The Chicago Bulls selected University of Oregon standout and elite shot blocker and rebounder for his size, Jordan Bell with the No. 38 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.
I, along with many others, thought it was a genius move for the Bulls as Bell slipped. Then we found out that the pick was really made for the Golden State Warriors who offered a record $3.5 million in cash considerations to acquire Bells rights.
It is not like the Bulls were strapped for money either with their current roster…
Bell had his first chance to play the team that spurned him and received his first career NBA start (Kevin Durant and Draymond Green were out) and used every opportunity to stick it to the Bulls.
He finished with seven points and six blocks and played with a ton of energy in 26 minutes.
He also used his finger to throw up a money sign after a particularly impressive and-1 during the game and had this to say to Monte Poole of NBA Sports Bay Area after the game:
“I wanted to see how ‘Cash Considerations’ was playing over there,” Bell said about as smoothly as possible while sprinkling sarcasm…
“I’m not going to lie. It was (a good feeling to play well),” Bell said. “Just because of everything that happened. I know I said at first, coming in to the game, that I wasn’t really thinking about it. But then everybody kept reminding me about it today, so it felt pretty good.”
Well played Jordan. As you have learned by now, professional athletes are a very petty bunch that use any slight against them as fuel to the fire to become better at their craft.
Bell is still a work of progress, but he is the kind of athlete and energy player to work perfectly as a small-ball five for stretches in the NBA today, it was foolish of the Bulls to pawn him off for some additional cash.
