Prior to Delonte West's signing with the Boston Celtics, there was a lot of debate about whether he would be a good or bad fit for the team. Actually... there still is. Either way, we have him on our team and we have to deal with it either way.
Instead of debating whether Delonte is a good fit or not, Chris Forsberg got right to business by asking the panel of eighteen experts what their expectations are for the newest member of the Boston Celtics. The responses of the eighteen experts were quite similar, with the average expection turning out to be 7.6 points and 2.5 assists over 17.1 minutes per game.
I once again hovered right around the average by predicting 8 points and 2 assists over 18 minutes per game. Here's my explanation given to ESPN Boston:
I am ecstatic about the Delonte West signing. The day after he was traded by the Cavliers and sent over to the Minnesota Timberwolves, I had high hopes that Danny Ainge would take his talents into consideration. Although West struggled with off-the-court issues in Cleveland, he actually developed into a better talent on the court. There were times during the past few season when West was the second or third best option on that team behind LeBron James.
Now that West has battled through his off-the-court issues, I believe that he will be more motivated than ever to prove the doubters wrong. With a reported non-guaranteed contract, West will have to earn his spot on the squad, but I don't believe that will be very difficult. As far as his place on the depth chart, following his 10-game suspension, I expect him to be the man off the bench responsible for relieving Ray Allen. We could also see him playing spot minutes at point guard when the Celtics may need to insert another shooter in the lineup.
I really wanted to predict higher output for West, but I tried to be realistic so I am not let down in the end. Chuck McKenney from Red's Army had the highest expectations for Delonte, predicting 10 points and 3 assists over 17 minutes per game. Let's just hope he's right!
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