West was in the middle of a bounce-back year before a gruesome hand injury cost him six weeks. He averaged 9.6 points and 2.3 assists in limited minutes and will be asked to serve as a leader of the second unit. He finished the season strong and could be worth a late-round flier in deeper leagues.
The Mavericks signed the eight-year pro to a one-year deal to order to lighten the load on Jason Kidd. West’s production has been hampered in recent seasons by injuries and off the court drama. Still he’s the lone proven point guard on the bench and his career numbers are slightly better than JJ Barea, who previously filled this spot.
The fact that nobody signed West until early September should be a sign that he’s off the fantasy radar this year. He was ok-but-not-great in Cleveland last season, but in Boston, there is word that he may not even make the team’s opening day roster. Expect West to be little more than the butt of “Lebron’s Mom” jokes this year.
It was really one thing after another for West on and off the court last year, beginning with a case of depression and a mood disorder for which he had to seek treatment and take medication. After that he broke his right wrist in mid-January, causing him to miss 16 of the next 17 games. He also had to deal with other minor injuries throughout the season, namely to his ankle and back, that caused him to miss a few games. Despite all of this, West managed to keep his on-court production at a high, finishing in the top-60 in per-game production. He set career-highs in three-pointers made (1.4) and steals (1.5) while finishing with his lowest turnover total since his 2004-05 rookie season. He’ll face another challenge next season with the Cavs’ offseason acquisition of Anthony Parker. Parker is expected to start at shooting guard because of his size while West will serve as the sixth man, backing up both guard positions. He’s a good bet to finish in the top-120, but will struggle to crack the top-100 with his minutes likely dropping from 33 into the 28-30 range.
West is still an unsigned restricted free agent and is getting nothing more than offers to play in Moscow. As he and his agent floated the idea of heading to Europe, the Cavaliers traded for Mo Williams, who immediately becomes the club’s starting point guard. West had little leverage to begin with, and now has none. If he accepts the team’s qualifying offer, he’ll have to find his minutes as Williams’ backup or at shooting guard where Sasha Pavlovic, Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak are already stationed. He’s been asked to play both guard spots in stops with Boston, Seattle and Cleveland, so shooting guard is familiar to him. He has a decent jump shot, can hit the 3-pointer and defends well, but seeing how Cleveland signed Gibson to a multi-year deal in the offseason, West may be looking at a bit role in the NBA this season.
As a hard worker and tough defender, West will be a part of the Sonics’ backcourt rotation, but that Seattle backcourt is looking crowded. West has good shooting range and can play either spot, but is a bit undersized to play the two. He’s turned himself into a solid point guard, but Seattle already has Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson there. Each has something to offer the team, so something’s got to give. On the wing, the minutes will be equally scarce as new coach P.J. Carlesimo tries to find time for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Damien Wilkens and Wally Szczerbiak.
There was a lot of talk last season about Delonte West as the Celtics’ point guard of the future… and West fit the role pretty well, posting totals of 11.8 points, 4.6 assists and an impressive 4.1 boards per game in 71 games. But apparently, there’s been a change of plans. The Celtics gave up the seventh overall pick in a trade for Sebastian Telfair, and then used another first-rounder to bring in Kentucky phenom Rajon Rondo – one of the more impressive performers in this year’s Summer League. If one assumes that Telfair is the starter… and one further assumes that Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak will get the lion’s share of the minutes at shooting guard and small forward… one has to wonder where West fits in.
West will have every opportunity to win the starting point guard job in training camp. He’ll battle Dan Dickau for most of the playing time and will need to shoot better from the floor if he is to see more than 15-20 minutes a night.
Gritty defender and scorer. Can take his man off the dribble but prefers to shoot the ball. Can post up smaller defenders in the paint. The issue with him is size. Has to put on some muscle, he can't play in the league in his current physical state.
