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Checking in with the ex-Suns turned Bobcats
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Boris Diaw is making the most of his starting role as a
Charlotte Bobcat. (AP Photo: Chuck Burton)
It’s been nearly a month since the Phoenix Suns traded Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Sean Singletary to the Charlotte Bobcats for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley.
As we’ve witnessed in their first seven games, Richardson is fitting in nicely with the Suns (15.8 points per game, 51.4 percent on threes), and Dudley has the potential to be a significant piece down the road.
But it’s hard to just forget about the players that meant so much to the organization the past several seasons. I know there are a lot of female Suns fans that only became interested in the team because they thought Bell was “hot.”
Now that he’s gone, and the ladies aren’t flocking to buy Bobcat gear, what’s a girl to do? (You’re not alone in your heartache…I remember feeling the same way when Tiffani Amber-Thiessen left Saved by the Bell; Tori just wasn’t the same.)
So how are the ex-Suns fitting in with their new teammates in Charlotte? Diaw and Bell have started every game since passing their physicals, while Singletary has taken a similar role on the Bobcats’ bench that he had with the Suns.
Making the most of the nine games with Charlotte is Diaw, who is averaging 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 38 minutes per game since the trade. He’s led the team in scoring twice, and scored 20 or more points in three games, including two double-doubles.
Against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 19th, just his fourth game as a Bobcat, Diaw scored 26 points on 11 for 13 shooting, and pulled down 10 rebounds. Even more impressive was his 4 for 4 performance from three-point range.
Raja Bell (19) got off to a slow start in Charlotte, but has
been hot from three-point range as of late. (AP Photo:
Chuck Burton)
Bell has been a little slower to adapt to his new team than Diaw, but has had some solid games the past two weeks. In his eight games with Charlotte, Bell is averaging 8.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 43.3 percent on three-pointers.
Raja was 0 for his first 11 three-point attempts in his first four games after the trade, but hit 5 of 7 against the Warriors on his way to 21 points (one shy of his season-high) and six rebounds got him back on track.
Bell is listed as day-to-day after straining his groin against the New Jersey Nets on December 27th. In that game, he was 4 for 6 from downtown with 18 points in just 28 minutes. He missed Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks, and his status is still uncertain for Friday’s game in Milwaukee.
Rookie Sean Singletary has seen significant minutes just twice as a Bobcat, and has scored a total of six points since the trade. His most productive outing was Tuesday against the Knicks in which he scored four points, with three assists and two rebounds in 14 minutes. Worth noting is that the early December trade made Charlotte Singletary’s fourth NBA team (Sacramento, Houston, Phoenix) since being drafted 42nd overall by the Kings in the 2008 draft.
The Bobcats (11-21 overall) are 4-5 since obtaining their players from the desert, but have lost their previous two games at home.
Charlotte plays host to the Phoenix Suns this month on Friday, January 23rd. It will be the first time the two teams have faced off since the trade, and should be an emotional one for Diaw and Bell whose careers have been defined by their time in Phoenix.
Suns fans will get their first chance to see Diaw and Bell against their former team a month later, when the Bobcats visit US Airways Arena on Tuesday, February 24th.
