Everyone was still stuck in the post-Thanksgiving doldrums on Friday night, so the Warriors decided to spice up those leftovers for their home game against the Chicago Bulls.
With Kevin Durant out of the line-up with a nagging ankle injury, Steve Kerr gave the nod to Omri Casspi. But he also decided to give Draymond Green the night off for rest, and his replacement ended up being a not-so-subtle jab at the Bulls organization.
After sitting out the past four games for the Warriors (all DNPs, Coach’s Decision), Kerr put Jordan Bell in the starting lineup against Chicago, who swung a draft-day deal to send him to Golden State last summer, in part for cash considerations. Kerr, of course, tried to play innocent.
Via Connor Letourneau SFGate.com:
“I’ve been wanting to get him active and play him, anyway,” Kerr said of Bell. “But with Draymond out, to me, it was a pretty easy choice. He needs to play. He’s obviously an excellent defender, and it’s a good matchup for him to have to chase (Bulls rookie Lauri) Markkanen, guard him on the block, and use his speed and athleticism. It should be a good game for him.”
But the moment obviously wasn’t lost on Bell:
https://twitter.com/JaeAzizi/status/934266437442478080
And he wasted little time before hammering home an alley-oop from Zaza Pachulia early in the opening quarter.
Let the Bell 'revenge' game begin Act I: The Alley Oop pic.twitter.com/pfXUH6ygec
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) November 25, 2017
Here’s more of what Bell had to say about the matter from SFGate.com:
“They made it clear they didn’t want me,” Bell told reporters after shoot-around Friday. “They drafted me for the Warriors, so I don’t take it to heart.”
Bell is perhaps best known for a late-game alley-oop jam off the glass to himself against Dallas earlier this season, which infuriated Rick Carlisle and other Mavs players as it violated the NBA’s unwritten rule about showing up your opponents when the game is out of reach.
Bell will now get a chance to show up the team that passed on him in the draft on Friday night if he can make the most out of the opportunity.
