Grizzlies’ West Vows to Deal With Drinking

Doug West, traded from Minnesota to Vancouver last week, said Tuesday that instead of heading for the basketball court, he will go to an alcohol rehabilitation center in Georgia.

West, 30, said he drank at least 17 beers after he was traded by the Timberwolves for Anthony Peeler.

“I’m not sure if I’ll play again this season,” West told the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. “The program I’m going to is about four or five weeks. I want to play again, but that’s not important to me right now. Over the past two or three months, I didn’t have the love for the game I’ve always had.”

West had refused to report to the Grizzlies, saying he had endured too many losing seasons in the Timberwolves’ early years to do it again. He finally reported to the Grizzlies on Friday night and passed a physical Saturday, completing the trade and preserving the $10.8 million remaining on his multiyear contract.

Both teams said they were unaware West had a problem before the trade.

West said he drank 17 beers at a hotel bar in Orlando, Fla., drank more at the airport bar, on the plane and in downtown Minneapolis.

He then drove home.

“The trade just blew everything up, but maybe this was the best thing to ever happen to me,” West said. “This was my wake-up call.”

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Tom Gugliotta, who has a sore right ankle and has sat out the last 10 games, was put on the injured list by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who activated guard Chris Carr to take his place on the roster.

Gugliotta is scheduled to have surgery next week to remove bone spurs from his ankle and is expected to sit out the rest of the season.

He has averaged 20.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

Carr, averaging 10.9 points and 3.4 rebounds, went on the injured list Jan. 30 because of a sprained left ankle and has sat out the Timberwolves’ last 11 games.

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The San Antonio Spurs signed Willie Burton of the Continental Basketball Assn.’s Quad City Thunder to a 10-day contract.

Burton, at 6 feet 8 and 225 pounds, plays guard and forward. He has played for the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA and for Teorematour Milano in Italy.

Burton has eight years of professional basketball experience. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 300 NBA games.

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The Utah Jazz has signed center William Cunningham to a second 10-day contract.

Cunningham, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound rookie from Temple, has played in four games with Utah. He started twice for the Jazz while the team was down to nine players during its attempts to trade for Rony Seikaly.