Celtics bring guard Delonte West back to Boston
Jim Fenton, Enterprise News
Drafted by Boston in 2004, West spent the past three seasons with the former Seattle SuperSonics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He recently pleaded guilty to carrying a dangerous weapon and illegally t…
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The Enterprise
The 2004 NBA Draft was productive for the Boston Celtics when they used three first-round picks to acquire quality players.

Al Jefferson was selected out of high school at No. 15 followed by Delonte West at No. 24 and Tony Allen at No. 25.

After three seasons, however, Jefferson and West were used in trades to acquire Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, respectively, and Tony Allen departed this summer via free agency.

Just when it looked like the Celtics had no one remaining from their ’04 draft class, though, West has rejoined the team he started with.

The 27-year-old guard, who was arrested on weapons charges a year ago this month, signed with the Celtics on Wednesday, bringing West back to the team he departed in the summer of 2007.

It is believed that West, who averaged 10.4 points in 179 games the first time around with the Celtics, has a non-guaranteed contract. If that is the case, the deal would probably become guaranteed after the first two months of the season.

The Celtics are hoping that West can give them some much needed depth at the wing position and also provide help as a backup to point guard Rajon Rondo. He has also been a favorite player of Coach Doc Rivers and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who said he has had discussions with West the past two weeks.

West is returning to the Celtics with baggage after pleading guilty on July 16 to carrying a dangerous weapon and illegally transporting a handgun. The sentence West received includes eight months of home detention, two months of supervised probation, community service, counseling and two years of unsupervised probation

The plea agreement allows West to leave home for practice and games, but the NBA suspended him for 10 games, meaning he would not be active for the Celtics until Nov. 17.

West was arrested last Sept. 17, just before the start of NBA training camps, for carrying two loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun in a guitar case and a knife while on a three-wheeled motorcycle in Upper Marlboro, Md.

West played for the Cleveland Cavaliers the past 21/2 seasons with his best year being 2008-09. West averaged 11.7 points and 3.5 assists as a starter in 64 games, then scored 13.8 points with 4.1 assists in 14 playoff games.

This past season, after his legal troubles, West appeared in just 35 regular-season games and averaged 7.4 points. The Cavaliers traded West to the Minnesota Timberwolves last month, and they bought out the final year of his contract for $500,000, making him a free agent.

Prior to the start of his first full season with the Cavaliers, West left training camp in October 2008 because of depression and was treated for a mood disorder.

The Celtics are taking a chance that West can put his problems in the past and be a solid contributor as a role player.

Their backcourt reserves behind Rondo and Ray Allen prior to the signing of West included rookie Avery Bradley, Nate Robinson and Von Wafer with Marquis Daniels being a swingman.

The Celtics didn’t want to part with West in the summer of 2007 because of his toughness and ability to shoot from the outside, but he had to be included to make the trade with the former Seattle SuperSonics work.

West, Wally Szczerbiak and the draft rights to Jeff Green were shipped to the Sonics for Ray Allen and the draft rights to Glen Davis. West and Szczerbiak were then traded during the 2007-08 season by the Sonics to the Cavaliers and were on the Cleveland team that went seven games with the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

If West can regain his form from two years ago, the Celtics will have a reliable backcourt piece. He has averaged 10 points and shot 37 percent from 3-point range in his career.

Only three players who were teammates with West in Boston – Paul Pierce, Rondo and Kendrick Perkins – remain on the Celtics’ roster.