After Offseason Of Trouble, Delonte West Held Out Of Cavs Opener

After all of his offseason problems -- including a gun arrest and accusations of abuse by his wife -- the Cavaliers have decided to hold Delonte West out of the opener against the Celtics tonight.

A video report elaborated, saying that West tried to “rip off her wedding ring” during the argument. Sounds slightly worse than, “tried to take her wedding ring off.” Whatever the case, it seems this is further evidence that Delonte is, sadly, a danger to both himself and the people around him. The Cavaliers, for their part in all of this, are “aware of the situation” but have so far declined to comment. We’ll have more developments as they emerge.

Since his tumultuous turn at Cavaliers training camp earlier this month, the news surrounding Delonte West has been relatively quiet, as the team’s given him space to work out his issues, and West has been content to remain outside the public eye while his representatives have declined comment on the situation. And while it’s still unclear as to what role, if any, West may play for the Cavaliers this year, tonight’s mysterious news certainly doesn’t help.

The details are obviously sketchy at this point, but it all sounds a bit ominous given the context. Stay tuned for further reports as they emerge.

The Delonte West guessing game continues, as the Cavaliers guard took an excused absence from Tuesday’s preseason game and today’s practice. West had missed the first four practices last week.

Lebron James, however, is still standing behind his man:

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports:

Certainly good news for both Delonte West and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After two days of no-shows and rampant speculation as to his whereabouts and mental condition, Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that Delonte West is at practice today for the Cavaliers. We’ll have more information as it emerges.

From a Cleveland blog, Waiting for Next Year, word that West could be out longer than you think (via Bethlehem Shoals):

To which Shoals responds with a reality check of his own, examining the potential consequences on the court for the Cavaliers:

Mike Brown talked about Delonte’s continued absence after practice today. From the Associated Press:

Cavs guard Mo Williams, for one, downplayed the seriousness, citing West’s supportive friends and family as a safety net:

According to Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Delonte West missed practice again today, and again his absence was inexcused. From Windhorst’s twitter feed:

Cleveland players, it seems, have tried to get in touch with him to no avail:

More discouraging news for troubled Cavs guard Delonte West. Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports:

West did miss 10 days of training camp last year while undergoing treatment for his mood disorder. However, there’s an obvious difference between missing practice to get help dealing with his issues, and missing practice presumably because of his well-documented problems.

Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer echoes the concerns over West, and worries about the future of the Cavs backcourt:

The whole story is a good one, from one of the better basketball writers around. And with West’s future up in the air, it’s a reminder that much of Cleveland’s success--and who knows, struggles this year would certainly have a bearing on Lebron’s impending free agency--rests on the abilities of Delonte West. There are some serious problems to be dealt with, here--both in West’s life, and, it seems, the Cleveland lineup.

The Washington Post helps explain exactly how West was managing to carry three loaded guns while driving a motorcycle:

You read that correctly: he was carrying two handguns and a shotgun while riding a motorcycle. Impressive. And dangerous, of course. But still: really, really impressive.