Delonte West Suspended For Second Time In 10 Days, Rants On Twitter

Delonte West has been suspended by the Dallas Mavericks for the second time in 10 days.

There were early reports that West had been suspended indefinitely, but the suspension was lifted the next day. Thursday, however, President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson confirmed West’s suspension in a statement.

Nelson said, “We have suspended Delonte for conduct detrimental to the team. The suspension is effective immediately and no other statements will be issued.”

Since Nelson and the Mavs are remaining tightlipped on the circumstances surrounding West’s suspension, any theories are just speculation for the time being. What is clear is that the team should have extended the first suspension, possibly avoiding this issue altogether.

West played in all seven games of the preseason, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. West signed to Dallas in 2011 after finishing a one-year contract with the Celtics to backup Rajon Rondo as a point guard. He was suspended for the first 10 games of the season after pleading guilty to a weapons charge.

After his suspension, he finished his last season in Boston with 5.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. He shot .867 from the free throw line.

West was understandably upset with his suspension, and took to Twitter, again, to vent his frustration. He said he wished the organization had handled the situation differently, but that he didn’t have any ill feelings toward anyone.

West tweeted:

Delonte West has been forthcoming about his battle with bipolar disorder, but insists his recent conduct has nothing to do with his condition. Whether he or the Mavericks will break the silence about the conduct leading to his suspension remains to be seen.