Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer
Delonte West has always received support from the Cavaliers regardless of the situation, but last week's arrest on firearms charges are yet another obstacle to the relationship between player and team.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There’s no doubt that Delonte West was in the wrong for speeding on a motorcycle with three loaded guns when he was pulled over by police in suburban Washington D.C. Thursday night. After that, though, not much is cut and dry. The last 12 months have been a constant and complex balancing act for West and the Cavaliers, who dearly love their hard-nosed guard’s personality and ability. What to do about this latest situation might prove the most dicey.
Though they would never talk about these issues publicly and discuss it very little privately, it has been a challenge for the team on how to handle West.
Last August, West was charged with marijuana possession in Prince George’s County, Md., while he was a restricted free agent and the Cavs were in a contract stalemate with him. The team had a difficult decision because it places a high value on character within the locker room. Usually this would be a red flag on any free agent.
So they had several long talks with him and then did some checking on the facts. Ultimately, they decided to trust him and gave him a three-year contract worth $12.6 million. It turned out to be fair -- after investigation the district attorney dropped the charges against West a few weeks after he signed the contract.
During a training camp practice last season West exploded at a referee and then teammates and coaches who tried to break it up. It was a stunning mood switch for a player who is often easygoing, never seems to budge under pressure on the floor and usually is cracking jokes.
Shortly after that, West left the team to get treatment for a mood disorder that he said he’s battled his whole life. His teammates were quite supportive. The team wanted to do whatever it could to help him from time off to treatment to simple positive re-enforcement.
When he returned, West opened himself up to the fans by talking about his struggle with bipolar disorder. It not only endeared him even more to the fan base that was attracted to his style of play and personality, but also to people who have battled mood disorders and depression. Mail poured into the Cavs from people who West had inspired.
West then went out and had the best season of his career, his first as a full-time starter. He was a significant factor in the Cavs winning 66 games. But behind the scenes there was never a doubt that he was often battling with his emotional problems.
Some games West would sit in his uniform at his locker for an hour after the game staring into space. Sometimes he would refuse to talk to anyone. Other times he would be his jovial self, cracking up the locker room and fitting into the team’s pregame “family photos.” He filmed several segments for the ESPN show “Jim Rome is Burning,” showcasing his dry sense of humor that made him a YouTube hit.
But he also often came to games late, even showing up to a home playoff game an hour before tipoff. Once, at a game in Los Angeles, West wasn’t on the bench when he was introduced as a starter and no one on the team seemed to know where he was for a few minutes.
Those episodes, however, never seemed to affect his play. Trying to be supportive, the team apparently gave him plenty of space. The media, appreciative of how open he’d been and sensitive to his battle, looked the other way.
It was the same this summer when another YouTube video appeared of West and a friend waiting for their food to be cooked in a KFC drive-thru. Making jokes and freestyle rapping, West was quite funny. But numerous people left comments that it wasn’t funny because it appeared he was under the influence of something.
Whatever the circumstances, the image couldn’t have made the team happy even as they continued to try to be supportive of West’s issues.
Which leads to this current situation. It likely will come out in time just what West’s state of mind was as he traveled down the highway with the guns. His father told The Washington Post, “all I can say is Delonte was looking behind his back and protecting himself” and hinted he was concerned for his safety for some reason.
No matter what, it isn’t going to be as simple as West did something wrong and then he’ll be punished. There are gray areas and decisions the Cavs may have to make about how to deal with West. How they can continue to try to help him, how to understand him. Or perhaps even where they should draw the line.
source : By Brian Windhorst September 19, 2009, 9:39PM
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