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.