What’s up, y’all?
It took me a minute since our season ended to get back to Cali and get over the sting of missing the playoffs, but I wanted to keep you updated and wrap up my rookie season with the Raptors.
Now that I’ve been home, it’s been good, but at the same time frustrating to be here watching the playoffs and know we could have been there, in the same situation. We had the opportunity to play in them, but at the same time it’s been good to be with my family. I’ve just been watching games. The playoffs have been exciting, but man, I wish I was playing. It was a little tough to watch the Cleveland/Chicago series and know we could have been there, but I’m just trying to watch it, learn from it and use it as motivation for next year.
Speaking of motivation, I saw the comments LeBron made about our team not wanting to make the playoffs. Someone on Twitter asked me if I had seen it and they posted a link so I could watch it. It was like, more motivation for next year. We need to make sure we’re better prepared to go out there and get everybody’s respect. I’m not really surprised LeBron said it, he’s always got something interesting to say. I disagree with what he said, but that’s his opinion. I think everybody on this team was disappointed that we didn’t make the playoffs. I think everybody wanted it. We just had bad luck at the end of the season. Chris went down, Antoine went down and it was just tough for us, but, it’s time to use all of that as motivation this offseason. Get in the lab and keep working.
I know there was a lot of talk about the Rookie of the Year award and I just gotta say I’m happy for Tyreke. I’ve been playing against him since we were in seventh grade. That being said, all of the guys mentioned had a great year. Look at the playoffs though, look what Brandon did in the postseason. He lead his team. He really showed people the real Brandon, his character, the type of player he is. Either of those guys would have been deserving, though. It’s just big, watching all of the guys I came into the league with. I want them to succeed. We all grew up together. It feels good watching them in the postseason now. I hope they get the most out of their experience. I know I wish I was there.
Now that the season is over and I look back at my rookie year as a Toronto Raptor, it was a learning experience. With the highs and lows,it was definitely a learning experience. Now that I have this first year under my belt, it feels kinda like a weight has been lifted off of my back. I know what to do now. I know what’s expected of me.
Being an NBA player was everything I thought and more. Playing the 82 games, all of the traveling and playing against the best players in the world night in and night out, you really learn from it, you gain something from it. You appreciate the game for everything it’s worth and it makes you want to get that much better at it.
I’ve never taken anything for granted in my life, I just want to get better. To be an NBA player, it’s a blessing. Just being recognized by putting on an NBA jersey, that was a big deal for me and my family. At the same time, it’s been a year and, it still feels like a dream. It still is the dream. You love it. You just love the game.
It’s crazy to go on Youtube and see that I was in the dunk contest, or see the videos people make of me. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m watching video of myself playing against my favorite players. My family really gets a kick out of it. When I’m hanging with them, we look stuff up and they still trip out over a lot of things. Like, playing against Shaq. When Shaq was at LSU, I was a baby! My dad, he trips out.
Highlights From Year One
There we so many great moments for me this year, you know? Being in the starting five for most of the season was big. It’s not about starting, but that shows that the team knew how hard I worked and how hard I wanted it. Beating a hometown rival when the Lakers were in town was probably my favorite victory. That was my team when I was little! The opportunity to be a part of All-Star weekend was big, I could go on for days.
My New City
Toronto is a great, great city. It’s a city in its own city. It’s not too big and it’s not too small. I didn’t really know anything about it before I came, but it’s cool. The people of Toronto show a lot of support. Every time I would be out, they always supported me, showed a lot of love and always had something nice to say. That’s what is so good about it and what makes Toronto, Toronto. And the winter? It wasn’t even that bad this year. I’m not even going to lie, people had me expecting a lot worse, but I survived, I got through it and it didn’t bother me too much.
All season, the Keg Steakhouse was my spot. I loved that place. I can’t tell you why, but that was my number one spot. When all else failed, the Keg was always there. That’s where I took my visitors when they were in town, there and the CN-Tower. That place is crazy. I’ve been there like five times and just eating in that restaurant where the whole tower is turning while you’re eating, it’s crazy.
The Tough Stuff
I think the craziest thing this year was being away from home. I didn’t leave home to go to college because I knew if I was going to make the NBA there would be no telling where I’d end up so this was my first time being away. It was really tough at first. I didn’t know what to expect basketball wise, but even other stuff, like, I would go grocery shopping and wondering, ‘how am I ever going to figure this out?’ but it got easier. I’m good at it now. I know how to do it all…. No laundry or any of that, though. I got a housekeeper for that stuff!
The tough stuff about the league is just realizing very quickly that you are expected to be grown. In college they make you run when you mess up. Here, they fine you! It’s your money. It’s really a business. No one is going to baby you and you have to be accountable for all of your actions. Being away from my family was tough when I was frustrated on the court. I wished they were there just to ease it up a bit, but I got through it. There was a period where I went through what y’all call the rookie wall. Nothing was going my way and that was tough for me. Chris Bosh really helped me out with that. He told me you can’t let your last game affect your next game. You have to learn how to brush it off and keeping going. He told me he went through the same thing. He really helped me out a lot with that.
My Partner in Crime
Coming into the league, people told me year in and year out that you’re going to have different teammates. That guys can be here one month and cut the next. I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect to find a friend like Sonny. Sonny is my right hand man. This is basketball, but at the end of the day, Sonny is still going to be there for me through anything. We do everything together here in Toronto. From going out to eat to going to the gym late night to get shots up, I think we push each other and that’s a positive. I see him working hard and it makes me want to push myself that much harder. It’s funny because, it’s like we’re family now. His brothers, they know all of my people. I talk to Sonny’s mom, it’s a family thing. He’s going to come out here, come to the house and work out. Before the summer is over I gotta get out to Memphis to see what he’s doing out there.
Downtime in Toronto
There’s a ton of things to do in the city, but I don’t really go out too much so I’m pretty boring the night before games. I just sleep. I’ll get dinner, chill at the house, watch basketball if it’s on and then play the PlayStation and go to bed. I like Call of Duty, God of War II, those are fun. You play online with thousands of people, it’s crazy. I’m pretty good at it.
When we were in Toronto for a few days at a time, Sonny and I would help pass the time by just exploring. One time we drove like 40 minutes outside of Toronto and we didn’t know where we were. Didn’t have a clue. It was nighttime, we didn’t know anything, but it was cool, driving back into the city and seeing all of the city lights. It’s a great city.
Rookie Duties
I managed to get through the season without rookie duties. I didn’t have none. I know everyone asks what rookies have to do and the whole season, I was hoping the media didn’t say anything to the vets and they wouldn’t make me do anything. I got lucky. I don’t know how I managed it, but I guess I was just cool with everybody. I got past it, made it through the season and when training comes, I’m no longer a rookie anymore.
Since I’ve been home
I’ve been listening to The Game’s new album a lot. I grew up in the neighborhood where he was shooting his video and I was there with him for a couple of hours. It’s crazy, because, now that I’m an NBA player, if you want to meet someone, you can. And even if you haven’t met someone and you see each other at an event, it’s like you already know each other. I met Mary J. earlier this year, that was cool. I always wanted to meet Charles Barkley and when I did, that was so entertaining, he’s funny. One person I haven’t met yet, is Keri Hilson. If I can meet her, then I’m good. I don’t care about nobody after that. Ciara, too. One thing that was real cool, I met my favorite actor, Denzel, when I was in college. He came to one of my games. I really would like to meet Obama. How cool would that be?
Plans for getting better
As most of you know, Sonny and I worked with our assistant coach, Eric Hughes all season. We call him our second dad. He really takes care of us, he keeps us on the right path. Sometimes, we drive him crazy but he tolerates us and that’s what makes him such a good person. He just wants to see us get better. This summer, I’m going to work out with Eric and my trainer who trained me last year. I want to look at all of the stuff I didn’t do well this season. Defense, especially at the wing position, I need to get better at that. That’s the area we as a team need to get better. I’m going to get better, get stronger, really understand the game more. I’m thinking of going to the Bahamas before my real intense regimen begins again, but shoot, I can’t stay out of the gym. I can’t sit around the house all day, I’ve been going to the gym to get up shots anyway.
I’m excited because, I’ve been through a whole year of a season that I was trying to get used to. Now that I know what to expect, knowing that finally, I’m in a stable position, it’s going to be easier. The last three years I went from high school to college to my first year in the NBA and it was a tough adjustment. Now, I’m in a stable position and I know what I’ve got to do.
Let’s wrap this up because I’ve probably talked more in this one blog post than ya’ll have heard from me all year. To sum up my rookie season, I want to look forward. I tell you, my next year will be 100 times better.
Thanks for following along this season. Thanks for the tweets, the facebook love and all of the dunk contest votes. I’m living my dream and I’m going to work harder to make sure it only gets better.
Catch ya’ll soon.
—DeMar
