Celtics West Back Sunday Against Heat?
BOSTON (CBS) - Could Delonte West suit up for the Celtics on Sunday when they host the Miami Heat?
Celtics play-by-play man Mike Gorman would not be surprised to see Delonte against the Heat, he told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Johnston and Flynn Friday morning.
"They don't have a true point backup, I think that's the biggest thing that Delonte brings to the table. I wouldn't be shocked to see Delonte on the court on Sunday," Gorman said. "He practiced the other day, in a full contact practice.Things went really well, now it's just a question of how many of those practices he wants under his belt."
The Celtics have a couple of days off before their matchup with Lebron James and the Heat, giving them some extra time to decide if West is ready to return from a broken wrist he suffered on November 24th.
The Heat and Celtics are now tied atop the Eastern Conference.
"Sunday is a big game for Miami. I think the Celtics don't want a three-game losing streak," Gorman said. "I think if Delonte walks into Doc's office in the next 24-48 hours, and says 'I want to play,' Doc looks up and sees over Delonte's shoulder and (trainer) Eddie Lacerte is saying 'yeah he can play if he wants to,' I wouldn't be surprised to see him in uniform."
The Celtics depth, once viewed as a strength, has taken a big hit in the last couple weeks. In addition to West being out, Marquis Daniels bruised his spinal cord on February 6th against the Orlando Magic and is expected to miss at least one month. Centers Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles) and Semih Erden (adductor strain) have missed games in the last week, and Jermaine O'Neal is not expected back until late in the regular season, if at all, as he recovers from knee surgery.
