Delonte West's Bad Day
by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Jan 2, 2010 9:04 PM CST
in Cleveland Cavaliers in the News
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PrintAround these parts we've come to describe the Cavaliers games by which Delonte West shows up - Good Delonte or Bad Delointe. We're not poking fun at West, far from it. We are trying to keep the attention on West's emotional issues and how difficult it can be to play in the NBA when your mental state of mind is far from 100%.
An example of a Bad-Delonte moment happened during the 4th quarter of today's game against the Nets. Brian Windhorst explains -
West was struggling during the Cavaliers' 94-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets, another reminder of his constant battle with a mood disorder. But in the fourth quarter, West essentially took himself out of the game and the results ended up having a negative effect on the team.
Midway through the fourth quarter, coach Mike Brown sent LeBron James into the game, wanting to take out Mo Williams for a short break. This is the team's standard rotation, though Brown on Saturday was playing a bit smaller and had Daniel Gibson on the floor instead of Jamario Moon.
But West came to the bench instead and when Brown appeared to signal to West that he wanted him to stay in the game, West went and sat on the end of the bench. So Williams stayed in the game and James subbed in for West.
Within a minute, Williams had picked up his fifth foul and had to be taken out. Instead of going to West as the backup point guard, Brown instead turned to Anthony Parker and shifted the point guard duties to James with the second option being Gibson.
The Nets then cut the lead down to four points and were making a run. As it turned out the Cavs were able to stem the tide. Gibson knocked down a 3-pointer and Parker made a hustle play by diving for a loose ball that led to a 3-point play from James.
This is a constant battle for Mike Brown. Not only does he have to try and juggle his roster based on matchups, but he has to juggle the day-to-day battle West as with his emotions, never really knowing if or when 'Bad-Delonte' will show up regardless of how well Delonte might be playing.
Another reason we should take a few moments here and there to give Brown some respect.
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Delonte West must seek help immediately
if his condition is so bad that he doesn’t even want to play the game.
I don't think his problem is deciding if he wants to play or not.
I think its a matter of being able to mentally focus on all aspects of his life and the game. If he didn’t want to play, as you suggest, he likely would not be in uniform. I am no expert but his range of emotions seems to vary from game to game. Sometimes he looks focused and “into” the game, his teammates, etc. But sometimes not so much.
So I told her," I'll be nicer if you try to be smarter!'..That was a mistake.
You’re right. I don’t think any of us know what he’s going through, unless they’ve also fought bipolar disorder and depression, so I don’t think it’s fair to make any judgements about him. He is trying to get help, from all accounts, but it’s not going to be an immediate fix. As the article said, he’s going to have good days and bad and the Cavs just need to deal with it and help him through these tough times as much as they can. Hopefully he will get his emotions straightened out by playoff time when we’re really going to need him.
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 3, 2010 10:18 AM CST up reply actions
wow i agree
good luck to him
"I was like a kid in a candy store running around with his head cut off ,,,," 0_o
by CaliforniaGreen on Jan 3, 2010 1:02 AM CST up reply actions
I have to wonder
…meaning no disrespect to West, whose battles are very real and personal I’m sure, but from a coach and team perspective, I have to wonder how Brown would handle a situation like the one described above in the playoffs.
Even if the guy is my friend, if a player is known to be a risk to suddenly and without provocation become unable to play, I have to seriously consider how much I want to rely on him during a best of seven series when a five minute stretch of basketball can decide a championship. You almost have to prepare under the assumption of his non-participation.
Give Brown Respect?!
I disagree. Mike Brown has always been the puppet, and his players the puppeteers. Brown cowtows not only to LeBron, but now to West as well. The Cavs will not win a world championship until Brown leaves. His offensive philosophy is offensive, and he doesn’t change…
Delonte Will Be Juz Fine
He’s a man, who is extremely talented, yet afflicted with some variation(s) of Bipolar disorder. It is very, very difficult to manage-from all sides; He does well, all things considered: He’s young. He’s in the spotlight. He will survive. So will the Cavz, especially because they care, and make the effort to help him. He tries. That’s ‘nuff said. Oh yes, add prayer and God’s blessings: He’ll be there, 100% for the playoffs.
"There is no spoon."
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