West strives to make point clear
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Delonte West is an actions-speak-louder-than-words kind of guy. When he talks, you must lean in to hear what he says. He usually makes a perceptive point about the game or his play, but never elaborates.
It's almost as if West views talking as a waste of energy. Maybe he worries that talking too much will take away from his trademark intensity. At any other position, such quiet and complete focus would probably be a coach's dream.
But Doc Rivers wishes that West would communicate better on the court, that he would relax a little and talk to his teammates more. Otherwise, Rivers has few complaints about the way West runs the team, while recognizing that the second-year guard still has a lot to learn. West sounds as though he is working to develop a more loquacious nature. When asked about the subject, he was unusually expansive.
''I guess he wants me to be more vocal out there with the team, let them know what we're in, make sure we're always on the same page," said West. ''I'm just an extension of him out there on the court.
''I actually think I do a good job of communicating with my teammates. I might give a little whisper at one point. But I have eye contact with my teammates about what we're in. We already know what we're in when we're coming down the court and coach is yelling, 'Slice.' "
Despite an injury to Marcus Banks (stress fracture, left tibia) and the waiving of Will Bynum yesterday, there remains ample competition at point guard, and West is understandably eager to make improvements. West must stay ahead of rookie Orien Greene, who has gone from an unknown quantity to a contender for the starting job. It is worth noting that Greene was the first point guard off the bench last night, when the Nets defeated the Celtics, 118-116, in overtime at
''Orien Greene continues to play well," said Rivers. ''He does so many little things. Honest, I thought he was on the floor way too long, and you could see him make mistakes that he hasn't made. But I wasn't going to take him out.
''It's probably going to be the way it's going to be right now [with Dickau's minutes] because Orien and Delonte have played so well."
West looks like the starter and Greene the backup at point guard, but Rivers cautioned, ''Or it could be the other way around. That hasn't been decided."
Rivers essentially used a nine-man rotation against New Jersey, bringing Greene, Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, and Brian Scalabrine off the bench. Justin Reed and Kendrick Perkins picked up extra minutes in overtime. Starters Davis, West, Paul Pierce, Mark Blount, and Raef LaFrentz logged close to regular-season minutes through three quarters.
Although the Celtics pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Nets, 39-20, and leading by as many as 20, New Jersey came back in the fourth with a couple of runs (7-1 to open the quarter and 11-4 midway through).
The Nets rallied despite the fact that Jason Kidd left for the locker room with a sore left quad during the period. New Jersey took the lead for the first time, 108-106, with a 3-pointer from Lamond Murray with 32.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
West tied the contest again when Greene found him for a driving layup with 19.2 seconds left. In a tightly contested overtime, Marc Jackson put New Jersey ahead for good with a layup with 1.6 seconds remaining. Perkins hit the rim (twice) with a wide-open 19-footer as time expired.
''I couldn't have drawn up a better game plan for our guys," said Rivers. ''If you have a perfect preseason game, it would be where our starters played great, and at the end of the game, it got close and our young guys were able to play where it was an end-of-game situation."
West and Greene worked alongside each other for half the overtime. Neither player cares who starts.
''Starting, coming off the bench, what does it mean?" said West. ''It just means they called your name first. We've all still got to go out there and win the game. If you're starting and you're not doing your job, what does that mean?"
Last season, West proved he could produce, guiding the Celtics to a 6-1 record when in the starting lineup. He has started four of five exhibition games in which he has played. The Dickau experiment lasted two contests, though it likely would have been one if West had not twisted his right ankle and decided not to play against Toronto Oct. 14.
And that brings up the other knock against West. Is he too fragile? West missed most of his rookie season with injuries. First, it was a broken right thumb. Then, almost as soon as he returned, he broke his right fourth metacarpal in a freak fall at Miami. Greene will be more than ready wherever and whenever he's needed.
''I don't mind coming off the bench," said Greene. ''Whoever he plays, plays. It's not a competition to me who gets the first job or the second job. We're trying to win games. I'm just trying to go out there and play hard and have fun."
