Delonte West To D-League? [UPDATE]

UPDATE - Delonte West signs with Texas Legends. Read the full story here.

Over the years, we've seen several players come to, or through, Sioux Falls in the NBA Development League to rehabilitate injuries or work on their game in the hopes of making it back to the NBA.  But one former star in the NBA may now be looking at the D-League to rehabilitate his image.

Guard Delonte West started the season with high expectations with the Dallas Mavericks, but things quickly changed when he had a falling out with Mavs Head Coach Rick Carlisle, that eventually led to an indefinite suspension after a preseason and for "conduct detrimental to the team."  West was eventually waived and has been out of basketball since October.

All that changed this week when the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly considering a 10-day contract offer for West to fill out their roster following Tuesday's multi-player deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wednesday night, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that West is now hedging his bets a bit by entering the player pool for the D-League in the hopes of getting back in the good graces of his former NBA team:

[...] if the Grizzlies pass, West would be eligible to join the team at the front of the D-League waiver line, which sources say is the Donnie Nelson-owned Texas Legends, Frisco-based affiliate of the Mavericks.

 

Sources say that West hopes to play his way back into the league just like Mike James did earlier this month, earning a call-up from the Mavericks after a brief but successful stint in Frisco. James is nearing the end of his second 10-day contract with the Mavs and, according sources, is a strong possibility to be signed for the rest of the season next week.

 

A source close to West told Jeff "Skin" Wade of the Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM that the guard prefers a potential situation with the Legends to the Grizzlies scenario in hopes that a good showing with the D-League team could put him back into favor with the Mavs, who released him before the regular season began.

Sadly for local D-League fans, Texas and the Skyforce are done playing each other in the regular season this year.