Syracuse, NY -- Dion Waiters signed autographs and posed for photos with Syracuse fans and their families on Saturday at Destiny USA.

The mall was a favorite haunt for Waiters when he played at Syracuse University. Last month, the Cleveland Cavaliers provided him with more spending power than he ever had as an SU student.

The Cavs made Waiters the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. On July 5, Waiters signed a four-year deal (two years, plus two team options) worth $16.7 million, according to wage scales in the new collective bargaining agreement.



For Saturday's signing session, Waiters wore a navy blue T-shirt with orange lettering that said "The Wait is Over." Between signatures and photo opportunities, Waiters had time for a few questions:



Donna Ditota: So what does your T-shirt mean?

Dion Waiters: Everything I've been through, the wait is over. It's getting drafted, my lifelong dream. Everything I've waited for – done.



DD: So you've had a little taste of the NBA. How did you think the Summer League went?

DW: I played OK. I didn't play to my abilities, but I've approached that already and the reasons why. But I'm back, better than ever.



DD: Well, one of those reasons people were giving for your performance was that you were out of shape. And when you were at Syracuse and you were heavy, you weren't at your best, either. Do you think there's a correlation there?

DW: It's different for the NBA Draft, when you don't have to do nothing. It was a couple weeks between the draft and summer league. I still wasn't (in game shape). But now, you see me, there's a big difference.



DD: So what was the emotional high of getting drafted like? How long did it last?

DW: I still wake up every day and say 'Wow.' It's something that's going to linger on forever. Coming from where I came from and the situation I was in, being able to just turn my life around, staying on the straight path, being able to escape the streets. I wake up every day thankful.



DD: When did it occur to you, while you were going through all these interviews and workouts, that you were skyrocketing up the draft boards?

DW: You hear so much, you don't know what to believe at the end of the day. I was just going through the motions and letting everything else take care of itself.



DD: What's the first thing you did after you were drafted?

DW: Bought my mom a car.



DD: What kind of car?

DW: A Range Rover.



DD: Have you settled into Cleveland yet? Find a place to live?

DW: I haven't gotten a house yet. That's what I'm going out there for (on Sunday). To look at houses and finally move into one. We've got somebody, a realtor, and she pretty much knows about all the houses around Cleveland.



DD: This is obviously a different part of your life. You are now into the real world. You have to do a lot of things for yourself. What has been the biggest challenge about that so far?

DW: Just having to say 'no' to a lot of people. People ask for things that they usually didn't ask for. You just gotta say 'no.' Sometimes you might not want to, but you just can't help that person in that situation at that time. That's just basically it – just really watching your money and watching how much you're spending and things like that.



DD: If you thought you were in a fishbowl in Syracuse, when you get to the NBA, it gets worse.

DW: I went through the whirlwind already. I've been through it all since I've been drafted. The things they actually talk to you about, it's not real until you get there and I realize that. But everything's cool now.



DD: Give me an example. What kinds of things did they talk to you about?

DW: You know, just how you give money to your family, they tend to ask you for a lot. But you gotta say 'no.' They don't understand. They think you got it. I didn't even have a contract yet and they were asking me for money.



DD: So camp starts Oct. 1st?

DW: Yeah, Oct. 1st, but we gotta report (Sept.) 5th and just be working out.



DD: What kinds of things are you going to concentrate on over the next few weeks?

DW: Working on every aspect of my game. Just continue to stay in game shape, like I am. Continue to eat right, like I've been doing. I'm a professional now. I gotta handle my business like a professional. That's the main thing. Just staying on top of what I've been doing.



DD: Do you worry because you were drafted so high that there's going to be a lot more scrutiny about you and about the things that you do?

DW: Not really. At the end of the day, they gotta talk. That's their job. They need something to talk about. I'm all for it, man. Ain't nothing I ain't heard or been through in my life that can hurt me or make me feel some type of way. I feed off all that. It's motivation.



Donna Ditota can be reached at 470-2208 or dditota@syracuse.com.





