Delonte West suspended by Dallas Mavericks for second time in 10 days

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks suspended guard Delonte West on Thursday for unspecified conduct detrimental to the team, his second such ban in the past 10 days.

The first suspension lasted about a day. This time, President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson issued a statement saying West was suspended indefinitely. He declined to elaborate, though Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was expected to address reporters later Thursday.

About the time the suspension was announced, West posted a series of tweets that raised the question of whether he would return.

"Just dont kick me ... on the way out the door," West tweeted. "I didn't do anything to deserve that."

The last of several tweets in just a few minutes said, "I'm just sittin here across from the arena wit tear in my eyes."

West has bipolar disorder and addressed that topic in another tweet, saying "no I'm not off my meds."

West was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2010-11 season after pleading guilty to weapons charges in Maryland. Authorities say he was carrying three loaded guns and a knife when he was stopped for speeding on a three-wheel motorcycle in 2009.

West was a valuable role player for Dallas last season, even starting 33 games as the backcourt struggled with injuries before he was sidelined himself by a broken finger.

The Mavericks' backcourt grew crowded in the offseason, though. Darren Collison was acquired from Indiana and is expected to start at point guard. O.J. Mayo, a shooting guard, signed as a free agent from Memphis and could be counted on heavily for scoring while Dallas waits for Dirk Nowitzki to come back from knee surgery.

West played in all seven preseason games, averaging 5 points and 2 assists while playing 17.6 minutes per game. The eighth-year pro was close to his career averages with the Mavericks last year, at 9.6 points and 3.2 assists.