ORLANDO -- It's hard to tell what's going on in the head these days of Delonte West. But FanHouse wanted to give Cleveland's mercurial guard an opportunity to explain some of his recent doings.
West, who is bipolar and is facing six weapons charges from a Sept. 17 incident in Maryland in which police say he was carrying on a three-wheeled motorcycle three loaded guns and an 8 ½-inch bowie knife, was asked after Wednesday's shootaround how he is progressing after having two leaves of absence during training camp to attend to personal matters. West ended up not playing in the first three games of the season.
"One plus one is two and C always comes out to A and B,'' West said to FanHouse.
Delonte West has returned to the court for the Cavaliers after two separate leave of absences, but the fallout of his recent arrest in Maryland has just begun. West was formally indicted on eight charges Tuesday, including six related to concealed weapons.
West was arrested on Sept. 17 in Maryland after allegedly cutting off a police car on the Beltway while riding his three-wheeled motorcycle, at which point officers soon discovered he had a fully-loaded 9mm Beretta handgun tucked in his waistband, a fully-loaded Ruger .357 Magnum strapped to his waist and a fully-loaded shotgun in a guitar case strapped to his back.
During today's indictment, it was also revealed that West was carrying an 8 1/2-inch Bowie knife as well as 112 additional shotgun shells in another backpack strapped to his vehicle.
It's becoming more and more frustrating as the list of "questionable" players for opening night continues to grow. The case has been made that maybe the preseason is too long -- about four games too long.
Who would have thought that of the past three No. 1 overall draft picks only Greg Oden will start the 2009-10 season with a clean bill of health. Blake Griffin is reportedly sidelined for up to six weeks with a stress fracture in his left knee, while Derrick Rose is questionable after injuring his ankle early on in the preseason. Rose is likely to play on opening night, but his action could be limited as he nurses his ankle back to health. In other news, future No. 1 pick John Wall is not serving much better. Advantage, Oden.
With less than 24 hours to go before your lineups are required to be set in stone for the week, it's only right that we discuss a few of the "questionable" lineup decisions you might need to make based on injuries and matchups.
First, the guns. Then the unexcused absences. Now we can add a domestic violence report to the recent events section of the Delonte West dossier.
WOIO.com reports that Saturday night, West drove his wife to the Cleveland airport where an "incident" occurred. Reportedly the incident started at the couple's home where the Cavs' small guard tried to take her wedding ring off. After the argument continued to the airport, West's wife filed a domestic violence report with authorities. Police told the station there were no signs of abuse or injury.
Well, then. As long as he's managed to put all that trouble behind him.
Center Shaquille O'Neal made his preseason debut for Cleveland on Tuesday night, looking good in a 92-87 win over Charlotte at Quicken Loans Arena. But most of the talk after the game centered on Delonte West's continued troubles and Bobcats coach Larry Brown's frustration with replacement officials.
A source said after the game that West will not be at Cavaliers practice Wednesday, and it's possible his absence could continue beyond that. The source said he will be in the Washington D.C. area Wednesday to address legal matters concerning his Sept. 17 arrest in Maryland after police said he was pulled over for speeding on a motorcycle while carrying two loaded handguns and a loaded shotgun in a guitar case.
After being arrested recently on a gun charge that raised more than a few eyebrows, Delonte West was all smiles at the Cavaliers' media day on Monday. He seemed ready to put the incident behind him, telling reporters, "I'm back taking my meds and everything," and that he was focused on basketball.
Unfortunately, the newly-found focus didn't last very long, as West didn't show up to the Cavs' first day of training camp practice.
And according to Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer, the absence was unexcused.
Delonte West has a whole new set of reasons you should get him his donuts.
The Washington Post reports that West was arrested Thursday night after being stopped on his three-wheeled motorcycle. He cut off a police officer and after being stopped, informed the arresting officer he had a gun in his waistband. After backup arrived, police actually found three weapons on his person. A second weapon was strapped to his leg, and another was in a guitar case strapped to his back.
We've all been there. The drive-thru order isn't ready, and won't be for several minutes. We're told to "go park over there," and someone will bring it right out to us.
Most of us mutter a few swear words, and sit sullenly in our vehicle while impatiently waiting for the unhealthy (but satiating) payoff. But not Delonte West.
No, Delonte's apparently got nothin' but time on his hands, so he's more than happy to wait 18 minutes for his KFC order to arrive. And lucky for us, he decided to pass the time with a friend by busting a freestyle in the front seat of his car, while a video camera mounted on the dashboard caught all the action.
The clip includes some NSFW language, and can be seen after the jump.
In our inaugural edition of the NBA Twitter mailbag, we've got some interesting topics to get us started. How will Shaq's ego fit in Cleveland? Is Kevin Durant getting the attention he deserves? And what's left on the Celtics' summer to-do list?
Rasheed Wallace is one of the last major free agent names to make a commitment, and if the reports turn out to be true (thanks to Hedo Turkoglu, you can never be too sure), he'll be suiting up to start the 2009 season as a member of the Celtics.
Our own Matt Steinmetz thinks that makes Boston the favorite to take home the title next year. But to me, that seems -- to put it as politely as possible -- a bit overly-optimistic.
ORLANDO -- It's hard to tell what's going on in the head these days of Delonte West. But FanHouse wanted to give Cleveland's mercurial guard an opportunity to explain some of his recent doings.
It's becoming more and more frustrating as the list of "questionable" players for opening night continues to grow. The case has been made that maybe the 
First, the guns. Then the unexcused absences. Now we can add a domestic violence report to the recent events section of the 
After being arrested recently on 
We've all been there. The drive-thru order isn't ready, and won't be for several minutes. We're told to "go park over there," and someone will bring it right out to us. 
