Cavs Trading Delonte West? Hmm

Six weeks ago it was said the Cavs were looking at potentially extending the contract of guard Delonte West. Now the Cleveland Plain Dealer is saying the Cavs are looking to trade him. What could have possibly changed in between? Initially I brushed aside baseless, unsubstantiated rumors such as the one suggested about Delonte West shortly after the Cavs lost to the Celtics. Now though, more and more the pieces are starting to come together making it seem like the ridiculous rumor could be true.

The first hint that the absurd rumor could be true was when Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy said it was “absolutely true.” West’s glaring drop in minutes against the Celtics — from playing 20-30 minutes a game every playoff game to just nine and 14 minutes in Games 5 and 6 — seemed quite strange. People can argue that the Cavs might want to get rid of West because of his pending weapons charges. I understand that could be a factor but the Cavs knew what West was facing back when they were talking about extending him. Plus, with the Cavs trying to keep LeBron, wouldn’t they try and surround him with as much talent as possible rather than get rid of it?

The last nugget that really makes me question things came in Jack McCallum’s column at SI on Friday. Comparing Kobe to LeBron in the playoffs, here’s what McCallum wrote about LBJ against the Celtics:

At this writing only a precious few insiders know exactly what happened to distract James during the Boston Celtics series. But something did. He let himself be taken out mentally, and not for the first time.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think he’s talking about an elbow there. As hard as it would be to believe, it sure is starting to sound like something was going on.

Sources:
Contract as yet unsettled, but Danny Ferry remains in charge as GM: NBA Insider [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
It’s simple: Kobe is the best player — better than MVP LeBron [Jack McCallum/SI]