With 16 games set to take place over the final two days of the NBA D-League regular season, players will be giving it their all in hopes of receiving a last minute NBA Call-Up. For Delonte West, it will be his last opportunity to showcase the skills, and physical conditioning that he's been trying to groom while in the NBADL. However, with rather poor averages through his first 6 games, will West be able to prove his potential worth to NBA teams during the final weekend?
West has averaged below his NBA career totals (9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists) during his time with the Texas Legends, but is hoping his commitment to the NBA D-League will help show NBA teams that he is hard-set on playing in the NBA again.
West's best showing for the Legends thus far, was in a victory over the Bakersfield Jam where he nearly had a triple-double. West had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in 29 minutes. It was West's third game in the D-League, and it seemed like he was on the verge of becoming an impact player for head coach Eduardo Najera. But in West's next outing, he had his worst showing to date in the D-League. In a loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors, West finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 9 minutes.
Since that poor performance on the road against the Warriors, West has averaged 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 24.0 minutes. Despite shooting 5-for-18 in his last two games, West has seemed to gather his wind and turned a corner regarding his on-the-court awareness. Now, can West impress NBA executives in a last ditch effort during the Legends' upcoming two-game set?
Not too long ago, a fellow NBA veteran guard Chris Quinn, landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers after succeeding during his time with the Tulsa 66ers. This should tell West that there is still a market for experienced guards, but after flip-flopping on his D-League decision earlier in the year, and now with underwhelming statistical success, did West hurt his NBA chances by playing in the D-League? The answer is no.
What West needed most, was real-time game minutes. West hurt his NBA stock the most, by deciding not to join the NBA D-League sooner. In fact, if West would of joined the team like he was scheduled to back in late January, than West would have had an ample amount of time to get into shape and display his goods. NBA teams are not looking for jaw-dropping totals from West, but a sense of consistency and balance in his game. On-the-court time would of helped West in achieving that.
Can West punch a last minute Call-Up ticket as his Texas Legends play host to the Springfield Armor tonight and tomorrow night? The answer would be easier if West had a larger sample size to observe from. Now, West will have to impress while crossing his fingers for any chance of returning to the Association.