ducks
03-23-2005, 04:52 PM
Marshall bullish on possible return
March 23, 2005
BY LACY J. BANKS Staff Reporter
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TORONTO -- Donyell Marshall's fiancee and children still live in Long Grove, so any trip this summer to visit the Bulls as an unrestricted free agent wouldn't take very long.
Expect the visit to take place. Marshall left the Bulls on good terms on Dec. 1, 2003, when he was part of a package deal sent to the Toronto Raptors. Bulls operations chief John Paxson was looking to dump Jalen Rose and his huge contract, and the Raptors demanded Marshall be included.
There was a buzz about the Bulls, who visit the Raptors tonight, being interested in Marshall before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, but nothing materialized. The 6-9 Marshall, who can play either forward position, might be priced out of the Bulls' range this summer, but certain variables could come into play.
''While I'm going to be looking at many situations, Chicago is definitely one of the teams I wouldn't mind playing for,'' Marshall said after practice Tuesday. ''I'm looking for a team where I can get meaningful minutes, a good contract and a chance to play for a winner. The Bulls have all those. I didn't want to leave in the first place, and my family [fiancee Leea Kielpinski and their four children] still live in that same house in Long Grove I bought when I signed with Chicago.
''I first signed with Chicago because I felt they had an up-and-coming team and because the city is equal distance from my home in Philadelphia and Leea's home in Minnesota. But this is a business, and trades are part of it. [Bulls coach Scott] Skiles got hired just a couple of days before I got traded. I had a couple of practices under him, and the last one was the best one I had had with them since I was there because he moved me to small forward and saw that a front line of me, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler would really be a productive one.''
Marshall, 31, played a year and a half for the Bulls, averaging 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds.
''John called me in and explained to me why he had to do what he was doing, and I understood,'' Marshall said. ''He had to do what he felt was best for the team and for its future. So I conducted myself as a pro then, just as I did when this last trade deadline passed and I wasn't traded.
"I was very disappointed I wasn't traded to a contender. At this point in my career, that means a lot to me. But [Raptors general manager Rob Babcock] said he got a lot of offers but none that would help our team that much.''
Marshall feels he is in his prime, and his numbers suggest as much. He is a top candidate for the league's Sixth Man Award, averaging 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. He recently tied an NBA record when he hit 12 three-pointers as part of his career-high 38 points in a 128-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers.
NOTE: An MRI on Tuesday morning revealed that Bulls rookie forward Andres Nocioni has a bone bruise in his right wrist, but it was not bad enough to keep him from practicing, and a team spokesman said Nocioni is probable for tonight. The injury occurred Monday with 66 seconds left in the second quarter of the Bulls' 105-91 victory over Atlanta at the United Center.
March 23, 2005
BY LACY J. BANKS Staff Reporter
Advertisement
Click Here
TORONTO -- Donyell Marshall's fiancee and children still live in Long Grove, so any trip this summer to visit the Bulls as an unrestricted free agent wouldn't take very long.
Expect the visit to take place. Marshall left the Bulls on good terms on Dec. 1, 2003, when he was part of a package deal sent to the Toronto Raptors. Bulls operations chief John Paxson was looking to dump Jalen Rose and his huge contract, and the Raptors demanded Marshall be included.
There was a buzz about the Bulls, who visit the Raptors tonight, being interested in Marshall before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, but nothing materialized. The 6-9 Marshall, who can play either forward position, might be priced out of the Bulls' range this summer, but certain variables could come into play.
''While I'm going to be looking at many situations, Chicago is definitely one of the teams I wouldn't mind playing for,'' Marshall said after practice Tuesday. ''I'm looking for a team where I can get meaningful minutes, a good contract and a chance to play for a winner. The Bulls have all those. I didn't want to leave in the first place, and my family [fiancee Leea Kielpinski and their four children] still live in that same house in Long Grove I bought when I signed with Chicago.
''I first signed with Chicago because I felt they had an up-and-coming team and because the city is equal distance from my home in Philadelphia and Leea's home in Minnesota. But this is a business, and trades are part of it. [Bulls coach Scott] Skiles got hired just a couple of days before I got traded. I had a couple of practices under him, and the last one was the best one I had had with them since I was there because he moved me to small forward and saw that a front line of me, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler would really be a productive one.''
Marshall, 31, played a year and a half for the Bulls, averaging 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds.
''John called me in and explained to me why he had to do what he was doing, and I understood,'' Marshall said. ''He had to do what he felt was best for the team and for its future. So I conducted myself as a pro then, just as I did when this last trade deadline passed and I wasn't traded.
"I was very disappointed I wasn't traded to a contender. At this point in my career, that means a lot to me. But [Raptors general manager Rob Babcock] said he got a lot of offers but none that would help our team that much.''
Marshall feels he is in his prime, and his numbers suggest as much. He is a top candidate for the league's Sixth Man Award, averaging 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. He recently tied an NBA record when he hit 12 three-pointers as part of his career-high 38 points in a 128-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers.
NOTE: An MRI on Tuesday morning revealed that Bulls rookie forward Andres Nocioni has a bone bruise in his right wrist, but it was not bad enough to keep him from practicing, and a team spokesman said Nocioni is probable for tonight. The injury occurred Monday with 66 seconds left in the second quarter of the Bulls' 105-91 victory over Atlanta at the United Center.