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.
