Delonte West: Pros and Cons

When the Celtics were losing massive amounts of games and having some major malfunctions before completing the trades that brought in Ray and KG, Delonte West was one of the few bright spots in their sub-par lineup. However, sub-par is exactly what they were, and that makes it hard to judge whether Delonte’s contributions to the team were really all that valuable or not, since regardless of his play, the Celtics could not win games. I definitely would not say that West is the worst of the remaining free agents that the C’s could’ve picked up, but due to his small size and off-the-court issues, he is not necessarily the perfect fit for this team either. Regardless, welcome Delonte West back to Boston, and be ready for all the positive things, and the potential baggage, that he may be bringing with him.

The Pros
For starters, he is another very solid backup player to add to the very solid Boston bench. He will be soaking up the minutes when Rondo or Ray Allen need to rest, and will help relieve some of the pressure off of Avery Bradley to really step up in his rookie season as a primary backup guard. Don’t be fooled, Bradley will still be around, and will still be quietly improving and stepping into his role as a future face of this team along with Rajon Rondo. Also, Delonte shoots right around .373 from deep over his career, and can typically stick with his man on defense, as well as use his quick hands to smack the ball loose a couple times a game. He can really be a solid player when his head is in the game, with the ability to score when you may least expect it and find open teammates for assists, which is an incredibly useful asset in a star-studded lineup like Boston’s. His last year on the Celtics was his highest scoring season, and look for him to pick up right where he left off when he got traded to Seattle.

The Cons
He is short. In my Breaking Down the Bench segments, I talked about how good Boston’s backups are with players like Shaq, Baby Davis, Big Nate, and an up and coming Avery Bradley… but a backup small forward was what they were truly lacking. By adding Delonte, who is a useful point guard and shooting guard, the Celtics are still greatly relying on Marquis Daniels to have a good season as Pierce’s backup. Delonte is a good player and I liked him a lot when he was a Celtic, but right now he just does not seem like the right guy to add to the roster when they already are stacked with guards and big men. Also, the guy is a bit crazy, getting caught speeding on a motorcycle with a guitar case filled with guns. I hope that the Celtics’ organization can help him to be very useful to them both on the court, as well as out of trouble when he’s off the court.

Overall, I would say that Delonte West is worth adding… but not necessarily at this moment for this particular Celtics’ team. They needed a bigger guy that could slash and shoot, like a Rudy Fernandez or Wilson Chandler type. Their offseason has been successful so far, but with this acquisition of Delonte West, I would not feel that the team was complete without adding or trading for a backup small forward at some point. However, that isn’t going to stop me from busting out my old Delonte West jersey, and it will be interesting seeing him subbing in and out for the guy they originally traded him for. Oh yeah, and did I mention he’s hooking up with LeBron’s mom?