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It was a dark day in Dallas on October 29, when the Mavericks unceremoniously waived Delonte West just a day before the season opener. He was a solid player who held his own on both sides of the ball. He was also one of the few professional athletes whose public comments aren’t limited to canned, insincere truisms.
Why the Mavs felt compelled to cut a reliable contributor and entertaining presence was never really explained beyond opaque references to “conduct detrimental to the team.” One was left to wonder whether his behavior was indeed so egregious that it necessitated enduring a season of inconsistent guard play. Seeing as his name hasn’t showed up on any police reports, probably not, but we’ll never know for sure.
Soon, it may not matter. Rumors are swirling that West might soon be headed back to Dallas, though not to the Mavericks, per se. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported that West may join the D-League, where he would most likely play for the Texas Legends, which serves as the Mavericks’ farm club.
That’s what West wants, according to a source who spoke with Ben and Skin, the idea being that it would put him in a position to patch things up with the Mavericks and rejoin the team.
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There are still a lot of ifs before that could happen. West would have to opt not to sign a 10-day contract the Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly contemplating offering, and the Mavs would have to agree to take him back. Even then, you have to wonder if it’s a good idea to get back into a relationship that ended in heartbreak. In this case, the answer is clearly yes.
