Shadowed by what seems to be an "unfriendly" past outside the hard court, Delonte West is eyeing to regain his bearings and make a significant turn out of the one thing he is very much known for — playing basketball.

After playing alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, the former St. Joseph standout out of Pennsylvania has reunited with the Boston Celtics — the team that originally picked him 24th overall out of the rookie pool in 2004 — in a bid to make a return stint to the finals in the coming NBA season.

“The team announced Wednesday that it has signed Delonte West, who was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2010-11 season after pleading guilty to weapons charges in Maryland,” the Associated Press reported on Thursday, September 2.

Prior to this, the Cavaliers have dealt West, along with guard Sebastian Telfair, to the Minnesota Timberwolves last July in exchange for Ryan Hollins, Ramon Sessions, and a future draft pick. He was then waived by the Timberwolves after paying a $500,000 buyout from the $4.6 million left in his contract.

Interestingly, West also figured in what would be a productive move for the Celtics in 2007 when they shipped the 6-foot-3 guard to Seattle in exchange for the sweet-shooting Ray Allen.

“Picking up Delonte West, even if it's for half a season, is always going to be a smart move because he can play,” Yahoo! Sports blogger Kelly Dwyer writes. “He defends point guards better than he does shooting guards, but he's quite capable of playing either position offensively, and the Cavs were a better defensive team with him on the court last year than they were with West on the pine.”

Late last August, West was suspended by the NBA for 10 games without pay after pleading guilty last to weapons charges, according to a separate report by the Associated Press. Maryland authorities said he was carrying two loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun and an 8 1/2-inch Bowie knife while speeding on a three-wheel motorcycle on the Capital Beltway last September.

West, who had to battle depression and bipolar disorder during his stint with Cleveland, needs to get his act together if he wants to get a crack at winning an NBA championship in the near future. The Celtics can surely maximize his talent, given the fact that Danny Ainge has made significant moves to bolster his squad’s roster with the addition of the O’Neals (Shaquille and Jermaine) recently.

“The fact that he's only 27 allows for hope that West can get it all together,” Dwyer writes. “The fact that he's already 27 tells you that Delonte West has some deep-seated issues that will take a long time to work out.” (With reports from AP)