Former Celtics guard Delonte West released by Mavericks

Former Boston Celtics point guard Delonte West appears to be out of a job, after getting released by the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The move was made by Dallas in part to trim its roster down to 15 players for the start of the 2012-13 season.

In West's case, though, it appears he may have been released as much because of problems off the court as opposed to poor play on it. West, who suffers from bi-polar disorder, was suspended twice during the preseason following a pair of locker room incidents. The first suspension lasted less than a day, but West was suspended again last Thursday and never reinstated by the team.

And according to ESPN Dallas, there was a fear of West's antics spilling into the regular season and affecting a young Mavericks team. With Jason Kidd and Jason Terry gone from Dallas, the Mavericks will rely on a much younger back court, which will now feature Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo. By releasing West, the Mavericks hoped to ensure that the eight-year veteran didn't have a negative impact on the team's younger players.

West played in Boston for the first three seasons of his career, averaging a career-high 12.2 points per game in 2007.