It’s bad enough to be carrying three guns.

It’s even worse when one you are riding a motorcycle with a handgun strapped to your leg, another attached to your waist, and a shotgun slung over your shoulder in a guitar case.

Delonte West was pulled over by police late Thursday night, driving his motorcycle strapped with three guns. While it is unknown where he was driving or why he was armed, it can’t be a good sign to have a shotgun hanging over your shoulder, held in a guitar case.

Most of the time, when a person is arrested for gun charges I dismiss it as the foolish actions of an immature person, a violent person. I instantly blame the individual for his or her actions, giving little thought to any reasons for them being armed. Especially with an athlete, there is no excuse for being armed. When you make as much money as professional athletes, if you feel the need to have armed protection… just hire a bodyguard. Being armed invites trouble and nothing good seems to ever come out of carrying protection of any sort.

But in Delonte’s case, I feel compassion for him. I feel sorrow. I only hope he can recover from whatever demons that are haunting him. After all, he’s the same guy I rooted for when he was a Boston Celtic. He’s the same guy who won me over by displaying true grit on the court and a fun-loving, goofy personality off it. When I heard last October that West had depression, a feeling of deep sadness came over me. I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a sign of society’s screwy priorities, but people start to think of their favorite players, favorite actors and favorite singers like friends. It’s why the country mourned Michael Jackson’s death with such passion.

When you become drawn to a person’s talents, you start to care deeply for what happens to them. I will likely never meet Delonte West in my life, yet I was drawn to his basketball talents and thus it mattered what happened to him off the court. It mattered that he had to struggle in a life-long bout with depression, and it gave me heartfelt sorrow to hear his plight with depression.

Now, Delonte’s back in the news and it’s in a very bad way. But instead of thinking about how heinous it was for Delonte to commit the crime, and wondering what the hell he was going to do with enough guns for a small army, I can’t stop hoping that Delonte West will get help. I can’t say for sure that his depression was the reason for his outlandish behavior, but I highly doubt it didn’t at least play a part in his horrendous decision to carry three guns on his motorcycle.

“I needed help,” West said last October after admitting his depression. “In a sense, you feel like a weaker man because you have to raise your hand and ask for help.”

West needed help, he got help, but it didn’t cure him from a disease that will likely continue to affect him the rest of his life.

“The ugly head started to show itself again. It’s been haunting me my whole life, self-destructive behavior.”

And it looks like it’s come back to haunt him again. Depression is a deep and powerful sickness, a disease that often can’t be noticed on the surface. But its demons haunt all those affected, and it can rear its ugly head at any time.

“I’ve had a history of doing that in the past, where I’ve quit teams or sabotaged my own success,” West said last October. “At this juncture in my life, I don’t want to keep doing that. I want to enjoy being in the NBA. I want to enjoy being successful. I want to enjoy my life.”

Let’s hope he can once again get help, and let’s hope that, this time, the effects of that help last forever. I can’t shake the feeling that this arrest actually saved him from some trouble that would have been far worse than a couple gun charges. He couldn’t have been planning anything good, not with two guns attached to his body and another slung across his shoulder.

“I don’t care if anyone laughs at me,” West said. “All that matters is how I feel about myself.”

I hope nobody’s laughing now.

Celtics Town’s team-by-team NBA season preview continues today with the Northwest Division. Look out for our Portland Trail Blazers preview tomorrow.

Last year’s record: 48-34
Head coach: Jerry Sloan
Projected Starters: Deron Williams, C.J. Miles, Ronnie Brewer, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Ohkur

Overlook:

The Jazz aren’t quite a contender, but still one of the NBA’s better teams. Look for them to make the playoffs, but don’t expect them to make much noise once they get there.

X-Factor:

Jay – Carlos Boozer’s mentality. Is he going to harbor a grudge about the Jazz re-signing Paul Millsap too a huge deal, or is Boozer going to bring his hardhat and prove that he still deserves to be the starter? When he’s on his game, Boozer can be one of the league’s best power forwards. But he might be looking over his shoulder at Millsap…

Tommy – Jerry Sloan; With Carlos Boozer already asking to be traded and his team in limbo, Sloan will have to do a great job managing turmoil and focusing his team. But he’s a Hall of Famer for a reason, and the reason isn’t John Stockton or Karl Malone, like Sloan claims.

TJ – Paul Millsap has a new contract and Boozer wants out. How will Millsap feel when he has to come off the bench if the Jazz do not move Boozer by the trade deadline?

Biggest question mark:

Jay – Does Deron Williams really have 4% body fat? He said so this summer, but can it really be true? If it is, he either lost a lot of excess fat or his physique appears very misleading. But I don’t really care what his body fat % is as long as he can still do things like this…

Tommy – How long will Carlos Boozer be in a Utah Jazz’ uniform? Will Boozer give his full effort, or pull a Vince Carter on his way out of town? Unfortunately for Jazz fans, I’m leaning towards the latter.

TJ – If Jerry Sloan is considered one of the greatest coaches of all-time, how is it that he has not won an NBA title in his career? Before I rank him among the all-time greats he will have to win a championship. Is this the year for the Jazz to help get a ring for their legendary coach? (Most likely not)

Most compelling storyline:

Jay – Will Andrei Kirilenko use his free pass for cheating on his wife, former Russian pop star Maria Lopatova? She allows him to cheat on her once a year, but he says he’s never taken her up on her offer. And no, I’m not even kidding.

Tommy – With Boozer and Okur re-signing, Utah is in the dreaded situation of being good enough to be competitive, but not good enough to challene the West’s elite teams. When will Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor decide to make some big changes around Williams? Either Boozer, Kirilenko, or both need to find new homes.

TJ – The Carlos Boozer saga continues, with The Booze still wanting out of Utah. If the Jazz front office is smart they will trade for something because after next summer he will likely be heading to Miami, where he has a home and has said he wants to play. Please get something in exchange for this double-double machine.

Player to watch:

Jay – Paul Millsap. He could develop into an all-star type player. But I think he’d really benefit if the Jazz get rid of Boozer. Either way, he’ll be very productive.

Tommy – Deron Williams; I’m most interested to see how he leads this team amidst all the distraction. A world-class PG has to be a world-class leader,too.

TJ – Pay attention to Deron Williams this season as he will challenge the likes of Chris Paul for the league’s best point guard. He is a stud and I am going to enjoy watching him grow into a perennial all-star over the next decade.

Projected Record:

Jay – 46-36

Tommy – 45-37

TJ – 47-35

With the preseason over and the regular season only three days (three days!) away, news is supposed to be slower than Michael Sweetney with six broken toes and a 100-lb backpack on his back. Instead, there have been a few rumblings from Celtics camp. Here are my thoughts on each of them…

Michael Sweetney gets cut

Nothing else made sense. Why would the Celtics cut somebody else when everybody else has guaranteed contracts? Why would they pay Sweetney double his salary (luxury tax) and pay somebody else who they cut? If they were going to keep Sweetney around, it would have had to be after a 2-for-1 trade opened up a roster spot. But the Celtics are far better off keeping their expiring contracts and hoping to use them closer to the trade deadline, on a player who will help their rotation.

Sweetney is well past his playing weight, he would have been (at best) the fifth big man on the roster, and the Celtics just didn’t have the roster flexibility to keep him around. Had Sweetney been the C’s 15th man under contract, he would have been a nice project to keep around. But he was their 16th man, and he was the odd man out from day one. If he ever sheds his weight, Sweetney will be a hell of a player. And a hell of a Jenny Craig spokesman. But it just didn’t make sense to keep him around… no matter what way you look at it.

Tyronn Lue signs as assistant coach

What the hell? Tyronn Lue, whose name was kicked around a lot all summer for the backup point guard position, is now an assistant coach. Last year, Sam Cassell was the old, washed-up point guard who had an assistant coach’s role. Now, it’s Lue.

Some people will say the C’s are only keeping Lue around as insurance in case they need a 3rd-string point guard when midseason rolls around. I just can’t see it. Lue is washed up, ladies and gentlemen. He has only played 44 games over the past two seasons. He can’t get off the bench, and I couldn’t see him taking any minutes from Rondo, House, Daniels or even Hudson at PG.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe signing Lue as an assistant is the Celtics’ way of stashing him around until he signs as a player late in the season. But if the C’s are relying on Tyronn Lue to play any minutes at all, they will be in bad shape.

Big Baby whining about minutes… already

The Celts haven’t even played a single regular season game, and already Big Baby is whining about minutes. I just don’t see how he can. The Celtics haven’t even played a goddamn game yet!

In fact, I see Big Baby getting a solid amount of minutes. Of the three guys in front of him in the rotation, two (Garnett and Wallace) are getting older and Doc will likely keep their minutes down in an attempt to battle age. I envision Davis playing somewhere around 20 minutes per game, and having a far bigger role then he anticipates. And if he can’t be happy with 20 minutes per game on a championship contender, Big Baby’s in the wrong place.

Rajon Rondo has not been given an extension

If you’ve read my work for awhile, you know how I feel about Rajon Rondo’s contract situation; make a deal with him, quick, before he earns max money in free agency. Think about it; teams are all saving up money to throw at the big names like Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But what happens if those guys stay put? Now, all of a sudden teams will be throwing money at second-tier players like, uh-oh, Rondo.

In the NBA, one thing is for certain: Teams rarely keep cap room and wait for the right player to spend it on, For some reason, GMs feel compelled to use cap room the second the get it, whether the money is being spent to make the team a lot better or not. It’s why Detroit spent $90 million on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon, and it’s why the Blazers spent on Andre Miller (who, just like Gordon, will be coming off the bench). So teams will be throwing max money at guys who probably don’t deserve it. And Rondo will be one of the headliners in the second-tier of free agents.

So the C’s should wrap him up now, before a big season and a wild free agent market net Rondo a max deal the C’s likely won’t be able, or willing, to match. No matter how you want to look at it, Rondo is the Celtics’ future. He has improved leaps and bounds in each of his first three seasons, and came back this year in great shape with a new and improved shooting stroke. Just sign him, Danny Ainge, or you’ll probably regret it.

I’m worried about this Rondo situation. I think the C’s are playing their hand wrong right now. After alienating Rondo all offseason, they should have shown huge interest in making an extension work. Now, they risk further alienation of Rondo by failing to extend his contract. While he’s still a restricted free agent, will the Celtics match the deal if Rajon signs a max contract with another team? I’m not so sure.

Last year’s record: 35-47
Head coach: Larry Brown
Projected Starters: Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler

Overlook:

The Bobcats will look to escape the depths of mediocrity for the first time in the franchise’s existence. But that might be difficult with a roster headlined by Gerald Wallace. He’s good, and can fill up a box score, but he’s not good enough to lead the Bobcats out of the lottery.

X-Factor:

Jay – Boris Diaw. Remember when Diaw was a nightly monster, piling up points, boards, and assists? You don’t have to think back too far; he actually averaged 15 points, 6 boards and 5 assists per game for the Bobcats last year. When he’s aggressive, Diaw can make a lot of plays.

Tommy – Gerald Wallace is the heart and soul of this Charlotte team. And no offense to Wallace, because he is tough and athletic, but that gives your team a 45-win ceiling.

TJ – D.J Augustin has a chance to become an above-average point guard in this league. Playing under a Hall of Fame coach will most certainly benefit him. He has some weapons around him, but personally I don’t believe that they are ready to compete in the Eastern Conference just yet.

Biggest question mark:

Jay – Is this the most mediocre NBA team ever? They don’t have one player who stands out, but they have a ton of decent players. Gerald Wallace, Vlad Radmanovic, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw… the list goes on and on. All decent players, but nobody great.

Tommy – Who will go, Felton or Augustin? Both want to be starters, but they can’t be paired together as the starting backcourt. Looks to me like Felton should be the one to go. But he’s a Tar Heel like bosses Larry Brown and Michael Jordan.

TJ – Is the economy in the U.S so bad where a team in the NBA has to trade arguably its best player for someone that is talented but labeled as injury prone. The Okafor-Chandler trade made zero sense to me and because of that the Bobcats will fall farther away from that eighth seed that they were so close to last year.

Most compelling storyline:

Jay – Does Michael Jordan even know who’s on the team? Has there ever been a more disengaged team president? I would love to ask him who’s on the team. I can imagine him going on and on about the potential of Adam Morrison before I gently remind him that Morrison is long gone and that his “potential” never came close to translating to NBA success. For a guy hailed as the most competitive person ever, you’d think he’d give a better effort to make the Bobcats relevant.

Tommy – I’m sorry. Based on my definition of compelling, I’m finding it hard to come up with one.

TJ – Sorry Cats fans. I don’t see anything compelling about your team. Honestly, if I did not have to I would not be writing about your team. Or even thinking about them. I see you as a lottery team once again and nothing more; my advice to you would be to lose all 82 games and make a run at John Wall or Derrick Favors.

Player to watch:

Jay – I’ll go with Tyson Chandler here. Of all the decent talent on the Bobcats, he’s the newest addition. If he’s healthy and back to the player he was two years ago, the Bobcats will have a lockdown defender and terrific rebounder.

Tommy – Gerald Henderson; He’ll realize he should have stayed one more year with Coach K.

TJ – Now that the best ever is in the Hall of Fame, will he stay out of the gym and in the front office? Yes I am talking about Michael Jordan. I could see him coming back to play in a few games this season, seeing that his team only has an outside chance to make the playoffs. Please do it Mike. Just come back to at least one game. If you came back when the Cavs are in town, the Lebron-Michael matchup could help the U.S. out of its recession. Every T.V. in America would have that game on.

Projected Record:

Jay – 33-49

Tommy – 40-42

TJ – 20-62

Tonight’s game with the Cavaliers could be a mismatch. After all, Brian Scalabrine won’t be playing.

Honestly, though, tonight’s game could become a blowout of epic proportions. While Doc Rivers has said he will rest his starters, Cleveland coach Mike Brown vows to play Lebron James and Shaquille O’Neal (and, presumably, the rest of his starters) big minutes as the Cavs play in front of a sold-out home crowd at Ohio St. University.

And the Celtics won’t even have Scal to counter. He sprained an ankle last night when he landed on a photographer, and then was apparently pissed about it afterwards, thinking the cameraman was “beyond the established line for camera positions.” Oh well, Scal, at least it wasn’t another concussion.

As Doc has said, the Big Three will be resting for tonight. With Scal’s injury, I’m not sure who he means by the Big Three: Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen, or the injured/sick trio of Scal, Michael Sweetney and Tony Allen. After all, Sweetney can make any “Three” Big.

Either way, look for the Celtics to get pummeled tonight, and then remember that this game doesn’t matter, not one bit. Lebron will probably score an easy 25, Shaq may or may not struggle to handle Perk and Rasheed, and Anthony Parker will look across the court at Shelden Williams and think to himself, “Man, that guy impregnated my sister.” For the Celtics, Marquis Daniels (who really impressed last night against the Knicks) will see a lot of time, Rasheed will make Shaq guard him from 25 feet from the basket, and Lester Hudson and J.R. Giddens will continue trying to make the best of limited minutes.

If you’re sick of these preseason games and can’t wait until the games actually count, I’m right there with you. I’ve had enough of the preseason; I just want the games to finally matter. I don’t want to watch the Celtics and Cavs and see Marquis Daniels guarding Lebron and Hudson guarding Mo Williams. No offense to Daniels or Hudson, I like both of them as players, but I want to see Pierce and Lebron mano-a-mano, and I want to see Rondo running circles around Williams while Williams gives Rondo a clinic on how a point guard should shoot. I want Shaq versus Perkins down low, and I want to see Shaq hobble around like an old man after Rasheed on the perimeter. I want Kevin Garnett showing Anderson Varejao how to play ‘D’ without flopping, not Big Baby and Varejao in a flopping contest.

I’m going to endure this last game, and then the preseason will officially be over. The regular season will finally be on the way, and the Cavs and Celtics will match up again, in six days. By then, we’ll finally be able to see both teams’ ‘A’ Squads.

The Celtics played the Raptors again and, again, they blew the NBA’s lone Canadian team out. A lot of people think Toronto could make some noise in the East this year, but they have been no match for the Celtics in two (nonetheless meaningless) preseason games. Kevin Garnett (21 points, 4 rebounds) led the way for the C’s , and by this point in the preseason nobody is asking any more questions about his knee. KG’s leg is A-Okay, and he is going to be the same old Kevin Garnett that everybody has come to respect and admire.

Garnett was great, and Ray Allen (20 points on 8-13 shooting) shot the lights out, but nobody was as electric today as Eddie House. In the fourth quarter, Eddie got hot like only Eddie can, hitting three three-balls and a long two before Doc mercifully summonsed him back to the bench. When Eddie gets hot, it’s a sight to behold. A sliver of space is all he needs, and every shot seems to go down. There is not a better streak shooter in this league than Eddie House. He is a feared assassin, and he can put opposing teams away with one of his hot streaks, as he did today.

The C’s didn’t get much from Paul Pierce (2 points), but nothing was needed. They have the depth to get by even when the Big Three only has two functioning members. For more in-depth analysis, read my running diary below. Unfortunately, it starts at the second quarter. I live in New York, and couldn’t find a feed for the game until then. Sue me.

Running Diary: Second Quarter

The NBA preseason; Where European basketball coaches acting like Bobby Knight happens.

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter