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Delonte West signs with Dallas Mavericks

Mavs, Delonte West agree to 1-year deal - Dallas Mavericks Blog - ESPN Dallas via kwout

I know a lot of you will be upset by this, but Delonte West has signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.  

The signing of Keyon Dooling made Delonte expendable.  As much as I love the guy and wish him well, the C's were just ready to move on.  

Your Morning Dump... How the Lakers screwed the Celtics out of David West

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The Celts fell out of the David West running when the New Orleans Hornets couldn’t find a place to send Jermaine O’Neal (Lamar Odom going from the Los Angeles Kings to the Dallas Mavericks got in the way). New Orleans was looking for a another trade partner, but the Indiana Pacers stepped in with a two-year, $20 million deal for West, who received much more annually than the C’s were offering.

Besides, the Hornets have a bigger issue on their plate in the form of Chris Paul. New Orleans was reportedly looking to the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday for a deal, but the Celts could still get back in the running for the guard according to two sources.

Herald - David West changing direction

It appears the Hornets were going to move Jermaine O'Neal to the Dallas Mavericks, but when the Lakers dangled a disgruntled Lamar Odom, Mark Cuban bailed on New Orleans. The only bright side to this scenario is that Kobe Bryant is pouting once again.

So with David West in Indiana and Chris Paul likely headed to the Clippers, the Celtics roster appears set. I know, you are underwhelmed like me.

Before you start bitching about Danny Ainge, remember this; the Celtics have an $84 million payroll. They are shelling out $14 million in luxury tax dollars. Ainge still has the $3 million mini MLE in his back pocket. 

Related link: WEEI - How Cs look after West signs with Indy

On Page 2, Delonte is begging for work.

Delonte West: I'm in same category as Terry, Crawford

Delonte West told his Twitter followers yesterday that he was heading to the Boston Globe on his final day as a furniture delivery truck driver. As it turned out, he had an interview with Julian Benbow:

For the length of the season, he was on house arrest so strict that when he broke his wrist and went to the hospital, his officer said he should have called. He was under such close watch by the Celtics that he was asked to check in multiple times a day.

“But at the same time, that’s all right if that’s what it takes,’’ he said. “You’d be surprised what some people would do to be able to put on an NBA jersey.

“So if had to call four times a day to let my team owner know where I’m at, or if they wanted me to let them know when I got back from Costco, I’m willing to do that.’’

...

“I’m in the same category as Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford,’’ he said. “I think my name should be right in that talk. As far as you saying, ‘Let’s get a guy we can put on our bench who can come in and get it done,’ I think I’m right in the same talk with them.’’

“Eight years in, I’ve had the young mistakes,’’ he said. “I’ve put those behind me. I’ve shown that I can play this game at a high level, hit the tough shot. I’m ready to go. Wherever fits right.’’

I like Delonte's game, always have (he's clearly not in the same class as Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford). Decent shooter. Not afraid to attack the basket. Tough as nails. Ultimate team player.

Except for the alleged incident with Von Wafer, West was on his best behavior last season. He missed 3/4 of the season with a fractured right wrist and sprained ankle.

I'm all for Danny Ainge offering Delonte another veteran minimum contract. It will give West another year to prove he's alright mentally and physically, and that will get him closer to a multi-year deal.

Delonte West's last day delivering furniture

Delonte West says today is his last day delivering furniture:

Last day on the job,,,,on my way to meet my guy from Boston globe in between deliveries....

Still pimpin though....n a regency truck...until I sign a new deal, gotta keep my pimp foot forward

I really hope the Celtics are able to resign Delonte. He's a solid player and way too entertaining not to have around.

Final Tally on the Ray Allen Trade

One of the most difficult things to accomplish in the now expired CBA was executing a trade that would be relatively fair for each team involved.  Most of the time, it would involve a contending team sending draft picks, young/cheap talent and perhaps an expiring deal for a superstar or all-star caliber player to push them over the top.  The Celtics were one of the beneficiaries of such deals with the famous Kevin Garnett trade from July 31st, 2008.  Tom Ziller at SB Nation recently did a masterful job compiling the final tally of the KG trade.

Taking it a step further, I decided to do the same thing with the Ray Allen trade.  All aspects of that deal are very close to being finalized with a couple of exceptions that I will explain later. View my admittedly amateur-ish attempt at the graphic below, outlining the flow of that deal and what is left today:

Delonte West needs health insurance

13 dependents? 

This is a good example of the pressure some of these guys are facing. They take care of a lot of people.

h/t CBS Sports

Delonte West is out of gas... literally.

Just brought a 94 all white bronco 4 3stacks...oj Simpson style.....now on side of road....broke down before I even made it to gas station

Gotta push my way to the gas station

Delonte West (@CharleeRedz13)

Anybody surprised by this? It's Delonte being Delonte.

Delonte West is apparently a furniture mover now

Twitter / @CharleeRedz13: I am now an official emplo ... via kwout

Despite our best efforts, Delonte has turned down our offer to work for us (and by turned down, we mean ignored) and has apparently gone to work for a furniture store.  

I don't even think he's kidding.  I think he's actually gone to work for a furniture store.  I suppose he could be doing worse out there.  Seriously though, Delonte... Yankees hat?  Didn't you just have a Red Sox hat on?  Pick a lane, son. 

If you want some added fun, check out his application after the jump.

Delonte explains the guns-in-guitar-case incident

Via Slam Magazine:

Tucked away in his fully finished basement, West’s studio is his sanctuary. Off limits to children, the sparsely furnished wood paneled room is his home within his home. All of that’s why he thought it was the perfect stash spot. Everything was fine—the guns remained safely hidden—until, on the night of September 17, feeling unusually tired, West went to his bedroom pretty early, took his nightly dose of Seroquel (a drug that treats bipolar disorder) and got in bed. Shortly after falling asleep, he was startled awake by shouting.

“Ma Dukes came running upstairs into my room, cursing me, saying she wanted all these MFers out of my house,” recalls West. “I came to like, What’s going on? I was already on my Seroquel trip. A few of my cats had found some stuff in the studio and they were living the whole gangsta life thing—guns in the air and this and that,” continues West. “And I said, ‘Oh my God. What the fuck are y’all doin’ in here? Y’all got to go. Momma ain’t on that. Kids are running around upstairs. It’s time to go.’”

Gassed up from the commotion, West decided it would be prudent for him to relocate the guns to an empty house he owned nearby. So, with his other vehicles blocked in by guests’ cars, and expecting it to be a short trip, he haphazardly loaded up his Can-Am and placed the weapons in a Velcro-type of bag—“not a desperado, hardcase, gun-shooting-out-the-side type case”—and set off.

“I’m on the Beltway, cruisin’,” West says, voice high, emotional and inimitable. “Soon I start realizing I’m dozing in and out. I open my eyes and I went from this lane to that. I’m swervin’, and by the time I wake up, I’m about three exits past my exit.

“There’s this truck flying beside me—” West pauses; this next part is crucial—“and I’m scared to death. So I seen an officer coming up and I try to flag him down. I pull up next to him. He slows down and I get up in front of him. I tell the officer I’m not functioning well and I’m transporting weapons… The rest of the story is what it is. “I’m not proud of it,” concludes West, “but it looks way worse than it was.”

Delonte needs a better publicist because I'm pretty sure this is the first time fans are hearing the (alleged) truth behind this incident.

Tzvi Twersky of Slam does a great job revealing information about Delonte's house arrest last season. There was a ton of stuff he couldn't do, including go to practice early or stay late. He almost got in trouble for not alerting authorities of his trip to the hospital after breaking his wrist.

As for the rumors about Gloria James.. Delonte would only say "Who knows where that rumor came from? Who knows who really started it.”

I highly recommend the article.

Delonte West has a beef with Chocolate Drop

Delonte West aka @CharleeRedz13 aka "Butterscotch" has a bone to pick with rapper Kevin Hart aka Chocolate Drop."