IM ACTUALLY GETTING VERY HAPPY THAT ALOT OF PLAYERS ARENT GOING TO MIAMI...I WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY CANT COME UP WITH A FULL ROSTER THISE YEAR....I JUST HOPE THE ROCKETS GET SOMETHING DONE BECAUSE ITS LOOKING LIKE THEY ARENT DOING S***....HOW I HATE HOW THEY LOVE TO PLAY THE WAITING GAME...LETS JUST HURRY IT UP AND ADD BRAD,RUDY,SCOLA,LOWERY, AND ISHMAEL SMITH TO THE MIX...
jazz looking damn good in the west if al jefferson stays healthy. they finally have someone to at least can make kobe work. now what the jazz lack is that banger at the C position. if they get that guy, they'll challenge the lakers.
I'd follow the gold, in this case. Or at least a chance to play basketball in June. 1.2 million vs a better chance for a ring. Hmm...
Mother ****er **** son of a b!tch! Raja Bell is the perfect 2 for the Jazz. He's only gonna play dirtier now and have more tricks up his sleeve to bust out with Sloan teaching again. He's tough, can shoot the 3, play lock down defense, has lots playoff experience and just all around solid. I think the Jazz will be at least 4th seed in the West. UGH
Be a little b**** like Lebron and ride dick or face your rival (Kobe) and try to beat him to get to the top?
His defense is "highly regarded" aka overrated by the media and clutchfans. Battier hasn't exactly been a picture of health himself. How long did it take him to recover from routine knee surgery two seasons ago? Where was he the last 14 or 15 games of the prior season? Your Battier blinders are still firmly in place and so is your recalcitrance. Anybody with an ounce of objectivity understands that role players usually bounce around and are readily available through minor transactions and free agency. I've given you plenty of examples before. They don't cost lottery pics and they sure as hell aren't paid over $7 mill a year. Unless you can find me a case where a #7 pick was traded for a role player making Battier type money. I'll give you a couple more examples. Pietrus and Barnes last season combined made less money than Battier and provided twice the production. Both were signed as free agents. Tony Allen also signed a similar Raja Bell type deal with Memphis recently. You'll probably start ranting and raving that Allen is nowhere near the player the "no-stats all-star" is, but that's just a way for you to deflect attention from the fact that Battier is overrated, over-hyped, and overpaid.
Unrestricted free agent Matt Barnes said in a radio interview that he has talked to the Magic, Heat, Lakers and Mavs this offseason. http://www.rotoworld.com/content/pl...gnews.asp?sport=NBA&id=892&line=137889&spln=1 I wonder what excuses the blind Battier fans like RV6 are going to use when we see the deal Matt Barnes, who is one year younger than Shane, receives when he signs with one of these teams. Is it gonna be Barnes's injury history? His "attitude" problems? Is he ring chasing just like he did with all the other teams (Sacramento, Philly, Golden State, and Phoenix) he played for? Or is it gonna be that Barnes doesn't "work as hard" as Battier and isn't as good as the "no-stats all-star"? I can't wait. It can't possibly be that Battier-type players can easily be had through minor transactions and free agency like I've said all along. This can't possibly be the norm for role players.
Raja a Jazz ... he'll look good in their jersey. Perfect fit for Raja and Utah. I actually don't care that much ...
Don't really thinks this makes them all that better. Seen the dude play last year and it seemed he didn't have much left to offer. At least not much you could get from any other veteran.
he's a role player. im sure he's not worried about his legacy and stuff. it's about playing the game that you love and earning the most from it. tell me, if you were given the chance to play in the nba for 3 years, would you go to a championship contender for 1.8m/yr or a playoff team for 3.3m/yr? unless i can pawn that ring for 2mil, im going for the bigger contract.
Well, I'm with you, that we have upgraded by resigning Yao. Furthermore, we got our new player a few months earlier than all these teams when we traded for Kevin Martin. As far as this being an upgrade for the Jazz: while the loss of Boozer might hurt in a few statsitical categories, we can't talk Jass without mentioning Millsap, who in my opinon, is more than serviceable on offense. He reminds me of Scola to the extent that his numbers grow when is made a go-to guy (when Boozer was injured, for instance) and he works hard. To the extent that he gets more playing time, the loss of Boozer is mitigated. Secondly, from a chemistry perspective, Boozer has been acidic for that team. They've been talking about moving him or he's been talking about moving on for at least two years now. While Sloan was adamant that they wanted to retain him, I'll be glad to not have to listen to that stale conversation about when Boozer is leaving and where he is heading. I can only imagine how old that gets for teammates of a player who is repeatedly evoked in trade rumors. Finally, as another poster mentioned, Bell is hard nosed and I think he'll produce in Sloan's system. I enjoyed his intensity versus Kobe a few years ago in that Suns/Lakers playoff series. Given the Jazz's propensity for fouling often/cheap fouls, I think Bell has an opportunity to get back to being that get-under-your-skin guy. Utah plays legitimately annoying basketball; Bell makes them more legitimately annoying.
Two big factors to an NBA player, in deciding where he wants to play. Money, and the championship. The difference is 1.2 million. Ok, that is a lot of money to me, and probably to everyone on this site. But the factor of getting an NBA championship should be higher than the factor of how much money I'm getting. I know everybody hates LeBron, but he took less money to play for a team that has a great chance at a championship. Raja Bell is not LeBron, but you see what I'm saying. Now, if Raja was getting 1.1 from a Lakers offer, while potentially getting 10 million from another team, that would be a big difference; play for money, then. But when the difference is 1.2 million, that's not a gigantic amount to an NBA player.
Bell is nowhere close to being in the same situation LeBron effed up. It's not like Bell is 25, and is considered the best player in the league. The guy is 33, and has already passed his peak, somewhat. His focus shouldn't be on getting tons of money. It should be playing for a ring. I mean, Artest joined Kobe. Is he a little b****? No. He went to the best team with the chance for a title. This whole LeBron James thing really changed the outlook for some people. You included.
I agree. These are lateral moves at best Utah's perimeter rotation still kinda sucks. The Suns are putting together yet another team that will score a lot of points but ultimately will not be a winner.
I think this is a good move for the Jazz. Bell's mentality fits right in with what Sloan wants to do, and Raja already knows the system after playing there in the past. Korver was a better shooter, but Raja is a better defender and tougher competitor. He also won't be striking a Gay Elf pose any time soon.
