OAKLAND–There’s a revenge factor playing into Jordan Bell’s first career start.
The Golden State Warriors’ rookie will take the floor on Friday evening at Oracle Arena against the Chicago Bulls, the team that drafted Bell 38th overall in this summer’s NBA Draft. While Chicago used its pick on the Oregon product, Bell never wore a Bulls’ jersey. Instead, he was immediately traded to the Warriors, who gifted Chicago $3.5 million for Bell’s rights.
Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr isn’t attempting a high-level troll by starting Bell against a team that almost certainly regrets surrendering him to the reigning champions. Instead, Kerr joked he wanted Bell to have an opportunity to seek revenge against Chicago rookie Lauri Markkanen, who crushed Bell’s Oregon Ducks while playing for Kerr’s alma mater, the Arizona Wildcats last season.
“I told him I wanted to give him a second chance after Lauri Markkanen torched him in the Pac-12 Championship game last year,” Kerr said. “I was cheering for Markkanen and Arizona, but I watched the game, so he needs a chance at redemption.
While it’s true that Arizona toppled Oregon 83-80, Markkanen didn’t exactly have a career night. Despite shooting 4-for-4 from the field against Bell’s Ducks, the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft finished with just 11 points and one rebound. And while it’s true that Bell might want to exact some revenge against the Bulls for trading him, that’s not why Kerr decided to start him in place of forward Draymond Green, who is resting, on Friday.
“No, no, I’ve been wanting to get him active and play him anyway,” Kerr said. “But with Draymond out, to me, it’s 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 Markkanen and guard him on the block and use his speed and athleticism. So it should be a good game for him.”
As for Green, who has made just one field goal in each of the Warriors’ last two games, the rest on Friday against Chicago is part of a bigger-picture plan to allow him to save some energy for games that matter more.
Even though Kevin Durant will sit for the second time in three games with a sore left ankle, Kerr said he only hesitated about his decision to keep Green out on Friday for a moment before realizing the Warriors will be better served in the long run.
“It’s something I want to do periodically during the year,” Kerr said, when asked about his decision to rest Green. “Last year, during the Finals I thought there were games where Draymond, we were almost piecing him together. I think because of how hard he plays, because of the nature of his game, I think we need to just give him a rest once in a while. Tonight, I planned this about a week ago.”
