Delonte West Injured in Celtics Loss to Nuggets

Last night, fans of Delonte West were excited to see Delonte resume his role as the Celtics’ starting point guard. Head Coach Doc Rivers decided to bench Sebastian Telfair “until the end of the season or until something else changes” because of his inconsistencies and lack of defensive skills. Unfortunately, Delonte’s time as the first unit’s PG may once again be in doubt.

With one minute left to play in the first half, Delonte stood at the wing and delivered a bounce pass to Al Jefferson in the high post. When the pass was tipped and the ball was turned over, Earl Boykins took the outlet pass and drove for the hoop. Using the same defensive abilities that Rivers wanted on the floor, Delonte streaked for an opportunity to block Boykins’ layup attempt. Delonte missed the block, but more importantly jumped over Boykins. As Boykins completed his layup, the players collided in mid air, sending Delonte hard to the floor while Boykins landed safely on his feet.

West landed hard on his tailbone, and was unable to return to the floor. Under the assistance of Celtics’ trainer Ed Lacerte, West was escorted to the locker room.

To many fans surprise, West returned to the floor to start the second half — but was clearly trying to play through pain as he brought the ball up court in visible discomfort. Following that possession, Doc Rivers called a timeout and replaced West with Telfair. On the sideline, West began to sit down — but Ed Lacerte decided that he needed to get Delonte back to the locker room once again. Delonte did not return to the floor in the Celtics 116-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Delonte scored 11 points in 18 minutes shooting 3 for 7 from the floor and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. No official announcement has been made on Delonte West’s condition or his status for tonight’s Celtics’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The two teams will meet tonight in a 10:30PM match up.