West antics causes game-day distraction for Celtics
BOSTON -- According to reports by Hoopsworld and CSN New England, Delonte West was involved in a fight this morning with teammate Von Wafer after a three-on-three game at the team's practice facility.
West is serving a 10-game suspension issued by the NBA after he pleaded guilty to weapons charges in July, but he may wind up on permanent leave if the Celtics decide to cut him as a result of this altercation. According to Hoopsworld, the Celtics have grown tired of West, who has been combative with Wafer and other teammates during the preseason.
How much will this will impact the Celtics in their game tonight against the Knicks remains to be seen, but it should be said that this Boston team has handled many internal issues over the past three years, including last season's run to the NBA Finals, when Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were at odds for most of the post-season.
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* - Ronny Turiaf loves hockey. The 6-10 center attended last night's Bruins-Maple Leafs game -- an Original Six battle won by Boston, 2-0 -- here at the TD Garden with teammate Anthony Randolph, who took in his first NHL game.
Turiaf attended the Rangers' hope opener with rookies Landry Fields and Andy Rautins, who also went to a Canadiens-Devils game at the Bell Centre when the Knicks were in Montreal last week. Turiaf had plans to go to that game, but had a prior engagement in his first visit to the French-speaking province. But with so many opportunities this season considering the amount of cities that house NBA and NHL teams, Turiaf plans to attend as many games as he can, and that includes Rangers games at MSG.
"The fans are so intense, it gets so loud," he said with wide eyes.
Turiaf was first turned on to hockey last season, when he met Penguins center Matt Cooke in the elevator of an Atlanta hotel the Warriors shared with Pittsburgh. Cooke invited Turiaf to the game that night against the Thrashers and Turiaf was hooked.
Naturally, the burly Frenchman's favorite part of the game is the physicality.
"I go nuts," he said excitedly. "I was really bad yesterday when there was kind of a scuffle and the refs kind of broke it up. I was disappointed. I want to see gladiator fights."
* - Danilo Gallinari says his right wrist, which was sprained late in the preseason, is not yet 100 percent, but he wouldn't use it as a reason why his shooting has been off (he was 1-for-5 in the first half on Wednesday). "I have the tape on [the wrist], but it doesn't affect it a lot, especially when I warm up and it loosens up," he said. "I don't feel a lot of discomfort."
When told that perhaps the concerns about his shooting is because every time he puts up a shot, the expectation is it will go in, Gallo smiled and replied, "I think it's going in, too."
