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Toxic Raja…RIP…Done at long last!
Posted by: Jazzaholic on March 2nd, 2013
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.March 1st has come and gone. Toxic Raja is still evening out his tan in South Beach in early retirement.
No team wants him, at least enough to pay him.
He can still do a buyout, but has to give up the salary he would make with another team. No double dipping! Who does he think he is Fish Face?
He can’t play in the playoffs, even if he joins a playoff bound team.
Looks like an early retirement for Toxic Raja.
Jazzaholic
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Management usually wins in a game of hardball. It will be interesting to see if a team picks him up next year. The only absolute certain is it won’t be the Jazz..
He’s getting long in the tooth, but I suspect a team will be willing to give him the minimum.
Jazzaholic
“The Raja Bell era has finally come to an end in Utah.
The Utah Jazz cut ties with the veteran shooting guard, who had been sequestered from the squad since bashing on coach Tyrone Corbin at the end of the 2011-12 season.
This morning’s move gives Utah an open roster spot. With 14 players currently on the squad, the Jazz will fill the 15th vacancy with D-League guard Travis Leslie.
By requesting waivers on Bell, the Jazz will pay the 36-year-old guard his full salary of $3.48 million this season.
Bell will be able to sign with a new team after clearing waivers, but he will not be eligible to participate in the playoffs. In order to do that, Bell would have needed to be let go before the March 1 deadline for players to leave one team and join another.
Bell has remained in Miami all season in an agreement with the Jazz that he not be with the team while the two sides tried to work out a contract resolution. Kevin O’Connor, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, has said publically that Bell did not accept a buyout that would have allowed him to join another team and perhaps play in the playoffs.
Things quickly soured with Bell in his second stint with the Jazz after Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan resigned.
The vocal and strong-willed guard clashed with Corbin and was upset in 2011 about how the coach moved him to the bench. More problems arose the following season, including one outburst in which Bell criticized Corbin in front of the team in the locker room after a loss in Philadelphia.
The injury-plagued Bell was sent home early from that trip — having been suspended by the team for a game in Chicago. He eventually returned, but things continued to fester between Bell and Corbin.
At last spring’s locker cleanout, Bell ripped on Corbin multiple times, saying he thought “the way I was handled by Ty was unprofessional.”
A lack of dialogue at the end of the season and in the playoffs — coupled with Bell being the only healthy Jazz player to not see any postseason action — soured the veteran to the point that he didn’t see a future in Utah.
“When it gets to a point where there’s absolutely no communication for months on end,” Bell said, “I think we all know that that’s irreparable damage.”
Bell did not resond to a request for a comment today after being waived by the Jazz.
Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey was also unavailable.”
jody@desnews.com