Veteran guard Raja Bell will hit the free-agent market after reaching a buyout agreement with the Jazz.
Jul 092012
Jul 082012
The Utah Jazz and Raja Bell have reached an agreement on a buyout of his 2012-2013 contract, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Jul 082012
Brian T. Smith broke the news:
Guard Raja Bell told The Salt Lake Tribune on Sunday he’s on the verge of reaching a buyout with the #UtahJazz. #NBA #FreeAgency
— Brian T. Smith (@tribjazz) July 8, 2012
The buyout means that Bell can now go anywhere he’d like, and given his role-player numbers he will likely end up as just that: a role-player. However, that’s great news for teams looking to add depth.
Bell has always been a great shooter from the arc, averaging 40 percent for his career. However, he doesn’t do much else than score.
Career Averages: 12.7 Pts, 3.6 Rebs, 2.2 Ast, 0.9 Steals, all on 43.0 FG percentage in addition to making it rain from 3-pt land.
This type of role-playing 3-pt man would fit in well with almost any team and the veteran experience adds to any team’s chemistry.
Where will he end up?
The already dangerous Miami Heat?
As @tribjazz reports, Raja Bell finalizing buyout w/ Jazz. Bell has interest in returning to his hometown to play for Heat, source tells Y!
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2012
Or the bolstered Lakers?
Another possibility for Raja Bell: The Lakers. Kobe Bryant recruited Bell hard a year ago, and still fits as defensive-minded guard w/ Nash.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2012
Time will tell.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
May 092012
The Utah Jazz are in no position to point fingers as far as their first-round sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs is concerned. That didn’t stop guard Raja Bell from voicing him opinion on head coach Tyrone Corbin and cleaning out his locker Tuesday, as reported by ESPN.
“I think everyone understands the situation we’re in now,” Bell said. “When it gets to a point where there’s absolutely no communication for months on end, we all know that that’s irreparable damage.”
Bell opened the year as Utah’s starting shooting guard but saw his playing time diminish. In March, he was sent home from a road trip after a verbal spat with Corbin.
Needless to say, it would be far more ceremonious of the Jazz to simply part ways with the disgruntled guard than to spin him for another season that will most likely cast his shadow on the bench.
Utah doesn’t need that kind of relationship during a season that could possibly see their return to the 2013 NBA playoffs after being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round this year.
However, Utah management should look into Bell’s claims, as Corbin’s time with the Jazz has been confusing to say the least. C.J. Miles echoed the tamest of Bell’s concerns, therefore leading belief in the general direction that Bell may not be taking shots in the dark with his problems with Utah’s head coach.
The questions surrounding Corbin’s ability to coach in Utah stems from his use of the younger players in the franchise and not making better use of his veterans.
Bell—who has been a dignified staple and ferocious competitor for Utah in the past two seasons—has seen his minutes diminish significantly under Corbin’s reign.
Maybe it’s time for Bell to go, but there are questions surrounding the Utah franchise that need to be answered before the start of next season.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Mar 282012
The NBA is a game where smart, veteran players are always operating within the fringes of the rulebook, searching for that singular advantage to help their team win.
Flopping is one of the ways they try to accomplish that.
There have been some pretty pathetic flops in the NBA’s history, but it is a practice that has only recently become more popular. Guys like Manu Ginobili, Raja Bell and Robert Horry have been expert floppers who made into somewhat of a skill.
Here are the five most pathetic flops in NBA history.
Mar 152012
With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, there is little time remaining for deals to get done. The day has been extremely quiet so far. Leandro Barbosa and Sam Young have moved in a pair of smaller deals, but there is potential for some high-impact moves to be made.
While the deadline is at 3 p.m. ET, deals often trickle in and are announced in the hour following the deadline. With that said, there is still a little time for teams to make a last-ditch effort at improving. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard may not be on the move, but some useful pieces are still in play.
Here are three last-minute deals that will beat today’s deadline.
Gerald Wallace to New Jersey Nets
Although there hasn’t been much talk about it leading up to the deadline, there seems to be a good chance that the New Jersey Nets will acquire Portland Trail Blazers forward Gerald Wallace. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the two sides are closing in on a deal that would send Wallace to New Jersey in exchange for center Mehmet Okur, forward Shawne Williams and a protected first-round pick.
The Blazers have been in disarray this season leading to trade talk with regards to Wallace, Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton. The Nets have mostly been focused on acquiring Howard, but with him willing to waive his opt-out clause for next season, it makes sense for them to switch their focus. More than anything, this potential move seems like an effort to convince point guard Deron Williams to re-sign. There is no telling if it will be enough, but it is worth the risk for New Jersey, especially since the first round pick would be protected.
Michael Beasley for Jason Richardson
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been attempting to deal forward Michael Beasley for quite some time, and it looked as if that might come to fruition in the form of a three-way deal. That deal, which would have sent Beasley to the Los Angeles Lakers, Jamal Crawford to Minnesota and either Luke Ridnour or Steve Blake and a first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers, seems to have fallen through, according to Bill Ingram of HOOPSWORLD.
With that in mind, it looks as if the T’Wolves will need to explore other options if they want to rid themselves of Beasley. One possible deal that has been discussed is Beasley to the Orlando Magic for shooting guard Jason Richardson, according to Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD. That deal has legs since Richardson would help Minnesota’s back-court deficiency and the acquisition of Beasley might convince Howard to sign a long-term contract at some point.
Raja Bell to Los Angeles Clippers
While this potential trade isn’t exactly going to get NBA fans in a tizzy, there is a good chance that Utah Jazz shooting guard Raja Bell will find himself with the Los Angeles Clippers by the end of the day. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Clippers would be willing to use their $3.8 million trade exemption in order to add Bell. While he isn’t a star by any means, he would give L.A. the tenacious perimeter defender it needs.
The Clippers’ depth at guard was compromised when point guard Chauncey Billups was lost for the season, and while Bell doesn’t bring the same things to the table, he can be a big part of the rotation. The Jazz have fallen out of the Western Conference race and Bell hasn’t meshed with the team’s philosophy this season, so this works for both sides.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Mar 122012
Utah Jazz guard Raja Bell said he felt good about Monday’s meeting with team brass two days after he was sent home from a road trip after clashing with coach Tyrone Corbin. Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor said the issue was resolved, and he expected Bell in uniform Monday night against Detroit, barring bad news on a precautionary MRI on Bell’s sore left knee.
Mar 122012
Utah Jazz guard Raja Bell says he feels good about a meeting with team brass days after he was sent home from a road trip after clashing with coach Tyrone Corbin. Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor said the issue is resolved and expects Bell in uniform Monday night against Detroit, barring bad news on a precautionary MRI on Bell’s sore knee.
Mar 092012
76ERS TRADE: Evan Turner, Andres Nocioni, Craig Brackins, Tony Battie & 2012 No. 1 Pick
JAZZ TRADE: Al Jefferson and Raja Bell
I would venture to guess neither respective teams’ GM has even considered the above trade proposal to date, but they should. Evan Turner and his unique talents are being wasted in Philadelphia while Al Jefferson is a $14 million big man on a team with three other younger big men that need to, or should be, playing big minutes.
The Philadelphia 76ers are playing great basketball this year. They’re on pace to win a division title, grab a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference—and then get hammered in the first round of the playoffs.
However, such doesn’t need to be the case if only they will include the young and talented Evan Turner, a Swiss Army talent who can play three positions, along with the expiring contract of Andres Nocioni in a trade.
If the 76ers could land a star big man like Al Jefferson, they would not only have one of the best frontcourts in the Eastern Conference with Jefferson, Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand—they would have one of the best, deepest and most talented rosters in the entire league (with players such as All-Star Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams and Thad Young).
Raja Bell would also be included in the trade from the Jazz and would replace Turner quite well as the 76ers’ fourth or fifth guard.
Turner is a talented young player, but he is playing just 23 minutes per game and his shooting percentages are down across the board. He simply is nowhere near as important to the 76ers, who have four other quality guards, as a big man of Al Jefferson’s stature would be.
As for the Jazz, they are not on pace to make the playoffs this season and may even start tanking games towards the end of the year to make sure they miss the playoffs so they don’t lose their first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which will happen if they make the playoffs.
The Jazz also have invested a lot in young bigs Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. They also have the superb power forward Paul Millsap and talented, young big Jeremy Evans. Al Jefferson is much too good to sit on the bench, but Favors and Kanter are much too important to Utah’s future to leave on the bench.
I believe this is a trade that both teams should strongly consider, one which would make the 76ers a force to be reckoned with in the East and the Jazz a future perennial playoff contender in the West.
Read more Philadelphia 76ers news on BleacherReport.com
Feb 222012
Utah Jazz guard Raja Bell will miss Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a strained left adductor. Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said before the game that Josh Howard will start at small forward and Gordon Hayward will move to shooting guard. Bell is averaging 7.4 points per game and has hit a 3-pointer in 18 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA.