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Cavaliers' shooting guard feels confident after switching from point guard
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Monday, Nov 10, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: The jokes and laughter come more easily these days for Delonte West.
Just this past week, the Cavaliers shooting guard showed up for a game with a cleanly shaven face and tight braids. The next day, a crimson Afro replaced the braids.
''You need to get a day when Andy [Varejao], Ben [Wallace] and I blow it out,'' he said. ''You ain't seen this blown out. It's got a bit of volumez. It's French for volume.''
What hasn't been a joke lately is how West has almost seamlessly fit into his role as the Cavs' starting shooting guard.
Before Saturday's game against the Chicago Bulls, the veteran guard from St. Joseph's had been on a tear offensively, averaging more than 13.5 points per game. He's shooting 53 percent from the floor overall and 50 percent from the 3-point line, and displays an uncanny confidence when he launches a jump shot.
''That's what this game is about — confidence,'' he said. ''You can shoot a thousand shots a day, but when game time comes and you're not shooting with confidence, you're going to miss it every time. I've been a shooter my entire career, so I have to say my confidence is pretty high.''
So is his comfort level at his position. While he played lots of shooting guard in college, he has
primarily worked from the point in the NBA.
''The past five years, I've been performing at lead guard in this league,'' he said. ''There's a difference, and anyone who says there's not, they'd be telling a fib. I'm getting comfortable.
''When the ball comes to me, I'm looking for my shot, whereas during the summer, I was working on getting someone else's shot first. It was a minor adjustment, but I'm getting back into things.''
One of the few questions that surrounded the Cavs when they began training camp was who would occupy the guard spot — especially when West took time away from the team to deal with depression and mood disorders. Coach Mike Brown never named a starter at that position. A common-sense guess would be that he wanted West in that spot all along.
''Delonte's a basketball player and he's playing very well,'' Brown said. ''Obviously in that starting group, we have three big-time scorers in Z, LeBron and Mo, and you got to have some pieces that are glue pieces. You look at Ben as a glue piece. You look at Delonte as a glue piece because you have to guard Delonte, and if you don't guard Delonte, he'll make you pay. You can go to him, too.''
Teammate LeBron James agreed.
''He's the X-factor of our team, and if he plays well, like he's doing consistently right now, we're a very tough team to beat,'' James said. ''He's just been focused. He's excited to be playing the game of basketball, which he loves again, at a high level, at a fun level.''
Even if he's not hitting the points, however, West has displayed his worth on the court. Take Saturday night's win against the Bulls, a game in which he scored only two points. Flashing those point guard skills, West dribbled to the lane, luring a Bulls player into believing he was going to the hoop. Instead, West tossed a no-look pass to forward Varejao for an easy layup.
He credits the cohesion among Cavs players for helping to elevate his game. But did dealing with his personal issues help?
''Yes, definitely, just to try to get things off my chest, not allowing it to weigh me down, feeling like I had to go through that by myself,'' he said. ''With the support of lots of fans, family members and definitely the team, it shows there are people out here who care for you, who want to see you smile. That works for me.''
So far, it's working for the Cavaliers as well and that certainly is no joke.
It's the defense
The Cavaliers struggled for three quarters against the Bulls, yet managed to pull out a win. Other than James, who scored 41 for the second time this season against the Bulls, the Cavs can thank their team defense, which held the Bulls to 37 percent shooting in the fourth quarter. They also got to the free-throw line 14 times (hitting 12) in that quarter.
Quick shot
The 111-107 win over the Bulls marked the fourth time that the Cavs scored 100 or more points this season — James' 41 points represented the 26th time he hit the 40-point mark in his career. The team is 21-5 when that happens.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
INDEPENDENCE: The jokes and laughter come more easily these days for Delonte West.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 11:16 AM, 11/10/2008
LOVE the CAVS!
Posted 01:38 PM, 11/10/2008
Love West's amazing 10 point scoring average while playing 33 minutes a game! MVP! MVP! MVP!
Posted 07:16 AM, 11/11/2008
AA. Think about it. When he is not taking that many points, forget about 10 points a game. Just as long as he makes shots, teams have respect him and its harder to double Lebron off him. Its more than points per game. They dont run a lot of plays for him and he not there to score. He is the 4th option. I am just glad he is battling his health issues and is doing good. I have seen many not handle the issues and they did not survive. He is also an MVP person. You, I dont think I can say that.
