David West has played eight seasons in the NBA. In those eight seasons, all of which had come with the New Orleans Hornets, West played in just 24 playoff games. You wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to play for a winner at some point, and being a free agent this year, he had his chance.
It looked like West was Boston-bound this offseason, as the Celtics arranged a sign-and-trade deal that would have brought the big man to town on a three-year deal (at a price that may have been a little bit under West’s market value).
However, things fell apart and instead of coming to Boston on a three-year deal for $29 million, West is now in Indiana, where he’ll make $20 million over the next two seasons. That’s a Pacers team, by the way, that won 37 games last year.
Needless to say, you couldn’t blame the Celtics if they were upset. One member of the C’s, a “shocked” Ray Allen, thinks that West’s ego may have gotten in the way.
“Once it got down to the end, I think his ego kicked back in,” Allen told ESPN.com (via CelticsLife.com). “He wanted the dollars. I guess it comes down to ‘What is a championship worth to you?’
“Think of all the guys who have made $20 million and could be considered one of the best ever, but they get chided because they never won. We [Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett] all had to do less when we won. We’re still taking less to make it work. But it’s worth it. No one can ever say to KG, Paul or me, ‘You guys never got your ring.'”
