Well we saw this coming. After being suspended twice in one month, the Mavericks waived Delonte West on Monday to trim their roster to the mandated 15-player limit.
West was suspended twice this month for conduct detrimental to the team. His first suspension lasted less than a day, but West was never reinstated after being suspended again Thursday morning.
Sources said the Mavs were concerned that West was negatively influencing younger players on the roster. There was a belief that West, an eight-year veteran who was a valuable role player for the Mavs last season, could not handle the frustration of having to settle for another one-year, veteran-minimum contract.
West’s release allows the Mavs to keep center Eddy Curry, who was claimed off waivers Thursday. With Chris Kaman dealing with a strained right calf that has sidelined him for two and a half weeks, Curry is likely to be in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s season opener against theLos Angeles Lakers.
The Mavs shopped 2010 first-round pick Dominique Jones but could not find any takers for the 24-year-old guard, league sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
WRITTEN BY Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com & FULL STORY HERE
