Delonte West to join D-League team Monday

After changing his mind about playing in the D-League earlier this season, well traveled guard Delonte West has had a change of heart and figured the way back to the NBA was through the D-League.

West gambled that some team would be willing to sign him during the season after the Dallas Mavericks dumped him in the preseason. No one was willing to sign West who also had problems during his stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

With playoff time coming up and teams willing to sign proven, low cost veterans to round out their roster to 10 day contracts, West will report to the D-League's Texas Legends on Monday according to a report by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.


With NBA teams uneasy about taking a risk on his past behavioral issues, free-agent guard Delonte West intends to report to the Texas Legends of the Development League on Monday, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

West, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had planned to join the Legends earlier in February, but never arrived. Since coming to realize the D-League is likely his only avenue back into the NBA, West has reconsidered, a source said.

West could help a contender out if his head is straight and that's a big if. But if he performs and shows no signs of rust some team might be able to look past that.

Andre Iguodala says JaVale McGee is actually smart

When you think of the Denver Nuggets' JaVale McGee the first thing that comes to mind is one of the many boneheaded plays he's made in his short NBA career. Granted most of those were with the Washington Wizards so I can give him half a pass on that.

McGee has never been known to be the sharpest tool in the shed but his teammate Andre Iguodala tells a different story. During an interview with GQ magazine Iguodala revealed a much brighter side to McGee.

JaVale McGee is one of the smartest guys I know. Like, he's a nerd, plays with gadgets and is into technology. He's funny--he's got crazy jokes and his timing with jokes is really funny. You have to be really smart to think the way he does. He's a thinker, so his mind goes into a lot of different places, and I think that can be taken the wrong way when he's on the court--he can be an over-thinker at times.

Personally, I understand McGee a little more than I used to. If you ask me it just seems like he may outsmart himself every once in a while. The problem is that those moments are a bit too frequent which is why George Karl keeps him on the bench instead of giving him a starting role. McGee is talented and if he can ever cut down on his mistakes and not float, he can be a very good player.

Despite Iguodala's claims the Nuggets are still waiting for McGee to get with the program.

Tigers might bring back Jose Valverde

The Detroit Tigers are unsettled in their bullpen. The closer portion to be specific.

After a horrible postseason in which he allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings during the postseason, former closer Jose Valverde was shown the door. The Tigers are committed to making rookie Bruce Rondon the closer. Right now the Rondon experiment looks to be on shaky ground.

Valverde hasn't been signed by anyone and he dropped out of the World Baseball Classic (Dominican Republic) for personal reasons.

Last month Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he was "shocked" that Valverde hasn't been signed by anyone. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has reported that Leyland is interested in bringing back Valverde as a safety net in case Rondon can't hold down the job.

Leyland is interested but Valverde actually returning is another story. I would not entertain that thought for one minute. If I'm looking for a safety net, try Brian Wilson on an incentive laden deal.

Bringing back Valverde would do nothing except damage his now fragile psyche after the epic collapse he endured last season. Imagine the chorus of boos raining down on him at Comerica Park. He doesn't need to be back in Detroit and the fans don't want him back.