Delonte West expresses his dire interest in coming back to NBA

[celtsrp33]

i fail to see how we could even think about having this discussion on west without first dealing with the source of his problem - his bipolar disorder.

such a discussion on protection also misses the point of what being bipolar can do to some people when they stop taking their medications and therapy. many of them become subject to delusions or illusions.

west has a long, documented record of mental disorders. disorders that require vigilant and continuing monitoring, medication, and therapy...for life. i know people with similar conditions, this is a life of hell for some people.

what is key here is that west has a pattern of NOT following through, which is not unusual for many such sufferers.

the man has not yet demonstrated that he is in consistent control of his terrible condition.

I appreciate your post, and I agree with some aspects. But, a few things...

Despite his record, I've never interpreted his behavior(s) as being indicative of Bipolar I disorder - the severe type often characterized by hallucinations and/or delusions and need for very potent medication (i.e., antipsychotics).

I'm certainly not an expert on bipolar disorder. I'm in a doctoral program for clinical psychology, however, and am affected by Bipolar II. If he similarly falls on the milder end of the spectrum, his behavior could certainly be managed with a proper, consistent medication regimen (just as you suggested).

I agree with you that, given his history, he does not manage his symptoms consistently well. However, my take is this: if he isn't a problem in the locker room (which I've never heard to be the case), I don't think his off-court issues should matter. He can play basketball and he would help out team a lot by doing his job on the basketball court.

If his behavior affects the team (from what I know, not likely), he loses his job. If he makes mistakes in his personal life, he loses his job. It's that simple. And don't we all benefit from a separation between work and personal life?

+1  TP

[LooseCannon]

Just for reference - PER being the best stat to show overall effectiveness...

Hollinger himself has said that one flaw of PER is that it underrates defensive specialists (such as Bruce Bowen and his career 8.2 PER).

And Bradley is a significantly better defender than Lee, Bogans, or West.

[GreenEnvy]

I would LOVE to get Delonte back in here.  He is 30 now and could be a very valuable asset to this team now and in 3 years when we are a contender again.  His work ethic, hustle and focus on the court are second to none.  People make it out like he is a bad locker room guy - but the fact is that he was loved as a teammate here in Boston.  BRING BACK REDZ!

Yes, the Celtics need someone to take those fifth-string shooting guard minutes away from Keith Bogans.

Delonte West would walk onto this team and be the 2nd best guard immediately.  He is a better overall player than Avery Bradley, Courney Lee, Keith Bogans, Marson Brooks.

I would think if that were true he wouldn't have such a hard time getting a job in the NBA. It's a pretty forgiving league

I don't know about that.

Latrell Sprewell. Ricky Davis. Rashad McCants. All for different reasons.

Delonte can definitely play, and I agree he would be second best guard after Rondo if healthy.

Unfortunately, between his off-court issues and his I jury history, teams aren't willing to take the chance on him anymore. I get he has an illness, but nobody else is to blame but himself. I don't think he is right for this team. He needs more veterans around him to keep him straight because he is bound to waver.

[LooseCannon]

I agree with you that, given his history, he does not manage his symptoms consistently well. However, my take is this: if he isn't a problem in the locker room (which I've never heard to be the case), I don't think his off-court issues should matter. He can play basketball and he would help out team a lot by doing his job on the basketball court.

You're ignoring the report that he followed Von Wafer off the court and was said to have thrown the first punch in that 2010 locker room fight.  Or that the Mavericks suspended him twice in less than a month for "conduct detrimental to the team".

If you sign Delonte West, you know that eventually he's going to blow up and cause a scene in the locker room.  You just have to decide if an occasional outburst is worth what he can do on the floor.

[grindtime34]

So we really think Delonte isn't a problem? So why doesn't he have a team right now? Its not like the guy hasn't been picked up by teams since the incident he speaks of?

Why didn't Boston bring him back? Why did Dallas let him go?

I don't think players have ever had a big problem with Delonte. They seem to have his back 100%. BUT, obviously management has had problems.

He had the gun charges, wasn't brought back to Cleveland despite being productive. He was productive when healthy in Boston, yet wasn't brought back.

He was productive in Dallas for a year. Then he was suspended by Dallas twice in less than a month for conduct detrimental to the team. Carlisle said he had issues that needed to be worked on and it was an issue that had been going on for some time after the first suspension.  This suspension was obviously legit from the comments I have read. The second suspension seems to be very fishy from what I have read.

Lets not forget he stuck his finger in Gordon's ear. Not that big of deal, but lets you know its not all there. Obviously the guy still has issues. Would have loved him here last year on a team that is trying to contend.  Not worth it on this type of team.

[tarheelsxxiii]

I agree with you that, given his history, he does not manage his symptoms consistently well. However, my take is this: if he isn't a problem in the locker room (which I've never heard to be the case), I don't think his off-court issues should matter. He can play basketball and he would help out team a lot by doing his job on the basketball court.

You're ignoring the report that he followed Von Wafer off the court and was said to have thrown the first punch in that 2010 locker room fight.  Or that the Mavericks suspended him twice in less than a month for "conduct detrimental to the team".

If you sign Delonte West, you know that eventually he's going to blow up and cause a scene in the locker room.  You just have to decide if an occasional outburst is worth what he can do on the floor.

I watched the video of he and Wafer playing the heated game of one-on-one that lead up to that fight. It didn't seem different from what I expect to happen in practices fairly often among monsters with elevated levels of testosterone/cortisol, at the highest level of competition. No mention was made of what exactly precipitated the game and ensuing fight, and reports suggest it ended then and there.

I wasn't aware of the circumstances behind his suspension in Dallas. The phrase "conduct detrimental to the team" could literally mean anything, and is doubly obscure given the initial suspension was "lifted the next day". Obviously something went awry, but I'm not sure what to make of that.

Can he be difficult? Yeah. I don't know that he's that far from the norm among his peers, though. No doubt he needs expectations and boundaries made very clear to him. And I believe he should be strictly held to them. But in the end, the Wafer fight didn't strike me as being outrageous (didn't Jordan punched Longley in the face?), and these Dallas reports are too obscure for me to form strong opinions about. 

[moiso]

I really like Delonte and I really enjoy watching him play, but I would only bother signing him if I were the GM of a playoff team.  On the Celtics the risks outweigh the positives.  Yes, he's better than all of our two guards, but he's still not going to improve the team very much.  Plus, he will get hurt, and chances are that he will disrupt the team at some point with his behavior.  I don't see the benefit of the Celtics signing him.

[Havlicek]

I liked a lot the way Delonte played, and I still think he can be a valuable asset to some teams in the league. Right now with the roster as it is he doesn't have a place on the Celtics. We sure are loyal to former celtics though.

Hope he finds his place and Europe could be a good thing for him.

[bfrombleacher]

“Reporters can’t write a sentence—they can’t write a sentence about even a good game—without mentioning something from four years ago,” says West. “There are plenty of players arrested for DUIs, gun charges, this and that. [Meanwhile], they’ve made me into the Terminator.”

Stupid media and stupid sensationalist BS.

[Bankshot]

I have no interest in him. Injury prone and inconsistent, and well his mind is not all there this days sadly. Not worth the trouble, and will not add much, if anything, to our roster.

Agreed.  I'd rather have Gerald Henderson.  He's better and someone we could have for the future.