azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 5, 2005 12:00 AM
SALT LAKE CITY - Raja Bell was back Thursday doing what helped him earn his keep in the NBA - sticking to Kobe Bryant like gum on Bryant's shoe.
In 2001, Bell was the rookie who barely cracked the NBA with Philadelphia on a 10-day contract. He wound up covering Bryant in the 2001 NBA Finals.
Tonight, Bell returns to Utah, where he secured his future in the league and solidified his defensive reputation.
Bryant is familiar with Bell's intensity. Bryant gave into it during Thursday's Suns win over the Lakers, capping a tussle under the boards with an elbow that cut Bell's lip and a two-handed shove that drew a technical foul.
"(Bryant is) the type of player that thinks he's supposed to do anything to you and you can't do it back," Bell said. "He thinks he's allowed special treatment. I don't get into that (stuff).
"I was kind of sleepwalking until then. That woke me up a bit. There's a common misconception that good players can do anything to you because they're the golden child. I'll tell them: 'If you hit me in the mouth, I'll hit you back.' "
That edge is part of the reason Phoenix signed Bell on the first day of free agency to a five-year, $24 million deal that may prove to be one of the summer's best bargains. In two games, he is shooting 12 of 19 and has scored 32 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Bell signed to be a complementary piece in a title contender, but the summer shakeup turned him into a starter who must score and defend.
"His character is as good as his talent and that's pretty big," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We definitely got the real thing."
Bell had to alter his approach to take more jump shots on offense and yield more on defense. It was a stark change from two years in Utah, where he grew in Jerry Sloan's stern system and became a captain last season.
"When he came in, he was a little hesitant to be in our system," Sloan said. "He didn't know that it could help him, but he worked hard every day and started getting confidence in it. . . . I just thought he was a relentless worker.
"I attribute all of that to his ambition and not anything that we did, but his ambition to want to become a better player. That is one of the things that so many of the players in this league can do if they can just accept what is there."
Bell got some of the awkwardness of facing Utah out of the way in a preseason game. A sold-out, meaningful game figures to be different. Not everyone in Utah was thrilled that Bell left so quickly.
"I could see me catching a lot of stuff," Bell said. "I've got to respect that. That means they miss me."
Free throws
D'Antoni said Suns guard Dijon Thompson will go to Albuquerque this weekend for camp with the Suns' NBA Development League affiliate. Thompson became one of the first players assigned to the league under new rules that allow players to remain part of the NBA team's roster while playing in the minors. Thompson stayed with the Suns through Thursday's game in Los Angeles, his hometown.
• Amaré Stoudemire is expected to begin some weight-bearing walking on his crutches next week.
• Eddie House, who has 14 points in 14 minutes, came in Thursday during the first quarter after not going in until the fourth quarter Tuesday. "I'm just trying to find Eddie some time because he played so well," D'Antoni said.
• D'Antoni on finishing Thursday's game with Kurt Thomas, who watched the close of Tuesday's game: "He needs to be out there closing games out. He should have been out there the first game."
• TNT commentator Doug Collins on Phoenix blowing 17-point, fourth-quarter leads in the first two games: "They've got to learn to live without Amaré Stoudemire, and sometimes it hurts to learn."
Tonight's game
Suns at Jazz
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City.
TV/Radio: UPN 45/KTAR-AM (620).
Jazz update: Phoenix catches a team coming home the night after a road game again. Utah played Friday at Golden State. The Jazz are expected to be without Carlos Boozer, who aggravated a strained hamstring this week that had kept him out of the entire preseason. Matt Harpring is back from his second microfracture surgery, performed on his right knee in April. Keith McLeod started the opener at point guard, but rookie Deron Williams closed the win over Dallas.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1105suns1105.html
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 5, 2005 12:00 AM
SALT LAKE CITY - Raja Bell was back Thursday doing what helped him earn his keep in the NBA - sticking to Kobe Bryant like gum on Bryant's shoe.
In 2001, Bell was the rookie who barely cracked the NBA with Philadelphia on a 10-day contract. He wound up covering Bryant in the 2001 NBA Finals.
Tonight, Bell returns to Utah, where he secured his future in the league and solidified his defensive reputation.
Bryant is familiar with Bell's intensity. Bryant gave into it during Thursday's Suns win over the Lakers, capping a tussle under the boards with an elbow that cut Bell's lip and a two-handed shove that drew a technical foul.
"(Bryant is) the type of player that thinks he's supposed to do anything to you and you can't do it back," Bell said. "He thinks he's allowed special treatment. I don't get into that (stuff).
"I was kind of sleepwalking until then. That woke me up a bit. There's a common misconception that good players can do anything to you because they're the golden child. I'll tell them: 'If you hit me in the mouth, I'll hit you back.' "
That edge is part of the reason Phoenix signed Bell on the first day of free agency to a five-year, $24 million deal that may prove to be one of the summer's best bargains. In two games, he is shooting 12 of 19 and has scored 32 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Bell signed to be a complementary piece in a title contender, but the summer shakeup turned him into a starter who must score and defend.
"His character is as good as his talent and that's pretty big," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We definitely got the real thing."
Bell had to alter his approach to take more jump shots on offense and yield more on defense. It was a stark change from two years in Utah, where he grew in Jerry Sloan's stern system and became a captain last season.
"When he came in, he was a little hesitant to be in our system," Sloan said. "He didn't know that it could help him, but he worked hard every day and started getting confidence in it. . . . I just thought he was a relentless worker.
"I attribute all of that to his ambition and not anything that we did, but his ambition to want to become a better player. That is one of the things that so many of the players in this league can do if they can just accept what is there."
Bell got some of the awkwardness of facing Utah out of the way in a preseason game. A sold-out, meaningful game figures to be different. Not everyone in Utah was thrilled that Bell left so quickly.
"I could see me catching a lot of stuff," Bell said. "I've got to respect that. That means they miss me."
Free throws
D'Antoni said Suns guard Dijon Thompson will go to Albuquerque this weekend for camp with the Suns' NBA Development League affiliate. Thompson became one of the first players assigned to the league under new rules that allow players to remain part of the NBA team's roster while playing in the minors. Thompson stayed with the Suns through Thursday's game in Los Angeles, his hometown.
• Amaré Stoudemire is expected to begin some weight-bearing walking on his crutches next week.
• Eddie House, who has 14 points in 14 minutes, came in Thursday during the first quarter after not going in until the fourth quarter Tuesday. "I'm just trying to find Eddie some time because he played so well," D'Antoni said.
• D'Antoni on finishing Thursday's game with Kurt Thomas, who watched the close of Tuesday's game: "He needs to be out there closing games out. He should have been out there the first game."
• TNT commentator Doug Collins on Phoenix blowing 17-point, fourth-quarter leads in the first two games: "They've got to learn to live without Amaré Stoudemire, and sometimes it hurts to learn."
Tonight's game
Suns at Jazz
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City.
TV/Radio: UPN 45/KTAR-AM (620).
Jazz update: Phoenix catches a team coming home the night after a road game again. Utah played Friday at Golden State. The Jazz are expected to be without Carlos Boozer, who aggravated a strained hamstring this week that had kept him out of the entire preseason. Matt Harpring is back from his second microfracture surgery, performed on his right knee in April. Keith McLeod started the opener at point guard, but rookie Deron Williams closed the win over Dallas.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1105suns1105.html
