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He says gun incident to seem small after facts come out
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 10:20 p.m. EDT, Sep 28, 2009
INDEPENDENCE: Delonte West found himself having to face questions related to his behavior at Cleveland Clinic Courts today.
Police arrested West after a traffic stop in Upper Marlboro, Md., when they discovered him carrying three loaded guns. He's facing weapons charges and was also cited for speeding on his Can-Am Spyder, a motorcycle.
In published reports, West's father suggested that his son had taken steps to protect himself. While the Cavs guard didn't say that himself, he said there is more to the story.
''Once details come out surrounding the situation you'll see it's not as big as some make it or some opinions. It's just bad timing right before training camp,'' he said.
Bad timing indeed. West had been on medication to control what has been reported as a ''mood disorder,'' but he sounded ready to move forward.
''I'm back taking my meds and everything, I'm focused on basketball,'' he told a group of reporters. Questions had been raised as to whether West's incident was related to his illness. When asked if the Cavaliers were aware that he was off his medication, Tad Carper, senior vice president, communications said: ''We don't discuss the specifics of players' personal health situations such as this.''
What is clear is that the team doesn't want this incident to affect what has instantly become a season of high hopes and expectations after the off-season acquisitions of Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon and Leon Powe. Questions to West related to the incident were cut off after just a few.
''Delonte is someone who is always in shape; he loves to play basketball,'' General Manager Danny Ferry said. ''The situation that happened this summer is something we take very seriously. As it relates to that — his legal situation — I don't think it's appropriate for us to dig into it any more than that.''
West agreed with that: ''It's still early on. You have to respect the legal process. I understand there are a lot of questions and a lot of things [people] want to know around the situation, [but] right now the focus is on this team and playing basketball.''
Wide open competition
It's easy to pick four of the likely starting five. Barring injury, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Anderson Varejao and Mo Williams seem assured of opening games.
But much like last season, the shooting guard position could be open, coach Mike Brown said.
With the addition of Parker, who started more than 70 games for the Toronto Raptors last year, Brown could have the tall-and-long starting lineup he prefers. That would mean West could find himself coming off the bench, something that isn't a bad thing given the team's subpar play in that area last season.
With his ability to handle the ball, defense and ability to score, West could provide a much-needed spark. West said he wouldn't have a problem doing that.
Ahead of schedule
Forward Leon Powe appeared at media day and offered some good news — his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule, a a relief to him.
''I'm just happy I got the first five months out of the way,'' he said. ''I told [my doctor] I want to be back around the All-Star break. He said I would be back a little bit before, but we didn't put a definite date on it. We're just taking it month by month.''
Just in case
Scott Raab, a writer for Esquire, will be hanging around the team this year, gathering information for what could be a book about a championship season. Raab graduated from Cleveland State University in 1983, according to his biography.
He is the author of Real Hollywood Stories, a collection of celebrity profiles taken from Esquire.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas. Follow Cavs coverage on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cavsabj
INDEPENDENCE: Delonte West found himself having to face questions related to his behavior at Cleveland Clinic Courts today.
Police arrested West after a traffic stop in Upper Marlboro, Md., when they discovered him carrying three loaded guns. He's facing weapons charges and was also cited for speeding on his Can-Am Spyder, a motorcycle.
In published reports, West's father suggested that his son had taken steps to protect himself. While the Cavs guard didn't say that himself, he said there is more to the story.
''Once details come out surrounding the situation you'll see it's not as big as some make it or some opinions. It's just bad timing right before training camp,'' he said.
Bad timing indeed. West had been on medication to control what has been reported as a ''mood disorder,'' but he sounded ready to move forward.
''I'm back taking my meds and everything, I'm focused on basketball,'' he told a group of reporters. Questions had been raised as to whether West's incident was related to his illness. When asked if the Cavaliers were aware that he was off his medication, Tad Carper, senior vice president, communications said: ''We don't discuss the specifics of players' personal health situations such as this.''
What is clear is that the team doesn't want this incident to affect what has instantly become a season of high hopes and expectations after the off-season acquisitions of Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon and Leon Powe. Questions to West related to the incident were cut off after just a few.
''Delonte is someone who is always in shape; he loves to play basketball,'' General Manager Danny Ferry said. ''The situation that happened this summer is something we take very seriously. As it relates to that — his legal situation — I don't think it's appropriate for us to dig into it any more than that.''
West agreed with that: ''It's still early on. You have to respect the legal process. I understand there are a lot of questions and a lot of things [people] want to know around the situation, [but] right now the focus is on this team and playing basketball.''
Wide open competition
It's easy to pick four of the likely starting five. Barring injury, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Anderson Varejao and Mo Williams seem assured of opening games.
But much like last season, the shooting guard position could be open, coach Mike Brown said.
With the addition of Parker, who started more than 70 games for the Toronto Raptors last year, Brown could have the tall-and-long starting lineup he prefers. That would mean West could find himself coming off the bench, something that isn't a bad thing given the team's subpar play in that area last season.
With his ability to handle the ball, defense and ability to score, West could provide a much-needed spark. West said he wouldn't have a problem doing that.
Ahead of schedule
Forward Leon Powe appeared at media day and offered some good news — his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule, a a relief to him.
''I'm just happy I got the first five months out of the way,'' he said. ''I told [my doctor] I want to be back around the All-Star break. He said I would be back a little bit before, but we didn't put a definite date on it. We're just taking it month by month.''
Just in case
Scott Raab, a writer for Esquire, will be hanging around the team this year, gathering information for what could be a book about a championship season. Raab graduated from Cleveland State University in 1983, according to his biography.
He is the author of Real Hollywood Stories, a collection of celebrity profiles taken from Esquire.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas. Follow Cavs coverage on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cavsabj
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