Delonte West Aiming to Return in January

Depending on what his surgically repaired wrist tells him — they talk. No, for real — West hopes to be back in the lineup early in the new year. The Boston Herald reports: “As a rookie, Delonte West broke his right thumb and missed all of November. He got into the habit of actually talking to the thumb, hoping that positive vibes would influence the healing process. So he’s not patient by nature. But asked about that quality now, and how it applies to his recovery from surgery to repair a fractured right wrist, the Celtics guard shakes his head. ‘No, it’s not hard to be patient,’ he said this week. ‘The team’s doing well. Of course, I want to be out there helping, but I’ve been patient this long, so just wait it out. One thing is that time doesn’t stop for nobody — it keeps ticking.’ But West’s words belie his hopes. The cast will be removed from his wrist Dec. 30, and West has set an ambitious target for a return. He hopes to be back on the floor between mid- and late-January. Considering the original projection had him making a comeback shortly before the playoffs, January marks quite a shift.”