How badly does Warriors forward Donyell Marshall want to be
named the league's Most Improved Player? Enough to hire ProServ
to mount a campaign for his candidacy. According to the San
Francisco Chronicle, Marshall has been complaining that his own
team hasn't promoted him enough. He noted, among other things,
that his jersey wasn't displayed in shops selling Warriors
merchandise.
While Marshall's numbers have taken a sizable leap—to 15.4
points and 8.5 rebounds a game, compared with last season's 7.3
points and 4.5 boards—even he has to recognize that Golden
State has had its hands full with other public relations
problems. In fact, say Warriors officials, one of the reasons
that the team hadn't made him available to the national media
until recently is that it feared (correctly) that any interview
would be loaded with questions about Latrell Sprewell. Of
course, there's also the matter of Marshall's blowing off at
least two prearranged interviews already this season.
Meanwhile, Golden State's staff is busy preparing its own
Marshall campaign literature for release this week. (His
stiffest competition for the award: Henderson and Kings forward
Corliss Williamson.) As for those missing jerseys, the Warriors
say they ordered only two uniforms for the store at the New
Arena earlier in the season: Joe Smith's and Sprewell's. After
Smith was dealt to the 76ers and Sprewell suspended, the team
asked for a shipment of Marshall's and Muggsy Bogues's uniforms.
The Bogues jerseys came in, but Marshall's inexplicably have yet
to arrive.
Issue date: April 6, 1998
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