Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics indeed tried to throw Delonte West a lifeline.
The Celtics' president of basketball operations confirmed a report that the team hired West to scout games on the East Coast as a means to help the struggling former Boston guard, whose NBA career ended in 2012.
"Delonte has worked for us for a couple of years at times doing some college scouting in the (Washington) D.C. and Philly area," Ainge said Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Toucher & Rich."
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Ainge also confirmed he's kept in touch with West "periodically" since West stopped playing.
"Delonte has obviously some troubles and some trials that he's trying to deal with in his life, and I just hope that he can fix his life and get back on a good path," Ainge said.
A video surfaced this week of a shirtless West sitting with his hands behind his back on a curb near Washington D.C., shouting something indecipherable toward the camera.
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West said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008 and has "struggled to find consistent work" after leaving the NBA, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
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Ainge claimed that West, the Celtics' first-round draft pick in 2004 who spent four seasons in Boston, was "excited" about his scouting opportunities with the C's.
But West reportedly delivered "mixed results" as a scout due to "fluctuating attendance" and doesn't currently work for the team.
"He's taken advantage of them," Ainge said. "I just think there's a lot going on in his life. It's very complicated, and I don't really want to get into any of that. He accepted the job opportunities."
Ainge added that the NBA Players Association and people close to West have also tried to assist him in any way possible.
"I know there's a lot of people that are praying and trying to do what they can to help," Ainge said.
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