The Cavaliers announced they reached a contract agreement with free agent Donyell Marshall on August 2nd. Marshall, 32, will enter his 12th NBA season with career averages of 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 block in 28.3 minutes per game.
Joesph Nolz (Lakewood, OH): You have been around great players in your career. In the time you have been around Lebron, what personality characteristics do you find similar in him to other great players you have been around?
Donyell Marshall: With LeBron being so young, he has the maturity level of some of the other great players I've played against. He also has a great work ethic. If you look at the past two years, he's been able to lead the team. The leadership quality is the same that I saw in great players such as Malone, Stockton and Chris Mullin.
Tom Reiter (Lakewood, OH): What hair style are you going to sport this year?
Donyell Marshall: I'll stay with the short hair cut.
Jeremy Rogers (Cleveland, OH): What team do you feel improved the most over the summer, and who do you feel will be the toughest match up for Cleveland?
Donyell Marshall: I think a couple of teams got better. Miami, San Antonio, Indiana and us. I think Indiana is better with getting Artest back. Our division is going to be tough and all the teams have a chance to be good.
K Price (Toronto, Canada): What are you going to miss the most about leaving Toronto?
Donyell Marshall: The great people and great fans. They loved you no matter what as long as you played hard. You could be feeling down and they'd still back you. I'll miss some of my teammates too, but right now I am ready to move on and join Cleveland.
Sam (Toronto): Donyell what are your hobbies?
Donyell Marshall: They've changed a lot. I do as much as I can with my kids now. I just sit around the house and watch television, wrestle with the kids, play video games, and go to the movies. Nothing too fancy.
(Baltimore, MD): I grew up in Connecticut so obviously I'm a huge Husky fan and have always been a huge fan of you. I met Donny Marshall at Bradley last year and it make me curious if you still keep in touch with the guys you played with at UConn?
Donyell Marshall: I keep in touch with a couple of them. I talk to Ray Allen, Rudy Johnson, Brian Fair, and a few other guys. I think the one thing coach Calhoun preached is that we are a family.
Marc S. (Sherman, CT): Donyell, first of all, as a longtime fan, welcome to a good team! At this stage of your career, what do you do to prepare for the long 82-game NBA season?
Donyell Marshall: Now that I am older, I rest a lot during the first couple months of the off-season. I don't start too early so I don't wear myself out. I lift weights and run 2 or 3 days a week. I try and eat right. I usually start playing basketball around the first of August.
Kyle Dobbins (Danbury, CT): Donyell, I am really good at basketball, when I'm at camps or with my friends, but whenever a crowd watches me, I freeze up, even though I like playing in front of crowds. Can you please give me some pointers on how to overcome that?
Donyell Marshall: That's difficult. Where I got used to it was in high school, where I played in front of 5,000-6,000 fans. So when I got to college it was easy to do, and when I transitioned to the NBA, it was even easier. You have to block people out and think you are the only person out there.
Danny (Canton, OH): How did it feel to hit twelve 3's in a single game? What was going through your mind while draining all of those?
Donyell Marshall: It felt great. I was kind of upset because I thought the record was 10. If I would known that, I would have tried harder to make 13. The question I kept asking myself was why I was being left open. It took a week to realize what I did.
Colin (Canada): Donyell, how are you going to adjust to the Cavaliers style of play, when you are used to the Raptors style. Also do you think you have found home in Cleveland?
Donyell Marshall: The Raptors had two different styles, a slow walk-the-ball-down-the-court style and more a fast break style which was used last season. I think Cleveland is somewhere in between there so it won't be difficult to adjust. I hope I've found a home in Cleveland, that's why I signed a long term deal and I'm selling my house in Chicago. I'd really like to be here long term.
Tyler (Wooster,OH): Who is the toughest guy you've ever had to defend?
Donyell Marshall: From being in the league a long time, I've hard to guard a lot of players....Garnett, Barkley, Olajuwon, Pippen. I think the hardest was Yao Ming or Shaq.
Jay (Mentor): Donyell, can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? Did you travel or visit any placed you remember in particular? Thanks and welcome to C-town. The fans are going to love you!
Donyell Marshall: I grew up in Reading, PA that is about 40 miles outside Philly. I grew up in the projects there and it is even worse there today. I had it hard, but not as hard as others had it. I always played, basketball, football, and baseball. I actually liked playing football best as a kid, but then I grew 8 inches and was more fit for basketball. As a kid, I never left the country, although I do have relatives in Columbus, OH and we'd visit there often. My uncle Lenny Moore played in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts. I went to the University of Connecticut and then I was drafted as the 4th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Caldwell: Hey Donyell, I was just wondering you're feelings on Drew and the time you will most likely be splitting with him. You're a great player and I'm looking forward to this season!!
Donyell Marshall: I think Drew is a good player. People never give him the respect he deserves. He's pretty much averaged a double-double career. We've talked on the court when we played each other because we are similar players. We both never got the respect we deserved, always were the subject of trade rumors, but always put up consistent numbers. I think we will complement each other very well and I think it will be great to talk to him every day and be his mentor.
Thanks for your questions, I am excited to be a Cav. It should be an exciting year and I'm looking forward to helping the team make the playoffs.
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