Suns 'D' is no flop

[SweetD]

Maybe Boston's Kendrick Perkins was just mad that Raja Bell stole his pass on the previous trip.

More likely, the 6-foot-10, 280-pound center could not handle that the Suns' pesky guard was even thinking about getting physical with him in the paint off the ball.

"He was barreling, barreling and started pushing me so I just pulled him down with me," Bell said of last week's tussle. "It's a good thing the ref saw him pushing me first because I just took him to the ground so he wouldn't get a rebound."
It is just a snapshot of the chances to score Phoenix swipes away from teams by taking offensive fouls. With defensive splinters like Bell and Kurt Thomas under opponents' skins, the Suns draw more offensive fouls than any team in the league, according to unofficial stats tallied by 82games.com. Through 44 games, Phoenix was averaging 3.5 offensive fouls drawn per game and no NBA player had drawn more than Bell (50).

"It's what I do," Bell said. "I developed a knack for it in college. It means a lot sometimes. It's an overlooked thing, but it can get you extra possessions.

"I think the referees give me the benefit of the doubt sometimes, which I appreciate. They've seen me doing it now four or five years. My reputation has earned me a couple calls but sometimes they look at me and tell me to get up because they think I'm flopping."

Bell, Thomas (seventh) and Steve Nash (19th) all cracked the site's top 20 to make the best at it with 156 in all. Too often, defense is judged on scoring average or opponents' field-goal percentage.

The Suns give up more points per game than 24 teams, but that is misleading because there are more possessions in their games and they have played 11 overtime periods. The Suns hold foes to the 11th lowest field-goal percentage, but that does not tell the times they draw an offensive-foul call.

"They are hard-nosed and they're always sticking their noses in," coach Mike D'Antoni said of Bell and Thomas. "They're veterans that know the game. They're defensive guys. They can read offenses and have a sense of where guys are going to go and they get there before he does. They're always thinking defense."

Entering Saturday, the Suns' in-house stats showed that most of those offensive fouls came from drawing charges. Bell was at 40, Thomas had 19 and Nash had 14.

"You see a guy and kind of bait him into taking that drive," Bell said. "Then at the last minute you step in there and they already have a full head of steam."

Thomas has done this unheralded work for a decade. Even in New York, he could not beat out another guard, Charlie Ward, in the intrasquad contest for most charges taken.

"You can see them getting upset with Raja," Thomas said. "You can really tell when he's getting under their skin."

Thomas said the offensive fouls often come when Bell stays in front of a ball-handler so tightly that they feel the need to push him off.

"I'm pushing, pushing the guy as much as I can to get him a little," Bell said. "So when he pushes me, you're not allowed to do that. I'm going to fall."


• D'Antoni on the team's focus to win the Pacific Division: "That's not going to be an easy thing to do because the Clippers won't go away."


• D'Antoni on Nash's ability to stay healthy despite a career-high 37.1 minutes per game: "I just don't buy into the thing that he's frail and all that. He's a strong guy. There's no reason at age 31 that he can't do it. I don't see him wearing down. His playoffs last year were ridiculous. Usually, January and February are your dog days. If this is as bad as he's going to get, that's not too bad.

 

[jibikao]

I know we drew tons of fouls on Shaq and Walker!!! lol

 

[jibikao]

By the way, Bell's picture is on nba.com front page. Nice! He sure is getting the recognition he deserves.

 

[Shawty]

This is exactly what I've been tryin' to say. Bell is a smart player. Respondin' to contact is an art. It's smart, heady play whether your opponent and their fans like it or not.

 

[nowagimp]

This is exactly what I've been tryin' to say. Bell is a smart player. Respondin' to contact is an art. It's smart, heady play whether your opponent and their fans like it or not.

I wouldn't compare Bell to Manu. Manu is like a soap opera diva. He can take a brush from AI and end up in the third row. The referees penalized Bell last night, called a foul on him, for moving with the offensive player. Many of Bells offensives actually are physical and he takes alot of punishment for it. Manu's O fouls are more subtle energy wise, more acted out in his response to contact. He tends to get away with moving before the contact to ensure contact(like in the extreme, diving in front of the offensive player). This is where I draw the line. I dont want Bell or any player on my team to be rewarded for fooling the refs, I consider the competition too important. This leads to poor officiating which degrades the meaningful nature of the competition.

 

[Shawty]

I wouldn't compare Bell to Manu. Manu is like a soap opera diva. He can take a brush from AI and end up in the third row. The referees penalized Bell last night, called a foul on him, for moving with the offensive player. Many of Bells offensives actually are physical and he takes alot of punishment for it. Manu's O fouls are more subtle energy wise, more acted out in his response to contact. He tends to get away with moving before the contact to ensure contact(like in the extreme, diving in front of the offensive player). This is where I draw the line. I dont want Bell or any player on my team to be rewarded for fooling the refs, I consider the competition too important. This leads to poor officiating which degrades the meaningful nature of the competition.

Manu might embellish more but as far as the defensive philosophy both are passionate defenders. Strangely, because I actually watch SPur games more than anyone else in here, he gets called for the blockin' foul almost as much as he reaps the charge. Manu is an anticipator. He tries to beat his man to the spot. It is from there that he absorbs any amount of contact and embellishes the impact. Bell's style of play is what has gotten him in twice as many squabbles with NBA players as Manu has. Both are just smart defenders.

 

[myrondizzo]

the reason manu doesnt get into as many squabbles is because he is flopping around on the ground.

 

[nowagimp]

the reason manu doesnt get into as many squabbles is because he is flopping around on the ground.

Manu doesnt get into as many squabbles cause he doesnt foul hard while Bell plays physical. Guys sometimes take physical play as lack of respect.

 

[justAndy]

i'm just glad that Leandro has apparently healed from the injury he suffered because of WoManu Ginobifloppily's antics.

 

[F-Dog]

I dont want Bell or any player on my team to be rewarded for fooling the refs, I consider the competition too important. This leads to poor officiating which degrades the meaningful nature of the competition.

That actually sounds like a good description for what Raja does.

Raja is one of those players who studies the officials and is always looking to bring them into the game. I would compare him to Derek Fisher in his prime--he'll try to guard you, but he'll start grabbing and/or flopping if he notices the officials are distracted. Raja also has some Jerry Sloan in him from his last stop--I hope he gets rid of that stuff in the next year or so.


When Manu first got into the league, he would draw charges with his tremendous anticipation--he would figure out where his man was going before the man himself had decided what he was going to do. Then, last year, he added that Italian midfielder stuff to his offense, where he's throwing his head back and falling down in the lane without contact. I can't remember the last NBA player who did that stuff.

The problem with what Manu does is that he's not really engaging the officials--he's not taking advantage of officials' mistakes (which a lot of refs kind of like IMO, because it makes them feel like they're a part of the game), he's abusing the basic trust between player and official that's necessary for the officials to do their jobs.

I think Manu will find it a lot tougher to get calls as his career goes on.