Delonte West Has No Interest In Russia, Money

I am a strong believer in Delonte West, and feel he helps the Cavs a lot. That said, sometimes it can be hard to decipher exactly what the man’s point is, or why he wants us to know. Case in point: His remarks from camp about his off-season contract drama. From the Akron Beacon Journal, here’s West on those pesky Russia rumors:↵↵⇥“I don’t know where that came from, that scared me to death,” West said. “I’m more of a Maryland, West Virginia, maybe Atlanta type of guy. I ain’t going nowhere.”↵↵The real gem comes when Delonte explains why he and the team initially didn’t see eye to eye on salary. Or wait, did they?↵↵⇥“You may think I am joking, but I’d play for free. I play for a reason not a season. ‘The first amount they threw out there, I couldn’t believe it, that was, whew, more money than my whole family had seen if you add everybody’s salaries up. I’m talking about 10 brothers and sisters. The holdout was about me getting a sense of the team wanting me to be here.”↵↵Well, you got that sense, I guess. Since their offer did get where you wanted it to be. Ironically, though, the Cavs also went and signed Mo Williams, who could totally step on your toes, or at least bump up against you, in the rotation. You both do similar things, and, more importantly, could end up in a dogfight for “LeBron’s sidekick 2008-09.” So you tell me, Delonte. Do they really want you?↵
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↵And will Russia seem so awful if LeBron asks you to follow him there in 2010?↵