be fun.

I’ll see you guys on the other side of the break. After Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, that is.

The Balancing Act

Hey everyone. It’s Donyell, checking in …

The team is doing great right now and we’re feeling pretty good about things. We just need to keep it rolling. Physically, I’m doing well. I’ve been practicing for about two weeks now. The wrist is fine.

Physically, I’ve been cleared to play, but right now, the team is playing really well, and it’s just a matter of not wanting to mess up the rotation. I’ve been practicing and I know the plays. I’m shooting and working out and I just want to keep myself ready until my name is called. I’m ready to go, but right now it’s team first. And that’s what it’s about.

It’s what you have to do. It’s not about being an individual. This is my 14th year in the league and I can’t be selfish. It’s about the team and obviously, I’d rather win than look for personal accomplishments. I would love to play. Everyone likes to play, but right now – it’s 11 out of 13, and nine out of 10 –the team is most important.

One thing that I think we have to feel pretty good about is how we’ve been performing on the road.

I think if you look at the first year I was here, we struggled on the road. Last year we knew how important it was for us to start winning on the road in order for us to be a good team. And we definitely know that now.

I think we did a good job in that last road trip – we got some confidence from that. And this road trip we have coming up is really important. It’s really our last long road trip of the season. And we know it’s important.

Wednesday’s game was big because you want to get some momentum with a very good Phoenix team coming in, and then us going out West for three. So, the win over Washington was very important, and hopefully we can get that Phoenix game on Friday and go out West and get those.

We’re playing well and it’s carrying over to the road. Guys are taking care of their bodies, getting the proper rest and buckling down. On the road, it’s more about defense than offense – and I think our team definitely has that focus.

Sometimes people don’t think that the road can be tough for pro athletes, but it’s a challenge – especially if you’re a parent.

It’s actually more difficult now, as far as the family – because my kids are older. My daughter’s a senior in high school this year and I’m missing a lot of activities that’s she’s a part of. Right now, there’s a conflict because we have a Cavaliers team event and she’s getting honored that day for something she did at school. It’s things like that, and as a parent it can be difficult.

My son actually said to his mom the other day that ‘Dad hasn’t been around a lot.’ When he was younger, he didn’t really worry about that. Now he’s 10 and he plays basketball and I’m missing a lot of his games and he’s starting to really notice that. I’ve been told by people and my wife how much different he plays when I’m actually at the game. He plays more aggressive and he’s more assertive.

I look at my two kids that live in Pennsylvania – they’re used to me not being there, so the road is nothing new. My kids here are probably more affected by it.

I have a son in 10th grade who’s on varsity and I think I’ve only seen him play three times this year. I have a senior (Taylor, 18) and a sophomore (Terrance, 16). I have a eighth-grader (Marquis, 14), a sixth-grader (Paryss, 11), a fourth-grader (Donyell Jr., 10) and a kindergartener (Devynn, 6). All four of the boys play hoops.

They don’t all play like me. My sophomore was more of a small guy who could shoot. But where he’s at, he’s one of the tall guys on the team and I think that I got frustrated by that because they stopped him from shooting the outside jump shot. He’s been playing inside more because he’s one of the taller guys, but he was actually a good shooter when he was younger. Instead of developing all his skills, they put him down low because he’s tall.

My eighth grader is probably going to be more of a “point forward” because he’s played point guard his whole life but he’s going to grow – he’s going to get that growth spurt. And he’s probably going to end up playing point forward.

(This is one reason – at my basketball camp – I make every kid play every position. Because some kids are tall at 10 who won’t be at 15 or 16. And there are kids who are big young, but don’t get that huge growth spurt.)

My sixth grader’s more of a bruiser and I think he’ll wind up playing football before he plays basketball. He has that football-type body and he always talks about wanting to play. I hope he does because I want one of my kids to play football.

And the little one, my fourth grader, played nose tackle in football because he’s so fast getting off the line. But he’s starting to play basketball. He’s starting to get into basketball and really like it because they’re winning this year. He’s a hustler, he’s a rebounder. He blocks shots, he’s physical.

I don’t ever interfere with any of my kid’s coaches. I’m good friends with my youngest sons’ coaches and their kids play on the teams as well – so those three probably get a lot of burn. But I don’t put any pressure on. My oldest son who plays here at Orange, I don’t interfere.

As a parent, obviously I get upset in certain situations, but I don’t interfere. I let the Coach give out the discipline when it’s time for discipline. The Coach calls the plays and play the kids like he wants to.

I’m a pro athlete, but when it comes to my kids, I’m just a regular parent like anyone else.

Time to Get Busy

Hey, everyone! It’s Donyell, checking in once again …

I hope everybody’s New Year is off to a good start. I’m close to being able to get back to action and I’m really looking forward to it. I actually could have been back by now but, on our recent trip to Toronto, I woke up on Sunday morning and my finger was sore. I went to sleep that night, woke up and had the chills – sweating and stuff like that – woke up Monday morning, looked down, and my finger was infected.

So I had to go to the doctor’s on Monday and get the infection cut out. I don’t even know how I got it. The doctors took a swab of it and the tests came back negative. So, right now, I’m on antibiotics. So we’re waiting for the infection to get done before I start practicing again.

I had actually started practicing, the wrist was feeling good and I was planning on coming back this week or next week sometime. That was before the infection. The infection obviously set me back a little bit, but I’ve been cleared to practice again, so now it’s just a matter of getting a couple practices in and waiting for Coach to feel that he’s comfortable to let me get in.

Physically, the wrist was fine. We had a 20-minute scrimmage with a running clock. Obviously, I was a little winded. I’ve been doing cardio, but it’s nothing like being on the court. So right now, it’s just a matter of getting up and down and getting some shots in game action – at game speed. Obviously, my shot feels good when I’m by myself, with no defenders. So now it’s just a matter of getting some contact going and getting some up-and-down action.

I actually fell during that 20-minute scrimmage and I protected my arm a little bit. But that’s the main reason why I need to practice and fall on it a couple times and get hit – because I can’t go out into the game and worry about it. If I do that, I’ve already lost half the battle. If I’m worried about an injury, I’m not going to play to my full potential.

We’ve been winning and I know Coach Brown is happy with the rotation he has now. How I’m going to fit into that rotation is something I need to sit down and talk to Mike about. Obviously, we’ve been playing good ball lately, and it’s easier to bring someone into the rotation when you’re struggling. So I’m not going to sit here and demand 15-20 minutes a game right away. But obviously, when I come back, I’m going to want to play. But that’s not my call.

I haven’t had a chance to talk to Mike about my situation yet. I don’t know if that’s something he does with every player, but I think it’s something that, personally, as a player – if you want to know, it’s something you have to go find out for yourself. I want to know, because I want to be able to stay ready.

Overall, my job – when I come back – is just to help this team in whatever way I can.

Going through some of the stuff I did last year – and also sitting on the bench at the start of this year – has given me the chance to see things differently. And it’ll be something I’ll sit down and talk to Mike about. Even if I come back and I’m ready to play and Coach feels that he’s not necessarily ready to play me yet because of the rotation, I might even sit out a little longer. Obviously, we have the Injured List and I could continue to be on that. There’s a lot of things to take into account.

On a personal level, I’m very close to returning. But the team is the most important thing, here.

I see myself fitting in different situations within the rotation. I think if you look at the way we’ve played a couple of these games – when you look at LeBron out there leading the point and Andy in there sometimes at the five – I see myself playing the role of the big man who can spread the floor.

I think right now, it’s probably something we’re really missing – especially late in games. And I think that’s where I’ll be able to come in and help this team.

We were disappointed that we dropped Wednesday’s game in Atlanta. But I think if you look at some of those games we did win – like the Toronto game, for example – we had to come back and win those games. And a couple of those games we had to have LeBron take over in the fourth quarter. And you can’t count on that all the time.

And as a team, we can’t always wait until the fourth quarter to make a run. We have to come out and play right from the opening tip. You know the way it works. It’s no different than in any sport. You get a team that’s down – like the Hawks were – and you give them a little confidence, a lot of the shots they normally don’t make, they start making.

Plus, teams scout us, too. They know the fourth quarter is LeBron Time, so they’re going to try to do things that will take the ball out of LeBron’s hand.

Really, I think the biggest key is not to wait until the fourth quarter and try to do it all.

Another problem we’ve been having – and have had in the three years that I’ve been here – has been the third quarter. And we don’t really know why. We need to pick it up as a team. It’s something we know about and we’ve tried different things. We’ve tried to get out earlier after halftime and get some shots up or do warm-up lines. We’ve tried all kinds of things. It’s just, for some reason, our third quarters have been trouble.

But, all in all, as a team I think we’re feeling good. We’re 18-18, and you look at the situations we’ve had this year – with Sasha and Andy and their contract situations. Sasha came back when the season was already started and was behind. Andy came in two months into the season and he was behind. You have my injury, Larry’s injury, E-Snow’s injury. LeBron missed games.

To be 18-18 is not where we want to be, but we’re still right there. If the Playoffs started today, we’d be the 7th seed, but we’re only three our four wins from being the 3rd or 4th seed. All it takes is another run.

We win five or six more games in a row and we’re there. You’re going to drop a few – you’re not always going to win 10 in a row. I think the key is that, at 18-18, you’re pretty much starting from zero. So we start from here and now we have to knuckle down, win six or seven in a row and if we lose, we lose one or two. Then go back and win five or six.

Easier said then done, but in reality, that’s how we’re going to get back into the thick of things.