I've seen a lot of Delonte West in his three years in Boston, plus I watched St. Joseph's a few times during his college days. He is a player, he was just put in a bad situation in Seattle. He can shoot the ball, he's "sneaky explosive," he has pretty solid court vision.. but he goes balls to the wall every second he's on the floor. He isn't a great 1-on-1 defender, but he makes a lot of hustle plays off the ball, from behind, and in the passing lanes. He'll do anything for his team, anything the coach asks of him. If you cut his right leg off before the game, he'd ask the coaching staff to play. That works against him at times, because he's so reckless that he gets himself hurt sometimes, but his energy is great when he's out there. His biggest flaws are as follows: <ul>[*]He can't run an offense. He's not a guy you can depend on to get the team into sets and play floor general. He's a 2-guard trapped in a point guard's body. He's a scorer.[/list] <ul>[*]He doesn't have a right hand. If he gathers from the right block, he will either lay it up with his left hand or flip it up left-handed on the opposite side of the rim. He has a sweet touch and he can finish, but only with one hand. He really needs to work on that.[/list] <ul>[*]As I mentioned above, he's not a very good man defender. He'll make hustle plays, dive on the floor, block some shots, intercept some passes, and grab some boards, but he is not going to cut off opposing point guards off penetration. Granted, having Big Ben and Big Z behind him might not expose this flaw as much as it was in Boston and Seattle, but it's still a weakness.[/list] <ul>[*]Danny Ainge would describe Delonte as a fairly heady player, but his decision making with the ball can be shaky at times. He can be a bit turnover prone at times.[/list] With all that said, I think he is a perfect fit in Cleveland. Cleveland does not need a "true point guard," or a guy that is a dynamite playmaker. What Cleveland has been missing from the 1-spot is a player they can trust getting the ball over halfcourt, stretch the floor, knock down shots, and have the ability to play effectively off the ball. LeBron is a primary ball handler and the playmaker - that will never change. Delonte West is an outstanding fit with the Cavaliers, and I think you will love him both on and off the court. I say off the court because he is hands down one of the funniest guys in the NBA. Here is one example of it.There's no telling what he might say in an interview, but you are guaranteed a lot of laughs. He'll keep the locker room loose. I've always been a big fan of Delonte (in fact, I bought his jersey in his rookie year), and I wish him well in Cleveland. I think he'll make the best of it. Good luck, D-West!
