Delonte West looking for a position in retail

WASHINGTON -- Celtics guard Delonte West, who was born in Washington, D.C., and played high school basketball just miles away in Greenbelt, Maryland, served as an assistant coach for the Goodman League team during Saturday’s Capital Punishment game against Los Angeles' Drew League. But as long as the lockout is on, playing or coaching basketball may not be in his future.

Earlier this week, West tweeted that he was applying for a job at Home Depot, and the seven-year vet says that’s not the only retail job he’s looking into.

“I actually might have work with Sam’s [Club], BJ’s, selling knives,” West said. “That’s pretty cool too. I get a microphone and everything.”

West’s down-to-earth approach to lockout employment is also reflected in his attitude toward the summer league games, which he saw as a chance for NBA players to connect with the fan base.

“With the lockout going on, guys could be anywhere in the world vacationing, but they’re right here supporting the people," he said. "The people are going through a lockout just like we are. They make it a lot about us, but the average American is going through a lockout themselves.”

West said he hadn’t heard back yet on his “average American” job application, but he was looking forward to potential employee perks at Home Depot, should the lockout extend into the season.

“You gotta get with it, do something that you love,” he said. “I’m an architect, I was an art major. At Home Depot, I get free discount on hammers and nails.”

An unrestricted free agent after averaging 5.6 points and 2.7 assists for Boston in an injury-marred 2010-11, West has earned an estimated $14 million over his career with the Celtics, Cavaliers and SuperSonics. He tweeted earlier this week that playing overseas during the lockout isn't an option because of his past legal issues.

But he was fine with his coaching role on Saturday, even though he wanted to get on the court as the game wore on.

“It didn’t settle in until the fourth quarter. It was getting close and guys were really going after each other, and that’s when I was ready to tighten my shoes up," West said. "This was NBA-quality basketball. I’m glad they got to share that with the fans. This starts a big trend with D.C. going against L.A. like this.”

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/31615/delonte-west-looking-for-position-in-retail

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