Bell’s brashness questioned
month after he ignited a social-media debate with a garbage-time, alley-oop dunk off the backboard to himself, Warriors rookie Jordan Bell again had some questioning his late-game judgment.
In the final minutes of Friday’s 143-94 rout of Chicago, after hitting an and-one layup, Bell raised his hands above his head and rubbed his thumbs over his index and middle fingers — the universal gesture for money — before barking, “3.5,” a reference to the $3.5 million that the Bulls received from Golden State for his draft rights in June.
“I just wanted to see how ‘cash considerations’ was playing over there,” Bell said of the money gesture, which he did several times Friday, both before and during the game.
That Bell was so brash after being inactive in four of the Warriors’ previous five games reinforced the notion that he is already at ease on the NBA stage. Still, head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t entirely comfortable with Bell’s garbage-time banter Friday.
“There’s going to be times where, and last night was one of them, where I would’ve preferred him maybe to tone it down a little bit,” Kerr said. “But it’s good for a rookie to come in, be aggressive and confident and want to play, want to talk a little trash. I’m good with that.
“I get a little bit nervous when we’re in a rout and the other team is obviously having a tough time. You don’t want to rub it in. I don’t know if he understands that. That’s something a 52-year-old man thinks about, not a 22-year-old kid.”
It wasn’t the first time Kerr has had mixed feelings about Bell’s lategame antics.
Late in the Warriors’ Oct. 23 win in Dallas, Bell caught a downcourt pass in stride and, with one foot in the paint, lobbed the ball to himself off the backboard. While drawing contact, he soared, caught the ball and dunked, sending his teammates on the bench into a frenzy.
Video of the play had social media abuzz: How could someone even attempt a self-alley-oop in his fourth NBA game? Kerr tried to apologize to Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle before admitting that, ultimately, it was good to see such confiA dence from a rookie.
“It didn’t surprise me,” Kerr said of Bell’s repeated money gestures Friday. “We saw what he did in Dallas with the dunk off the backboard. He’s brash, and I think it’s good.”
Clark gets ring: Before tip-off Saturday, New Orleans guard Ian Clark got his 2017 NBA championship ring from his former Warriors teammate, Stephen Curry. Clark played two seasons for Golden State, averaging 6.8 points for the 2016-17 champ, before he signed a one-year, minimum contract with the Pelicans in August.
“I’m thrilled to see Ian, to see him personally and then to see him receive his ring,” Kerr said. “He was such a good player for us, good teammate, a wonderful part of the history. He’s got a lot of fans in our locker room, so we’re all excited to see him.”