Someone Tell Donnie Marshall to shut up!

[Chris]

I think Donnie is just another in the long list of changes the team and CSN have been making to try to appeal more to the masses, rather than the diehards.  They know the diehards will stick around (especially if the team is winning), so what they want is to get the casual fans to stick around as possible.  And I have a feeling that many of the casual fans like how Donnie is not a total homer, and that he does provide consistent insight into the game that is easy to understand for the non-diehard. 

[Schupac]

I think casual fans prefer complete homers usually.  In my experience watching the NBA in other cities, where casual fans dominate, the local commentators are usually huge homers.

It appeals to the casual fan maybe because they don't know enough to understand when their favorite player really did commit a foul, and it's great to hear the homer rant and rave about how the officials are killing their team.

It's just that Tommy is so good at it.

[MGuertin83]

I acctually heard Donnie compare Ray Allen to John Stockton last night??? They should give Donnie and Scal there own commentating booth, make them dress in red suits and release a bull right behind their set. Now that would be some good commentary.

[cordobes]

I think Donnie is just another in the long list of changes the team and CSN have been making to try to appeal more to the masses, rather than the diehards.  They know the diehards will stick around (especially if the team is winning), so what they want is to get the casual fans to stick around as possible.  And I have a feeling that many of the casual fans like how Donnie is not a total homer, and that he does provide consistent insight into the game that is easy to understand for the non-diehard. 

Yeah, I agree with that. I'm sure they conducted tons of focus group tests and weight carefully the pros and cons of this decision. Still, I think even the casual fan will become tired of him talking so much as the season progresses. He has to work on that, I really can't that being good television.

[jay_jay54]

I think Donnie attended the "Hubie Brown School of Broadcasting",because he is long winded as Hubie is...i always like Hubie as a coach,analyst but sometimes,he can get carried away.Donnie sometimes go longer on a subject than necessary for the job he is doing,which sometimes makes him become boring.

[Chris]

I acctually heard Donnie compare Ray Allen to John Stockton last night??? They should give Donnie and Scal there own commentating booth, make them dress in red suits and release a bull right behind their set. Now that would be some good commentary.

Correction, he said the move Ray Allen made was Stockton-like.  Huge difference.  And I think inferring that you want a player (who has been nothing but a good soldier) and a broadcaster gored by a bull is necessary. 

[shiggins]

I think Donnie attended the "Hubie Brown School of Broadcasting",because he is long winded as Hubie is...i always like Hubie as a coach,analyst but sometimes,he can get carried away.Donnie sometimes go longer on a subject than necessary for the job he is doing,which sometimes makes him become boring.

Its not because he talks too much.  Its the stuff he talks about is boring.  His lack of enthusiasm is boring.  His insights from his "playing" days are boring.  Him trying to cater to everyone and be so non threatening and fakely objective is boring.  He makes Jim Nantz sound like Chris Tucker.

[jpd985]

I say replace him with Scal.

[CelticsWhat35]

Yeah, I'm with you, he's pretty boring. Talks too much, indeed, has to find his rhythm yet, I guess. And talks too much about himself as well: "When I was playing with Kidd in the Nets we were so good that everybody wanted a pass first pg bla bla bla...", "when I played with Ray Allen..". No need to keep saying this things unless there's some kind of good story to tell. Also needs to cut the praise he gives in the form of cliches... Ilgauskas can really shoot from 19ft...yeah, okay... oh the King, oh he weighs 2331 tons.... too many cliches for my taste, I'd rather listening to someone talking about the actual game. And then there's the tone, really bland, no enthusiasm at all, but it was only a pre-season game so it's understandable. Eh, he may improve and become serviceable.

Exactly... I knew I wasn't crazy. The dude needs to go back to the studio, and Comcast needs to find a good match for Mike Gorman to do the road games.

Dare I say it... I think even Greg Dickerson could do a better job.

The only way he'll be nay good at in game commentary is if he stops talking so much, and let's Gorman bring him into the game, rather than jumping in after every possession. I'm sorry... he just completely ruined this game for me, and I can't see him getting much better.

I'm not the biggest Donny Marshall fan, but I'll take his color commentary any day over Dickerson.  The games Dickerson did last year, it was as if he never stopped being a sideline reporter.  I was extremely annoying.  I don't mind the guy as a sideline reporter, or as a person because he's one of the few people who will actually try to talk Celtics on EEI.  But he just doesn't have it as a color guy.  At least not now.

[TradeProposalDude]

The problem with Marshall is that he's your typical extrovert who likes to talk but is politically correct and puts everything in a positive light so that his public perception is good (for future national broadcasting which is probably on his mind). That means you'll hear more of comments like "Jarrett Jack is one of the best combo guards in the league" (yes he did say it) and talk volumes about him so that he is perceived as a guy who made such an astoundingly brilliant insight that nobody had ever thought of before. What this all means is that he doesn't have a PERSONALITY to keep a broadcast interesting like Tommy who can throw in stories as a player and a coach that made him a CITIZEN of the game who knows it like few others and not another bland PC talker who's trying too hard to please. If Donny was a little more sarcastic at times or developed a little bit of an edge, I'm welcome to hearing him balance Gorman on the air. But he's too much of a winEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. to make it happen.

Get ready for another 30 years of this winEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline..

[12417]

I almost had to go to mute last night. Why was Donnie so concerned in protecting Wally while he was getting gutted by Ray? Every basket Ray made he would refer to Wally playing him and the C's taking advantage of it but he bent over backwards to apologize for it. PLEASE Wally's D sux and he was getting embarrassed so just acknowledge it as a Cleveland weakness and move on already!!

[Finkelskyhook]

Marshall seems too condescending so far.  I know I don't know the game as well as he does but I'm not an idiot either.  Marshall seems like he's trying too hard.  He must think Cousy got fired for a reason because he seems to be doing everything he can to be the anti-Cousy.

I think he'll be okay by mid-season.

[Emperor Young]

I really like marshall.. definitly a better commentary than a basketball player.
i think for a former nba player doing commentary, he is good as he gets.

[The Incredible Hulk]

I really like marshall.. definitly a better commentary than a basketball player.
i think for a former nba player doing commentary, he is good as he gets.

Donnie Marshal as a color commentator = Epic Failure... so far anyway.

I can't think of a former player who is worse than he is at this point... I really hope he gets better.

I'm waiting for him to say "That was a bad call!".... or say something bad about somebody on the other team. He complimented EVERY SINGLE PLAYER ON THE CAVS last night at some point. Get a personality for crying out loud... we are Celtics fans... play to your audience.

[2short]

I think its a bit of both, he needs to do more color commentated (speak more at times) then at other times shut up.  Like any great player old friend Mike Gorman helped him through it and even made a mistake and used tommy's name.  Donnie is ok now, nothing special as long as its less talk about him playing or his former teammates or uconn and more celtics.