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.