When the Celtics signed combo-guard Delonte West this offseason, it came with a hitch. West was to be suspended for the first 10 games of the NBA season, a result of his offseason weapons charge, and not nearly the first time he'd been in trouble with the law.
However, West's hiatus is up, and should make his season debut Thursday night at home against the Washington Wizards and burgeoning young star John Wall.
The initial move came as surprise to many Celtics fans. After all, the Delonte experiment had already ended once before.
West, initially a first round pick in 2004 (24th overall) by the Celtics, had played in 179 games through three seasons ('04-'07) before being dealt to the Seattle Supersonics for Ray Allen and Glen "Big Baby" Davis.
The trade was key in bringing together "the big three" of Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, resulting in Boston's leading 17th NBA Championship banner and first in 22 seasons.
While West was never much of a problem in Boston, he started getting into off the court trouble during his time as a Cleveland Cavalier ('07-'10). Eventually, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Hartel
Hardcourt Homecoming: Why Delonte West Is Key to a Celtics Championship Drive
November 16th, 2010 by Dan Hartel Leave a reply »
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