West didn’t suit up during the 2012-13 NBA season after a rapid-fire succession of disciplinary dealings — an indefinite suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team,” a full reinstatement one day later and a second indefinite “conduct detrimental” suspension eight days after that — led the Dallas Mavericks to waive the guard just one day before the start of the regular season to make room for center Eddy Curry. After the unceremonious end to his time in Dallas, West didn’t draw much serious attention from other NBA teams. (Apparently laying out his résumé for prospective employers didn’t do much to sway decision-makers.)
The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly had some interest in bringing West in for a 10-day look-see before the trade deadline, but decided to go with swingman Chris Johnson instead. West was interested in pursuing a spot with the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, but changed his mind after Dallas owner Mark Cuban said he had no intention of bringing West back to the big-league club. After some hemming and hawing, West did report to the Legends in early March and played eight largely unremarkable games. No NBA club came calling after the D-League season ended, and that was that.
West, who turns 30 on Friday, thinks the lack of NBA interest had more to do with the media portrayal of his troubles over the years — primarily, his 2009 arrest for operating a motorcycle with a heavy-duty arsenal in a “Velcro-type bag” — than the troubles themselves, according to Twersky:
“Before that, coaches and GMs, they said I was a tough, scrappy player. They wanted to go war with me on their side,” says West. “Everything after that incident became, ‘did he take his medicine?’ Oh, ‘he’s bipolar.’” […]
“Reporters can’t write a sentence — they can’t write a sentence about even a good game — without mentioning something from four years ago,” says West. “There are plenty of players arrested for DUIs, gun charges, this and that. [Meanwhile], they’ve made me into the Terminator.” […]
“My whole life the court is the one place where people couldn’t laugh at my skin complexion, or the birthmark on my face or the red hair,” says West in a calm voice. “When I played basketball, because I worked so hard, it’s always been the one place where people couldn’t laugh at me.
“All of a sudden the laughter is now coming from the mainstream,” continues West. “Everywhere I look, the joke is on me.”
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