Ridgeline - I haven't read the article, but I think maybe what they were trying to say was to spend a week acclimatizing at or above 14,000 ft. on the West Buttress. This doesn't include the week or so that it takes to reach the 14-camp. This puts the length of the a trip up the West Rib, at a more reasonable 3 weeks.
Even in good weather, I've seen fit parties take close to 3 weeks to complete the route.
Also remember there is a huge difference between running up to 17k tagging a summit and descending, and actually spending the night or multiple nights there. Most people can easily reach 17k (in general) in less than a week, but I'd say it takes closer to 2 weeks to be able to spend a comfortable night there.