To me, Delonte will always be a Celtic. Two years ago, when NBA Entertainment featured the team in their The Association series, this clip struck a chord. When Rivers replies to something that Delonte says while he was with the Cavaliers with "you are playing for the wrong team," you really get a sense that he loved playing for Doc and that Doc truly cared about West.
Several former teammates and his former coach reacted to the news that GM Don Nelson indefinitely suspended Delonte for conduct detrimental to the team:
Rivers expresses concern over latest Delonte West suspension
"I love Delonte," Rivers told CSNNE.com. "I'm always worried about him."
Added Jason Terry, who played with West in Dallas last season. "I just remember he was the guy you wanted on your team. He's a competitor. He was a hell of a teammate and I loved playing with him."
West has had a slew of problems at just about every stop along his NBA journey, although the drama was relatively low during two separate stints with Boston.
"Everybody here loved Delonte," said Paul Pierce. "I loved his competitiveness. Obviously, everybody has their own issues, some more documented than others. But I love what he brings to the table. He can be a character at times; he's very free spirited. But a lot of people love to be around him."
Check out Delonte's Twitter feed from today:
If I'm not what u lookin 4 ....That's fine...just dont kick me in my ass on the way out the door....I didn't do anything to deserve that...
— Delonte West (@CharleeRedz13) October 25, 2012
I love the city of Dallas..I love playin in the NBA...no I'm not off my meds...no I ain't on no bipolar trip...this real people lives..
— Delonte West (@CharleeRedz13) October 25, 2012
And it just ain't right..imma leave it at that..no ill will towards no one...I'm just sittin here across from the arena wit tear in my eyes
— Delonte West (@CharleeRedz13) October 25, 2012
I'm not sure what he did to get suspended, but DW will always be in the Celtic brotherhood to me and I'm sure we're all rooting for him to make it back in Dallas and the NBA.