Meet
Toxic Raja
Posted by: Jazzaholic on August 3rd, 2012
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.Toxic Raja is back at it again.
After feigning a prolonged injury, in the last part of the 2010-11 season, because there was a chance he wouldn’t start, he sat behind the bench. The kids did play well and turned a dismal season into some excitement, despite not making the playoffs.
Then, after a blowup with Coach Ty, he started a couple of games, before the trade deadline, to showcase him for a possible trade. The trade never came. Raja’s contract was too big…TOXIC. “Injury” again sits Toxic Raja for the rest of the season. Even when he declares he’s finally ready to play and dresses, Ty won’t play him. (Good for Ty!)
During the amnesty period the Jazz considered an amnesty for Toxic Raja. Amnesty would have paid him his full salary, minus the amount a team could claim him for off of amnesty waivers, about $1m. However, Raja would have no control over which team under the cap might claim him. A buyout would give Toxic Raja control over where he went and the Jazz would realize a small savings.
The Jazz and Toxic Raja came to a buy out agreement instead of amnesty. Toxic Raja made the announcement, it was a done deal. Now, after the amnesty period is over, Toxic Raja is reneging on his buy out agreement, because no team wants him.
Now, without the small savings the Jazz would have realized with the buyout, they have no reason to buy him out at his full salary. The Jazz are not in the luxury tax and have no chance to go below the cap, so, there’s just no incentive, unless Toxic Raja wants to live up to his agreement and save the Jazz some money and gain his freedom.
The Jazz could be pressed for the 15th roster spot and always buy him out early, but the roster is set and they can wait.
What should the Jazz do?
Here’s my thoughts.
Call Raja’s agent and tell him the agreed buyout is available anytime Raja wants it (prorated for games (not)played), but don’t bother to come to the training facilities, camp or the games. Good luck and good bye! Stay home. Go on vacation.
The Jazz will continue to try to trade Toxic Raja through the trade deadline.
Otherwise, the Jazz will waive Raja on March 1st, when he will be unable to participate in the playoffs for another team. A full year out of (playing in) the NBA will effectively end his career.
What team wouldn’t want a player who feigns injury, because he can’t start, disrespects the coach and organization, plus breaks verbal agreements?
Yup…I can see how his reputation has proceeded him and no team wants him.
Jazzaholic
Replies: 18
Views: 1246
18 Responses
Excellent post. If he stays they ought to have him clean out the restrooms to perfection.
Ahhh, latrine duty.
Jazzaholic
“despite not making the playoffs…”
Uh, we did make the playoffs.
But yeah, I agree with everything. Bell isn’t very smart if he thinks acting the way he has will ever help him get signed by anyone. No team has “old hack that pretends to be injured and disrupts team chemistry, then whines about playing time that he doesn’t deserve, even when being paid more than twice what he’s worth” on their list of players they want to sign.
The only time I ever like Raja was when he clotheslined Kobe Bryant. I do think he has a cool sounding name, though. But that’s all the positive I can say about him.
He affectively held our team hostage for two thirds of the 2011/2012 season.
He posted a single digit PER (right around a 2, if I’m not mistaken) which was one of the worst in the NBA for a starting player.
I could see pleanty of teams desperate enough to try to sign him (Charlotte, Washington, Sacramento, Houston)but none that he would agree to play for.
Bell is either going to be a starter for a bottom 5 team in the NBA or a bench warmer on a mediocre team. Or he could retire.
Don’t really care. I just don’t him to get any more money from the Jazz organization.
Time to play hardball, KOC. Send a message to the NBA that the Utah Jazz does not tolerate backstabbing, unethical, manipulative prima donnas (*cough*Derek Fisher*cough*).
Keep him.
Do not play him.
Wave in March and end his career.
But have him sit and watch it all end in street cloths.
Maybe he will learn the honor commitments.
Corrected my error. It was 2010-11 season he was injured and then decided to watch the rest of the season.
Jazzaholic
I think he would be disruptive to come and watch the games. He’s not going to be a happy camper and will try to poison the rest of the players. Déjà vu Mark Jackson.
I’d put everything off limits to him until he agrees to the buy out, gets traded or is waived after March 1st.
So Long, Farwell, Alveterzane, Adieu, Au Revoir, Adios and Goodbye!
Jazzaholic
Yet KOC is still the person to blame that he is even here.
It was a bad signing. We all remember how Toxic Raja played, before he became toxic waste. We all expected more from him. He just didn’t produce. KOC expected more too. It ended up a bad signing and turned into an untradable contract.
His contract was “toxic”, because nobody wanted to touch it in a trade. Thus, he became Toxic Raja with his latest antics.
Jazzaholic
im sorry guys but im still thinking hes not bad as u say.
yes. Im mad.
I think you have to judge him by his actions.
Jazzaholic
Guido, what the hell are you talking about? Raja Bell is awful. He averaged 6 points per game in 25 minutes, and had a player efficiency rating of a 5. That’s the lowest PER on the Utah Jazz.
Jamaal Tinsley (10.9), Earl Watson (9.5), CJ Miles (12.4), Enes Kanter(14.5) all had a higher PER.
Of all 83 shooting guards in the NBA, Raja Bell is ranked 75th (ESPN, Hollinger). That means Raja Bell is one of the 12 worst shooting guards in the NBA.
Raja Bell SUCKS.
Injuries to vets forced Ty to play the more efficient kids!
Jazzaholic
This whole bunch of hogwash has left Raja Bell third on my list of least favorite players in NBA history. Delonte West Willy and Derek Fisher are still above him, in a 1st/2nd tie.
Delonte is just medically waco.
Fish Face is a liar and manipulator, trying to wear a halo.
Raja signed a good contract for him, but poor for the Jazz, plus he had too much pride to come off the bench or admit he was wrong.
Jazzaholic
Raja is legitimately a bad person. If nothing else, he is a crook. To do what he did, you have to have zero integrity. Anyone who still defends Raja over Corbin, needs to look at what Raja has done SINCE the blowup with Coach Corbin. If you get all bad grapes on a grape vine, it means the vine is bad. Raja is only producing bad, and that means HE is bad. Stop blaming Corbin just because he had a joke of a substitution rotation last year. This is beyond that.
Before this has a chance to turn into a veritable hate thread
: At the time of signing, it made sense for Utah, thinking in leadership terms. In KOC’s position you have to work with what’s possible and that year there weren’t that many opportunities.
But Raja didn’t produce and in hindsight a 3-year contract was too much.
His career in the NBA is at an end anyway, so gracefully pay out his contract and let him be in Florida with his family.