Sixers Newsroom
Donyell Marshall Conference Call Transcript - September 3, 2008
Opening Statement
I just want to say how excited I am to be a part of the organization that I grew up rooting for. It gives my family a chance to see me play more and play for a team that is definitely on the up and coming and like I said for the team I grew up rooting for. Earlier in my career, I am not sure I would have been able to play for the Sixers, (being that close to my family), but now as a seasoned vet, I think I am very prepared for it and very excited. I am excited to come to a team that made plenty of moves to move in the right direction and has a good chance of winning.
On his new role with the Sixers:
I think I am going to be a very big help to the younger guys. Obviously, you look at the position I play and its mostly power forward. We got Elton Brand who will get the majority of the time. At the center position you got Samuel Dalembert. Even with the backups, you got Reggie Evans, Theo(Ratliff), and the young guys. I know there is going to be a lot of times I don’t even touch the floor. But just the veteran leadership I am able to give by, talking to the guys and stuff like that is going to be just as important as the playing time I get. Obviously, (when I play), my role is to come in and make shots and spread the floor for Elton Brand and get some guys valuable rest.
On his 3 point shooting improvement over the years:
I would have to thank Kevin O’Neil for that in Toronto. I shot three’s before then, but didn’t shoot them a lot. When I was traded to Toronto, (if you remember our first game was actually against the Sixers), I was starting at the center spot. We knew we were undersized I was at the center, Chris Bosh at the 4, Jalen (Rose) and Vince (Carter) made us undersized. In order to try and utilize what we had, we had to spread the floor. We posted up Vince Carter a lot. With Chris (Bosh) on the weak side, we just spread me out to the corner. That game I think I hit like 4 or 5 threes. From then on Kevin O’Neil kept me out there. Ever since then I have been shooting more three’s. Sometimes I probably shoot too many. Ever since I have been with Kevin O’Neil and the offense we had, I have been shooting more three’s.
On tying an NBA record with 12 three pointers versus the Sixers in 2005:
It was great. It was something I was never expecting to do. Especially when you are a guy who doesn’t get plays called for you and you don’t have the ball in your hands a lot, that’s very hard to do. I think a lot of people just looked at the twelve threes I made, not realizing I only played 28 minutes that game and came off the bench. Like I said, there weren’t many plays called for me; it was just good ball movement and the team knowing I was hot. They were finding me in rhythm. It was also a good feeling playing against the Sixers, knowing a lot of people from my hometown were watching and it was also my wife’s birthday. She didn’t actually get a chance to see that game because she was leaving Toronto to fly back to Chicago. She was a little upset she missed the game.
On adapting to coming off the bench:
If you look early in my career, I did start a lot but also came off the bench a lot. Early on, it depended on who the coach was, and the situation of the game. I think a lot of people put too much emphasis on who starts like. To me, the game is not won and lost in the first two or three minutes of the game. The game is won and lost a lot of times in the fourth quarter and at the end of the game. Even if I wasn’t starting in a lot of the situations I was still on the floor in the fourth quarter and at the end of the games. To me, I would rather be on the floor at the end of the games then in the beginning of the games.
On when he became interested in signing with the Sixers:
As soon as there was talk of a buyout, my agent started asking me what teams would I be interested in. After I saw that Elton Brand signing, I told him I would be interested in the Sixers. Obviously, we couldn’t talk to the Sixers until after the buyout went through. My agent gave them a call and they said they were interested. We started talking after that. It was something that I always dreamed of doing since I was a little kid watching the Sixers win the championship in ’83, now with Maurice Cheeks as the coach and watching him play. There would be no better ending to my career then to play for the Sixers and hopefully end my career in Philadelphia.
On being a Steelers fan instead of Eagles:
You are going to get me in trouble by a lot of people by mentioning that. I was trying not to mention that at all because I go through a lot of stuff out here in Cleveland for the same reasons. When I grew up, that’s when the Steelers won the four Super Bowls and I liked Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris. The funny thing is I try so hard to root for the Eagles. It seems like every time they have a good team something would happen where they would get there and just never pull it through and break your heart. I always try to say that with the Steelers, (being in the AFC) I can still root for the Eagles because they are in the NFC. I think a lot of the problem is that my whole family are Eagles fans and we argue a lot and go back and fourth. It’s kind of hard. I am a Philadelphia fan for every sport except football.
On being close to signing with Sixers the last time you were a free agent:
I think we had a little talk, but in that situation they made the deal with Chris Webber, and I think they had a lot of money on the cap. I do not think they were ready to take on bigger contracts back then. We never had a chance to sit down and talk because of the state of the team at that time with all the free agents.
