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Golden State Warriors: Jordan Bell acquisition was a steal

By Carlos Murillo

Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Jordan Bell (1) reacts during the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Jordan Bell (1) reacts during the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors acquired former Oregon Duck Jordan Bell after a Draft Day trade with the Chicago Bulls. They got a great deal.

The Golden State Warriors managed to get themselves into the NBA for the second year in a row. The defending champs got right to work after reclaiming the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second time in three years. They made a deal on Draft Night, coming away with a better haul than some of the teams that really needed it.

The Chicago Bulls picked Jordan Bell with the 38th pick in the Draft. On a night where they got absolutely swindled for Jimmy Butler by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors also decided to try to pull a fast one over the Bulls. Golden State offered $3.5 million and the deal was completed.

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Bell is a 6’7 forward out of the University of Oregon. He played three years in Eugene and he became one of the best defenders in the country. The Duck was named the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year during his Junior season.

This was an absolute steal for the Warriors. Our own Derek Tahara, who got to watch Bell up close at Oregon, wrote about the kind of momentum-shifting energy that the forward can bring to a team. He knows how to play basketball and now he gets to go to work with the very best in the game.

He’s athletic with a great leaping ability. Bell has wonderful timing at the rim to block and, more importantly, change shots. It’s on that end of the floor where he’s going to make his living.

In addition to having great talents, the Warriors have a lot of amazing teachers and mentors on the team. Andre Iguodala’s impact on Patrick McCaw was pretty clear, from emulating the swipe strip that the 2015 Finals MVP favors to showing a veteran poise even during the most important moments. Now, Bell gets to learn.

Bell gets to work with another undersized rim protector. There’s no one better than Draymond Green. He understands angles, matchups, and verticality better than anyone else in the entire Association. He can read plays long before they actually start to develop and he can break them up easily.

The Warriors are dominant when Green is at the five. Bell, who is taller than Green, could potentially play a similar role. He can’t space the floor like Green can, but he can finish at the rim. He could patrol the paint, help get stops, and turn that defense into quick offense.

For the price, the Warriors got themselves a really good player. He’ll probably see some time in the G-League and that will be good for his development. The Santa Cruz Warriors are sold and extremely useful.

Bell could get playing time in Santa Cruz and grow in that system. He would also get the change to play with Damian Jones, a player the Warriors see as a key piece of their future. And, with the way that the Golden State Warriors blow teams out, Bell would surely see NBA run as well.

This is a low-risk, high-reward situation. The Warriors have a lot of free agents this offseason and will probably lose some to other teams willing to pay more than they want or can. Among them: James Michael McAdoo.

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The Warriors never really could get McAdoo going. As a end-of-bench big man, he didn’t get a lot of run and he didn’t contribute much either. Replacing him with Bell is the right move.

Once again, Golden State proves that they are #LightYears ahead of everyone. By all measures, going after Bell was a great call. He already has a strong foundation. Placing him inside of the Warriors’ machine can only mean good things for the young player and the defending champions.

Just like Patrick McCaw one year ago, the Warriors managed to get into the Draft and they got themselves a good player for a reasonable price.

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