For whom the bell tolls

The spinning of my head has at least slowed down a bit, but rather than give a big ol’ thumbs up or turn my nose at the trade (I’m in wait and see mode, at least until tomorrow morning,) I’d rather discuss a player who is now a former Sun.

Raja Bell.

A little known journeyman who was signed to the squad at the urging of former Dallas teammate Steve Nash, Raja instantly became a fan favorite due to his defensive intensity and three point stroke. With his out of nowhere clothesline of Kobe Bryant and clutch three-pointer to send Game 5 of the 2006 Western Conference semifinals against the Clippers to double-overtime, Bell cemented his status as local god.

He could do no wrong on Planet Orange, even hooking up with Taco Bell for some marketing opportunities and free grub. Raja Bell was the rock of the :07 or Less Suns.

However, as with many great rags to riches stories (don’t forget, Raja was undrafted out of Florida International,) things have a tendency to turn south. Enter Steve Kerr and soon after, Coach Terry Porter.

With the exodus of Mike D’Antoni, Raja could no longer bomb freely from three point land, and was the first Sun to openly gripe about the regime change.

I don’t necessarily blame Raja for not being totally on board with what is going on with the Suns, but this is a guy who built his reputation on playing defense and outworking everyone. Coach Porter was asking him to do nothing but what came naturally to him when he entered the League. To hear him air his frustrations with a more traditional system, something he excelled with in Philadelphia and Utah, was puzzling.

The guy who played the hardest and brought incredible intensity to a team in dire need of it, suddenly no longer wanted to be that player?

It’s unfortunate Raja wasn’t able to leave on his own terms (or maybe he did,) but the team desperately needed an upgrade at the 2. Raja had become a one-dimensional player, his ability to still hit the three-pointer being his only crutch.  His unhappiness with Kerrball and willingness to make those feelings public did him no favors either.

I mentioned Raja’s clothesline of Kobe and huge three-pointer against the Clippers in the playoffs, but the shame here is those events may no longer be his legacy. Openly questioning his team’s direction and perhaps putting concern for his own numbers ahead of his team could very well be though.

And that’s a shame.

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