Celtics Central

As my previous post reported, Delonte West would be a person of interest for the salary cap strapped Boston Celtics. In fact, he would be something of a fortunate find.

Gary Washburn has confirmed that possibility.

Gary Washburn of the Globe says one source indicates as much…

…their interest could spread to former Celtic Delonte West, who is expected to be waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves after the club acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday.

The Celtics have re-signed Marquis Daniels at a discount to fill the need for a defensive guard/forward.

But they are looking for another three point shooter (and a big man, which of course, West is not). West has shown himself to generally be a solid performer come playoff time and that is exactly what you need on the title focused Celtics. He is also a pretty competent defender of guards.

He has made a number of clutch plays, shots, and free throws in his time with the Cavs in the playoffs. He will hustle, isn’t afraid of contact, and will hit the deck trying to recover loose balls. If they can get him for the veteran minimum, he would be a bargain.

The risk, as stated in the previous post is his state of mind, and off court behavior. Washburn adds…

West pleaded guilty to weapons charges in a strange case where he was caught carrying three guns while on a motorcycle  in his native Maryland last year. He received eight months of home detention but the judge ruled he would be allowed to travel with his NBA team.

I guess that would preclude having to worry about any further incidents for the time being. I like a lot of players, I admit, but you can add Delonte West to that group. I have always been a fan of his game and quirky, somewhat ‘comedic savant’ personality.

It would be just wild, and fitting, if Delonte “wi-ahh hang-ahh!” West came back home to the Celtics and was instrumental in helping them win title #18. That would be…absolutely great. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. Yeah, that semi-smirk in my picture is close. I do love it.

Just looking at the Wire Hanger commercial brings back good memories.

Okay. You know where I am going with this.

Marc J. Spiers of Yahoo Sports just reported that combo guard Delonte West was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with point guard Sebastian Telfair (remember him?) by the Cleveland Cavaliers for point guard Ramon Sessions and center Ryan Hollins and a 2nd round pick.

Spiers also reports that Minnesota will give West his release so they will only have to pay him the $500,000 guaranteed portion of his $4.7 million salary, clearing cap space going forward.

With point guards Johnny Flynn and recently signed Luke Ridnour already on the roster, adding West and Telfair would be superfluous. Telfair is expected to back up Ridnour while Flynn recovers from hip surgery.

I know what you are thinking. Me too.

Could the Celtics be interested in bringing Delonte back?

He could be very valuable off the bench at either guard position.

Celtics Revolving Door?
West and Tony Allen came in to the Celtics together after being drafted 24th and 25th in 2004. As Tony exits to Memphis, is it possible that West could return?

Another Doc Rivers Challenge
In a league that has its share of eccentric personalities, Delonte ranks up there at the top. A talented artist (hobby), West has undergone treatment for depression, been arrested for possessing multiple guns, and was rumored to have had an affair with a teammate’s mother.

The players that have crossed through the Celtic organization since Doc Rivers arrived have represented some of the most challenging personalities the league has to offer. Never a direct problem to a team, Delonte’s demons are personal.

There’s No Place Like Home
Could a return to the place where his NBA career started be a good thing for Delonte…and for the Celtics? After living in the NBA Land of Oz, could Boston be his Kansas?

He is a feisty, non-stop competitor when he is on the floor and was one of the few Cavaliers that offered LeBron help in the 2008 playoffs when the Celtics locked down on LBJ.

A lot of water has gone under his bridge since he left. Still, he offers solid three point shooting (37.3% career) , is an 81.8% career free throw shooter, rebounds well (3.7 in 28 minutes – career) for a 6’3” guard, and was a fan favorite when he was here.

Delonte turned 27 years old yesterday. Competition for minutes with Nate Robinson (and to a much lesser extent with Marquis Daniels) would be the biggest hurdle, but he can add to that youth component that the Celtics need.

The Cavs defense was better when Delonte was on the floor during the year, and he appeared to play better defense against point guards than shooting guards (PER of 12.9 vs 15.4) though those stats are somewhat inconclusive.

The Cavs had a better point spread when West played point guard (+8.7 vs +6.8 at shooting guard), as their offense was much better (102.4 pts. vs 98.5 at shooting guard per 100 possession) with only a mild decline defensively (93.7 pts. vs 91.7 at shooting guard per 100 possessions).

With newly drafted Avery Bradley and Nate Robinson re-signed, bringing in West, if done, would most likely mean the end to 6’2” Oliver Lafayette.

Another question is if West would even sign for the veteran minimum (the only thing the Celtics could offer) with only $500,000 in his pocket for this season?

Former Celtic Eddie House is a more likely candidate to return at this moment, according to Julian Benbow of the Globe, but nothing has been agreed upon. It is hard to predict without more information, but I would guess that House would more likely take the vet minimum to return than West.

Zach Lowe at Celticshub.com does a nice breakdown of the statistical differences between new acquired Jermaine O’Neal and our own lovable Kendrick Perkins.

The understanding is that Jermaine will be the Celtics starting center for a good long time next season. Anywhere from January to February has been targeted as the date for a Perkins return. We also know that KP won’t be 100% for quite a while when he does return.

While O’Neal has played in most of the games (70, 68) each of the past two seasons, it doesn’t mean he has played them 100% healthy either (knees mostly). He even stated that he played in last season’s first round lost to the Celtics while nursing injury.

The hope is that he is the best he has been in for a while to start the season.

Zach Lowe…

• Turnovers. The Celtics are essentially trading the most turnover-prone center in the league for the least turnover-prone center in the league.

There is quite a bit more. Check it out here at Celticshub.com