Delonte

West

West played for the Mavs in his final NBA season in 2012, but he’s been going down a dark spiral ever since then, living on the streets in Dallas and occasionally showing up in extremely sad viral videos; looking very distraught. Former players and coaches have tried reaching out to West in the past to try and get him back on the right track, but Cuban took the most direct action on Monday by actively seeking him out in the Dallas area and getting him to agree to check into rehab. West is a prime example of the debilitating nature of certain mental health issues, but hopefully, he’ll finally get the help he needs.

West scored seven points in nine minutes in the loss to the Cavs. He’ll probably be the first guard off the bench tomorrow against the Heat.

Coach Doc Rivers said it would be six weeks, and maybe a whole lot more.

Coach Doc Rivers believes that there is room for three point guards in his rotation so he can keep Gary Payton fresh.

“He looks great,’' said coach Doc Rivers. “I doubt if we activate him (today), but he’s really close.” West is in training for the Boston point guard job next season.

West could have some value if the Celtics trade Gary Payton in February, but probably isn’t worth holding on to.

Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and newly acquired Sebastian Telfair were also signed on through the 2007-08 season. West is going to be fighting for playing time with Telfair and Rajon Rondo, who was selected with the 21st pick by the Suns and then sent to Boston in this year’s draft.

Sneed included a picture (linked) of West shooting around, and he does appear to be progressing in his rehab. When West returns, he’ll do more to clutter up the fantasy backcourt in Dallas than anything else.

West is listed as questionable, and despite the fact that he wasn’t expected to play until next week, it sounds like he’s got a real chance of playing. Rick Carlisle said that he would like to get West into the game, but it’ll take some time for West to assume the 23 minutes per game he was getting prior to his injury.

West injured his finger on February 15 and hasn’t played in a single game since. However, he’s now been cleared for basketball drills at this point in his rehab. Prior to going down, West was averaging right around 23 minutes per game, but it may take a few games to get his legs back under him before he resumes his traditional role in the rotation.