Why David West Left
By Jared Wade
David West is gone. And now we know why.
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Bob Kravitz of WTHR did an exclusive interview with David West today. And the former Indiana Pacers forward, now free agent, had a lot of interesting things to say about why he left.
A full column from Kravitz should be published shortly, but here are the highlights that the long-time columnist shared on Twitter about why David West is saying goodbye to the Hooiser State.
UPDATE: Here is Kravitz’s full column.
First up: West, who realized the window for the Pacers closed when Paul George broke his leg, left so that he could play with a team that has a shot at the title.
Basically West opted out because he didn't feel the Pacers could compete for a title this year or in the near future. Wants to win now.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 2, 2015
West said he started thinking about a change after watching the Finals and started thinking how much he'd like a shot at a ring.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 2, 2015
And for this reason, he said, according to Kravitz, that the rumor of his intention to sign with the Knicks was malarky.
West said the rumors about him going to the Knicks are ridiculous; he wants to be with a contender; the Knicks don't qualify.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 2, 2015
Then there were the softer reasons for his growing dissatisfaction.
We know that, last year, as the team fell apart, West was not a fan of guys like Roy Hibbert talking to the press about “some selfish dudes” in the locker room. And it seems he was equally displeased with the way Larry Bird took shots at Hibbert in his end-of-season press conference.
Specifically, when talking about Roy’s play last season, Bird said that, “I didn’t think he played well, to be honest” and added the potshot, “Well, I don’t think Lance is stealing his rebounds this season
Not the reason he left, but West was very annoyed at the way the Pacers, specifically Bird, took shots at Hibbert during post-season presser
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 2, 2015
And lastly, Kravitz dropped the following little nugget: West claims his agent told the Pacers he was opting out two days before the draft. Yet Bird said he never heard anything formal from either David West or Roy Hibbert even after the draft.
West said his agent informed the Pacers of his opt out two, three days before Draft. Bird continually denied that. Hmmm.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 2, 2015
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